Velma

There are 2 artists with this name: a Swiss electronica/art group; and a Northern Irish alternative/punk band. 1) Switzerland-based group: During the private viewing of Fernando Landovitch's retrospective, three amateurs, weary of the endless aphasia surrounding them, discovered a common ground for their individual researches in musical art. Sharing a similar interpretation of the great Vladislav Bauer's masterworks, they decided to emerge together from the current cacophony under a promising name : Velma [best regards - http://www.myspace.com/velmavisualmusic] A self produced album (Rythmique) was quickly followed by appearances on various compilations (see discography). These first foundations gave Velma the opportunity to give several gigs in Switzerland and in Europe. In summer 1999, the band signed on the Californian label Emperor Norton Records for the release of Cyclique, which came out in October 1999. Cyclique was released in Europe through the labels Noise Product and Namskeio Records. In March 2000, Parole, a 12-inch record presenting the latest recordings of the band was released on Stetic Records. Parole was reissued in CD format on M Narsitik Records under the name Panoramique. This release features remixes from Ma chérie for painting (Germany), Köhn (Belgium), Alog (Norway) Bruce Gilbert (UK), Pluramon (Germany), Jan Jelinek (Germany) Terre Thaemlitz (Japan) and Liryc (Switzerland). Recorded in the South of France in June 2002 and produced by London-based Mark Van Hoen (Locust, Seefeel, Mojave 3, Scala, Annie Williams, Sing-Sing), Ludwig, Velma's third album is the long-awaited follow-up to Cyclique. This collaboration allowed the band to tune its sound towards a more "pop" feeling. Ludwig was released in Switzerland in October 2002 (M Narsitik), in Italy in June 2003 (White and Black) and finally throughout the rest of Europe during the Fall of 2003, with a license deal with Belgian label Zealrecords. Ludwig's announcement was closely followed by the release of a split single with New York's hip hop band Dälek. This vinyl 12-inch is published by M Narsitik Records and hit the stands in the end of 2002. "Ludwig" is scheduled for release in the Benelux October 13, 2003. In October 2005 the fourth album of the trio La pointe Farinet 2'949m. was released on two different labels: on French Monopsone and on Swiss Gentlemen. Also produced by Mark Van Hoe this one is haunted by heavy and dirty and hip hop loops. La pointe Farinet, 2'949 m. contains some intense moments such as Metropolis (a cover of Mötorhead) and Voices of the Ether another collaboration with Dälek. Apart of its purely musical activity, Velma produces theatrical performances and composes music for other stage artists. Some of these works have been published and released on CD, using the Velma B. Landovitch name in order to differentiate them from the regular Velma records: http://www.last.fm/music/Velma+B.+Landovitch Full bio: http://www.velma.ch/pdf/BIO_engl_NOV_05.pdf 2) Belfast based band: Velma convey influences ranging from energetic alternative rock to edgy New York post-punk. The band's full-on, rock n roll attitude and hi-octane vocal delivery have drawn comparisons with PJ Harvey and other performers of that ilk with their no-nonsense 'in-yer-face' guitar sound, quirky melodies which lodge themselves firmly in your brain, dynamic rock-solid rhythms, and delightfully skewed lyrics. See www.audioill.com/velma. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.