Biography
Swiss electronic pop trio Velma prefers to identify as multimedia artists instead of restricting themselves to a purely musical identity. They may well represent the first act after the Human League to elevate a non-musical visual contributor—film loop specialist Olivier Mariette—to full membership status. Their distinctive fusion of minimalist electronica and melodies evocative of film scores generally proves compelling enough to offset any hint of self-importance.
Vocalist Christophe Jaquet, guitarist-keyboardist Christian Garcia, and drummer Stephane Vecchione first connected during an art exhibition held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1996. Their debut album, Rythmique, appeared across Europe via the independent ITT Records imprint; after quickly disappearing from circulation, the recording was reissued by Namskeio in 2001. Emperor Norton, an American independent label, secured the group’s signature in 1998 and issued the follow-up, Cyclique, at the start of 1999. Although the contract had initially encompassed three albums, Velma were freed from the agreement in 2000. The trio then moved to Namskeio Records, which put out the interim EP Parole later that same year. All four selections from Parole were carried over unchanged into the band’s third album, Panoramique, which surfaced in February 2002.
Outside their standard full-length releases, Velma have issued several limited-edition EPs containing ambient and incidental pieces tied to art installations and dance performances on their own Mnarstik imprint. These include Cyclique2 from 2000 along with the two 2001 titles Natal and Finale.
Vocalist Christophe Jaquet, guitarist-keyboardist Christian Garcia, and drummer Stephane Vecchione first connected during an art exhibition held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1996. Their debut album, Rythmique, appeared across Europe via the independent ITT Records imprint; after quickly disappearing from circulation, the recording was reissued by Namskeio in 2001. Emperor Norton, an American independent label, secured the group’s signature in 1998 and issued the follow-up, Cyclique, at the start of 1999. Although the contract had initially encompassed three albums, Velma were freed from the agreement in 2000. The trio then moved to Namskeio Records, which put out the interim EP Parole later that same year. All four selections from Parole were carried over unchanged into the band’s third album, Panoramique, which surfaced in February 2002.
Outside their standard full-length releases, Velma have issued several limited-edition EPs containing ambient and incidental pieces tied to art installations and dance performances on their own Mnarstik imprint. These include Cyclique2 from 2000 along with the two 2001 titles Natal and Finale.
Albums
Singles
