Thursday, January 24th, ISSUE is pleased to present OTHER ICON, the newly formed trio of New York artists King Vision Ultra, sound ritual project of PTP collective/imprint head Geng, Brooklyn-based experimental synthesist, composer, and performer Via App, and YATTA, the performative guise of digi-poet and musician Yatta Zoker. The evening also features the artists staging short solo sets before their collaborative performance.
Recently amalgamated from deep artistic connections within NYC’s underground experimental scene, OTHER ICON’s ISSUE debut follows from the artists’ individual performances throughout 2017-8, including YATTA’s performance at ISSUE’s 2017 fall opening (with William Basinski and Bergsonist), Geng’s collaborative performance of the prisoners are becoming ambient with Julia Santoli, and Via App’s contributions to the premiere of James K’s Elektra (Scream Through The Eyes of a Statue).
In the words of the group: “OTHER ICON FACES THE PAIN.”
King Vision Ultra is the sound ritual project of New York City native & PTP (Purple Tape Pedigree) collective/imprint head, Geng. A handful have called it "doom metal meets '90s hip-hop," but one time someone went further to say, "Dystopia over old RZA beats fed through a RAT pedal." KVU is a channeling and exploration of the spiritual archive, a language forged from abuse/violence, sleep paralysis, aquaphobia, and the mental state. KVU live is the sharing of personal ills with the other entity in the room. On Pain Of Mind - his debut album (Ascetic House, March 2018) - this practice is carried out via frequency and cassette experimentations as dialogue and sampled loops forge a narrative on enslavement, both industrialized and self-imposed.
Via App is an alias of Dylan Scheer, Brooklyn based experimental synthesist, sonic field researcher, electronic composer and performer. She is most known for her acrobatic, narrative, ever-transmuting live sets, which have been described as intense journeys of disruption, disorientation, collapse and regeneration. Her studio recordings exist, in part, as documentation of her performances, and are often live recordings stitched together. She has been recording, releasing tapes and performing since 2011, solo and in bands. In 2015 she released “7 Headed”, a heavily sample-based 12” that received critical acclaim. 2016 saw her 12" on BANK Records and her debut LP, Sixth Stitch on Break World Records. This year she collaborated on the digital release of "Toxicon" with publishing platform Country Music, and several releases are underway for 2019. As well as being active in the NYC experimental scene, she frequently tours internationally, and has played at festivals and venues such as Unsound, Moogfest, Rewire, Norberg Festival, Tresor, Kaiku, Contact and Club ALL.
YATTA (Yatta Zoker) is an interdisciplinary artist, digipoet, and musician. They use incantations born of loop pedal drones, channeled screams, and improvised poetry to explore connections between psychosis, prayer, and presence. Their debut EP, ‘Spirit Said Yes!’ was released on PTP in 2017. This year, they are working on a record in conjunction with a theatrical production commissioned by The Shed. YATTA’s readings, performances, and workshops have taken place in friends' backyards, community farms, Afrofuturism conferences (Cornell University, Vassar University, Wesleyan University, The New School), The Brooklyn Museum, MOMA PS1, Issue Project Room, Roulette, among others. YATTA has shared the stage with musicians like Cardi B, William Basinski, and The Sun Ra Arkestra, creating multimedia performances that tour nationally and globally.