About
Photo by Jason Thrasher
Marcel Sletten (b. February 7, 2000, Santa Cruz, California) is an electronic music producer, composer, writer, visual artist, and concert promoter based in Athens, Georgia. He is the founder, curator, and art director of Primordial Void, an independent music label, and Cosmic Trattoria, a music blog and mix series. He fronts Chairs, a recording project and multimedia art collective that also features Reed Winckler, Jackson McLendon, and Oliver Domingo. Sletten is also the keyboardist for Elephant 6 outfit the Rishis, a recording project led by songwriters Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute, and featuring members of Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, and Elf Power.
Sletten explores themes such as nature, spirituality, and rural life in his solo work. Many of his compositions are inspired by his native Northern California and its pastoral landscapes.
Sletten founded Primordial Void in 2018 and Cosmic Trattoria in 2020. His self-titled debut EP was released on January 15, 2021 via Primordial Void. A second EP, California Delta Blues, as well as a full-length debut titled Vicious Kisses, followed later that year.
Irish Words and a Bottle of Myrrh, Sletten's sophomore album, was released on February 25, 2022, featuring artwork and design by London artist Susu Laroche.
His third full-length album, Mammatus Clouds, was released on May 5, 2023.
Photo by Mike White
As a performer, Sletten has shared bills with artists such as DJ Python, Gobby, Jack Callahan & Jeff Witscher, Theodore Cale Schafer & Sydney Spann, Cabo Boing, and Magic Tuber Stringband. In November 2022, he was selected by John Kiran Fernandes (the Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System) to perform at the 10th annual Cloud Recordings Festival in Athens, Georgia.
As a curator, he has commissioned and released work by Gerard Love (Teenage Fanclub), Little Wings, Jeff Witscher, Twig Harper, Cucina Povera, oxhy, Christian Alborz Oldham (as Rage Quit), emamouse, Gobby, Susu Laroche, Sean Lockwood (as DJ Encourage Me and I'll Never Forget You), and Roxane Métayer, among others.
As a DJ, Sletten has contributed mixes to online series such as Blowing Up The Workshop and C Minus.