In 1999, a half-semester at an art school that corresponded with an industrial band gone terribly awry, experience effectively spurred a deep foray into experimental music and industrial noise out of simple practicality, almost entirely naive or unaware of any previous precedents with this mode of expression. In existence since the year 2000, the one-man project started with little else than a sequencer for the first 7 years, and it's still an integral part of the composition process.
Solo work up to that point had been inching around minimal electronic and sample-based material ranging from madly structured pseudo-classical, swing jazz, or exotica to industrial, noise, drone, and technical malfunction based compositions. The premise was later broadened to a great deal of studio editing/composition, and can be summarized by excessive amounts of layering from various sound sources and instruments. Recent lone performances have incorporated rhythmic noise accompanied by a contact mic'ed metal mask, with Arvo effectively taking a belt sander to his face, and he has been referred to by many as "intense weirdo power electronics" with regard to his live sets.
While he has toured solo, and exacted countless performances by himself, locally Arvo has often taken to an affinity in setting up large groups for captivating, mood changing performances. There are often around 6-15 people working in layers of comparative sameness, particularly with The "Mister Fuckhead Ensemble", which was rooted around the concept of brass instruments or junk metal in copious amounts. The "Mister Fuckhead" moniker has been retired, and in its place is a more primal thesis statement, "BLOOD RHYTHMS" as the new umbrella. The debut of "BLOOD RHYTHMS" in December of 2010 exhibited a haunting, visceral performance featuring the entire band of Chicago veterans, ONO, with many layers of junk metal cacaphony, 2 power tools, 3 guitars, 4 vocalists, and much electronics.
Past live contributors or collaborators have included Dave Purdie (Silver Abuse, Satan 2000), , Mike Krause (Death Factory), travis (ONO), Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety), Michael Kendrick (Rope, Lovely Little Girls), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Right-Eye Rita, Rik Garrett, Adam Jennings (Winters in Osaka), Christopher ILTH (Daily Void, ex-Loto Ball Show), Alex Morales (piss piss piss moan moan moan), and Andy Ortmann (Panicsville).
After much time carefully and obsessively dwelling on releases, having officially issued only 3 for the entire decade, Arvo has become more efficient privately, coming out of his shell and expanding with both live and studio collaborations on the horizon alongside creatives such as Fatale, Desoeuvre Bruit, Skin Graft, Dog Lady, and Cock E.S.P. It will still be surprising if he takes less than a year to release anything, given his ponderous nature. He is also known by some as a radio DJ whose program is syndicated in Croatia, a freeform live DJ, a writer, an artist, a curator of a events, an occasional label head, and in general a catalyst for exciting ideas.
