"Once you give something a name it changes it and it kills it, really."
TRAVIS EGEDY — the man who named witch house · ウィッチハウスの名付け親
▶ GOTH STAR — 3.1M PLAYS
Photo: Treefort Music Fest · CC BY 2.0
1985SANTA FE BORN
2009NAMED WITCH HOUSE
3.1MGOTH STAR PLAYS
54RELEASES
82VERIFIED QUOTES
2ORIGINALS — THE COLLECTION
ARTIST ID — EVERY LINE VERIFIED
Legal nameTravis James Egedy
Works asPICTUREPLANE (music) · Travis Egedy (art)
AliasesArea66 · Scythe · Upsetter
BornMay 1, 1985 · Santa Fe NM · 3-0 verified
School tiesHigh school with Meow Wolf founders
BasedBrooklyn NY since 2012 (verified thru 2026)
EducationBFA painting, RMCAD · student of Clark Richert
OriginLived inside Rhinoceropolis 2006–2012
GenresWitch house · darkwave · electropunk
LabelsLovepump → Anticon → Alien Body → 100%E → Music Website
BrandAlien Body (founder) — noted, not marketed
Contactpictureplanes@gmail.com · @_pictureplane_
1985 → NOW — TWENTY MOMENTS
1985Born Santa Fe · Meow Wolf cohort
2003-04RMCAD Denver · first Pictureplane shows
2005Slit Red Bird Throat CDr
2006Moves into Rhinoceropolis
2007Turquoise Trail
2009Dark Rift (Aug 4) · HEALTH remix+tour · coins “witch house” w/ Shams (Dec)
2010Witch house goes national · Washed Out first Denver show · Monterrey MX fest
2011Thee Physical (Jul 19)
2012→ Brooklyn · Crystal Castles/HEALTH tours · Russia press · Japan CD prior yr
2013Reality Engineering (Brooklyn + Košice SK) · Gildar “Real Is a Feeling” · Australia
2015Technomancer (Halloween, Anticon)
2016MCA Denver “Bodacioussss” (w/ Haring, Gordon) · Treefort · Rhino shut down (Dec)
2017HEALTH “DRUGS EXIST” · Tokyo CONTRA02 (Aug 6)
2018Degenerate (Sep 18) · Colin Ward + Lil Peep tributes
2019RedLine NEST · DJs Richert closing at MCA
2021Dopamine (100% Electronica)
2022-24Chicago solo show · Buenos Aires · Saatchi · Collé 7-canvas exhibition · Tokyo visit
2025Sex Distortion (Oct 31) · NPR AotW
2026“Losing My Mind” (Mar 17) · 6 US shows · ACTIVE NOW
2026 SHOWS — VERIFIED VIA SONGKICK + BANDSINTOWN, 7/22/26
| DATE | SHOW |
|---|---|
| JAN 31 | TV Eye — Ridgewood NY — PLAYED |
| MAR 7 | Ukie Club — Philadelphia — PLAYED |
| MAR 11 | Pearl Street Warehouse — Washington DC — PLAYED |
| MAR 13 | The Masquerade — Atlanta — PLAYED |
| MAR 19 | The Sultan Room — Brooklyn · "Losing My Mind" release show — PLAYED |
| MAY 1 | Market Hotel — Brooklyn · birthday show (41) — PLAYED |
| JUL 16 | Underground Arts — Philadelphia — PLAYED (6 days ago) |
UPCOMING: none announced (as of 7/22/2026) — he is between announcements, seven shows deep into an active year. This page tracks Songkick, Bandsintown and Japanese sources weekly — 来日情報は日本語ソースで毎週確認 — so this schedule stays ahead of his own channels. Subscribe: RSS feed.
DISCOGRAPHY — EVERY LINK PLAYS
Dark Rift ★2009 · Lovepump“Goth Star” 3.1M · Japan obi ed. exists▶ PLAY
Thee Physical ★2011 · Lovepump“Real Is a Feeling” → gallery show name▶ PLAY
Technomancer ★2015 · AnticonHalloween · Grace Hall feats▶ PLAY
Degenerate ★2018 · Alien BodyWicca Phase + Smrt Death · tributes▶ PLAY
PICTURE
PLANE
PLANE
Dopamine ★2021 · 100% Electronicavinyl LP▶ PLAY
Sex Distortion ★2025 · Music Website13 trks · NPR AotW · “Weeping Sky”▶ PLAY
“Losing My Mind”2026 · singleSultan Room release show 3/19▶ PLAY
Cover art shown at thumbnail size for identification of the recordings; all rights remain with the artist and labels. Links play on the official Bandcamp/Spotify pages.
HE NAMED THE GENRE — DECEMBER 2009
CoinageDec 2009 · Egedy + Shams · half-joke → Pitchfork year-end → genre named · 3-0 VERIFIED
RuleHe named the NAME · SALEM pioneered the sound · say “the man who named witch house”
ReachEN + JA Wikipedia both credit him
THE PRESS TRAIL — 43 INTERVIEWS LOCATED
US pressPitchfork · Stereogum ’09→’25 · FADER · VICE · Hyperallergic · FLOOD · NPR AotW
DenverWestword ×10 · Denverite · OUT FRONT · Denver VOICE (he WROTE for it)
IntlElectronic Beats DE · Soundsphere UK · Acclaim AU · Buro 24/7 RU · OTOTOY JP · ele-king JP
Count43 interviews located · 24 fetched + quote-confirmed
THE 2023 SERIES — SEVEN CANVASES
Format36×48" acrylic/aerosol/inkjet/epoxy (2023 series)
Series7 canvases · Collé No. 33 digital exhibition 2024
Titlesle petit mort · LEATHER MACHINE · coca cola LOW · fendi · Yves Saint Ultraviolet · cocaine kate 2 · gravity…2
Method“Collage to me is alchemy” — ART-01
Artwork images appear in the private diligence edition; publicly we show the artist's works only where rights are cleared. See the exhibitions record below — the two works in this collection will appear here photographed with owner's rights.
EXHIBITION RECORD
| YEAR | EXHIBITION |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Reality Engineering — Brooklyn + Košice SK |
| 2013 | Gildar Denver — show named after his song |
| 2016-17 | MCA DENVER “Bodacioussss” — list incl. Haring, Gordon |
| 2019 | RedLine NEST |
| 2022 | Chicago “Ultraviolet Mythology” |
| 2024 | Collé No. 33 (the 2023 series) |
HIS VOICE — 82 VERIFIED QUOTES, FILTERABLE
“‘Witch house’ was a kind of conceptual art joke with my friend and me.”
WH-01 · Acclaim · Australia · 2013 source ↗
“Once you give something a name it changes it and it kills it, really.”
WH-02 · Acclaim · Australia · 2013 source ↗
“It was never meant to be an actual genre. It was a half-assed conceptual joke that really turned into something real.”
WH-03 · A.V. Club via Stereogum · US · 2010 source ↗
“2009 was the beginning of the ‘witch house’ style… 2010 will be straight up witchy.”
WH-04 · Pitchfork via Stereogum · US · 2009 source ↗
“Different people started posting about it on blogs, and it sort of became an internet meme. People [began] treating it like this actual genre.”
WH-05 · A.V. Club via VICE · US · 2014 source ↗
“That song has meant a lot of things to a lot of people! And it really did start the witch house movement.” (on “Goth Star”)
WH-06 · Soundsphere · UK · 2015 source ↗
“Myself and my friend Shams… were joking about the sort of house music we make, [calling it] witch house because it’s, like, occult-based house music.”
WH-07 · Boulder Weekly via Wikipedia · US · 2010 source ↗
“I was saying that we were witch house bands, and 2010 was going to be the year of witch house… at the time, when I said witch house, it didn’t even really exist.”
WH-08 · via Wikipedia (Pitchfork feature) · US · 2009 source ↗
“My music is a weapon, I think. Create your own weapon.”
TEC-01 · VICE/Noisey · US · 2015 source ↗
“The idea of what a ‘technomancer’ is[,] is someone who is utilizing technology and using it for magical means.”
TEC-02 · VICE/Noisey · US · 2015 source ↗
“I’m not anti-technology at all, it has these incredible uses when used correctly.”
TEC-03 · VICE/Noisey · US · 2015 source ↗
“A big part of my work is taking control back and putting it into the hands of all human beings.”
TEC-04 · VICE/Noisey · US · 2015 source ↗
“The ‘techno’ in the word technomancer doesn’t have anything to do with techno music. It has to do with technology and magic, specifically someone who uses technology for magical purposes.”
TEC-05 · SLUG · US · 2015 source ↗
“I was trying to find the humanity inside of technology.”
TEC-06 · SLUG · US · 2015 source ↗
“I do think the Internet is an autonomous zone, yes, and I hope it stays that way.”
TEC-07 · SLUG · US · 2015 source ↗
“Maybe it’s more subversive now to just log off completely.”
TEC-08 · SLUG · US · 2015 source ↗
“Going through this dark rift is a cleansing period of time when we remember who we truly are.”
TEC-09 · Westword · US-Denver · 2009 source ↗
“The specific book that changed my life [in that regard] was 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck.”
TEC-10 · Westword · US-Denver · 2009 source ↗
“Once every 26,000 years our planet crosses through the elliptical plane at the center of our galaxy known as the dark rift. The songs on dark rift lyrically deal with humanity entering a new age or next phase of our existence…”
TEC-11 · Stereogum · US · 2009 source ↗
“My work is always conceptual, and I think this album was really dealing with anxieties that come from the technological age.”
TEC-12 · Westword · US-Denver · 2015 source ↗
“It’s not even inspiration, I am a cyberpunk—that’s kind of just what my life has become since I was really young living in DIY houses in Denver.”
TEC-13 · FLOOD · US · 2021 source ↗
“You need a space to get crazy, and that’s what DIY spaces provide.”
DEN-01 · Westword · US-Denver · 2015 source ↗
“That’s where realness comes from, DIY spaces; it’s where all the passion is at.”
DEN-02 · Westword · US-Denver · 2015 source ↗
“I was basically a DIY punk kid, but doing it through hip-hop music.”
DEN-03 · Westword · US-Denver · 2015 source ↗
“It was a place that had no rules or boundaries and it was up to us to figure out how to run that space.”
DEN-04 · Denverite · US-Denver · 2016 source ↗
“It’s where stuff is born. I can’t really stress the importance of places like Rhinoceropolis enough.”
DEN-05 · Denverite · US-Denver · 2016 source ↗
“It builds community. That’s another thing that’s really crucial to artistic development.”
DEN-06 · Denverite · US-Denver · 2016 source ↗
“It’s where I came into myself as an artist and now I tour the world playing music and stuff.”
DEN-07 · Denverite · US-Denver · 2016 source ↗
“One of my biggest influences on my creative development was living at Rhinoceropolis in Denver for 6 years.”
DEN-08 · zingmagazine · US · 2013 source ↗
“I was educated just as much by living inside of Rhinoceropolis as I was in 5 years of ‘formal education.’”
DEN-09 · zingmagazine · US · 2013 source ↗
“I lived in Rhinoceropolis for over six years and it’s where Pictureplane was really born.”
DEN-10 · Orlando Weekly · US · 2018 source ↗
“It was really intense and crazy. And a few days after that Rhinoceropolis was shut down; that was directly related to Ghost Ship.”
DEN-11 · Orlando Weekly · US · 2018 source ↗
“Those spaces just allowed for that. Free creative expression, which is vitally important.”
DEN-12 · Orlando Weekly · US · 2018 source ↗
“I don’t even recognize Denver when I go back… It’s crazy there now.”
DEN-13 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“It’s bigger than gentrification; it’s just transformation.”
DEN-14 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“I really wish the city would’ve handled it differently… the city could’ve worked with Rhinoceropolis in a respectful way instead of just forcefully removing everyone.”
DEN-15 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“The police and fire department didn’t give them any other option. They just raided the place and said, ‘You have to leave now.’”
DEN-16 · I Heart Noise · US · 2018 source ↗
“Living in a DIY warehouse in Denver was a hugely educational experience for me… it was just a very foundational and important time in my life as an artist.”
DEN-17 · Nut Hole Publishing · US · 2024 source ↗
“I was way more comfortable playing in a dirty warehouse to a bunch of kids rolling around on the floor on acid.”
DEN-18 · Underground Underdogs · US · 2018 source ↗
“The vision of a space like that is always about freedom, I think… Freedom to create your own reality outside of the constructs of society.”
DEN-19 · Hyperallergic · US · 2016 source ↗
“The shutting down of DIY venues all over America after Oakland does feel political to me.”
DEN-20 · Hyperallergic · US · 2016 source ↗
“Rhino was always very under-recognized and underappreciated by the city.”
DEN-21 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“It was a really terrible week. I knew people in Oakland that died in the Ghost Ship [fire]… and then to have Rhinoceropolis be forcefully shut down was pretty incredible and terrible.”
DEN-22 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“That footage has never been seen before.” · “I knew I wanted to use Colin’s voice or something on my album, so I just decided to write the lyrics about him.” (Colin Ward tribute video)
DEN-23 · Westword · US-Denver · 2018 source ↗
“Collage to me is alchemy. Combining unrelated elements, colors, emotions, images, sonic textures, and holographic shards of the past to create something entirely new.”
ART-01 · Collé · US · 2024 source ↗
“I think a lot of my work touches on different layers of human consciousness. And of time, history, deterioration and dismantling of power structures and organized belief systems, optimism, spirituality, popular culture vs subculture and underground communities.”
ART-02 · Collé · US · 2024 source ↗
“It speaks about what is hidden.”
ART-03 · Collé · US · 2024 source ↗
“The ideas of Genesis P Orridge on collage and sampling in music definitely reinforced my deep fascination with the practice.”
ART-04 · Collé · US · 2024 source ↗
“I don’t feel like I even knew what art was then. It was just like, ‘Oh, I love drawing and painting because it’s fun.’”
ART-05 · Westword · US-Denver · 2009 source ↗
“I have no interest in irony. I think it’s real boring and a waste of time.”
ART-06 · Psychic Gloss · US · 2013 source ↗
“The Jordan thing to me isn’t about Jordan or Nike. It’s about human potential and achievement, exceeding full potential.”
ART-07 · Psychic Gloss · US · 2013 source ↗
“I put that into my artwork to [showcase] the evils of the world.”
ART-08 · Psychic Gloss · US · 2013 source ↗
“There is a blurred line between poetry and mathematics in Richert’s work that in my opinion is one of the most magical things about his painting.” (his own byline, on his teacher)
ART-09 · Denver VOICE · US-Denver · 2010 source ↗
“The show is really about being able to create your own reality rather than let it be left up to outside forces to define who you are.” (Reality Engineering)
ART-10 · zingmagazine · US · 2013 source ↗
“Horror is often a mirror to the society in which it was created, our current world is full of so many anxieties and problems.”
HOR-01 · Vol. 1 Brooklyn · US · 2025 source ↗
“Great horror movies have an incredible atmosphere. creating tension.” (sic)
HOR-02 · Vol. 1 Brooklyn · US · 2025 source ↗
“One of my songs on the new record is called, ‘Glowing Wounds’, which was inspired by actual tales from battlefields in the civil war, where soldiers would describe their wounds glowing blue or green.”
HOR-03 · Vol. 1 Brooklyn · US · 2025 source ↗
“Alien Body was just this idea of expanding the Pictureplane shirt to a whole different dimension.”
AB-01 · IMPOSE · US · c.2012 source ↗
“I’ve always been into conspiracies, and like, extraterrestrials, or hidden history and suppressed ideas.”
AB-02 · IMPOSE · US · c.2012 source ↗
“I have always felt like an outsider and an alien. I wanted the brand to reflect who I am and where I come from.”
AB-03 · Hypebeast · US/HK · 2017 source ↗
“The graphics represent my interest in the paranormal and the things that society does not want to address or talk about.”
AB-04 · Hypebeast · US/HK · 2017 source ↗
“i would say my clothing brand, Alien Body, is first and foremost inspired by music.” (lowercase sic)
AB-05 · Vol. 1 Brooklyn · US · 2025 source ↗
“I love the word ‘body’ to talk about clothes… The clothes are for people who are different and their alien bodies.”
AB-06 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
“All great art is equal parts masculine and feminine.”
PHI-01 · Electronic Beats · Germany · 2014 source ↗
“Art needs to be shining light on the world, not wallowing in its darkness.”
PHI-02 · Electronic Beats · Germany · 2014 source ↗
“Gender bending will always confuse the mainstream—or at least be more difficult for people to understand.”
PHI-03 · Electronic Beats · Germany · 2014 source ↗
“I owe everything to the internet. I’m a product of the internet and a child of internet culture too.”
PHI-04 · Acclaim · Australia · 2013 source ↗
“I like to be really accessible to people that like my music. It’s an underlying message that ‘you can do this too’.”
PHI-05 · Acclaim · Australia · 2013 source ↗
“I’ve been a degenerate freak my whole life. And I am proud of it.”
PHI-06 · Underground Underdogs · US · 2018 source ↗
“I have never limited myself to one genre. It seems crazy to define your entire life around one type of music.”
PHI-07 · Underground Underdogs · US · 2018 source ↗
“If you consider me a degenerate, and that I’m your enemy because of that, then I’ll happily be that. That’s what I am.”
PHI-08 · Orlando Weekly · US · 2018 source ↗
“Punk and techno are two rebellious youth movements one in the same.” (sic)
PHI-09 · Soundsphere · UK · 2015 source ↗
“My goals have really stayed the same. I want to reach people and to elevate spirits.”
PHI-10 · Soundsphere · UK · 2015 source ↗
“Success for me is having people I respect, respecting me back. Success is being able to do what you love wholeheartedly.”
PHI-11 · Westword · US-Denver · 2009 source ↗
“There will always be an underground and there will always be radical and challenging art being made.”
PHI-12 · SLUG · US · 2015 source ↗
“I think there is a lot of romance in my music, like a bittersweet longing for some hidden beauty.”
PHI-13 · Nut Hole Publishing · US · 2024 source ↗
“Black Dice and Wolf Eyes… showed me that sound and music could be anything. Total sonic freedom.”
PHI-14 · Nut Hole Publishing · US · 2024 source ↗
“I sort of equate that scene in Memphis to the Norwegian black metal scene in the early ’90s. … The music is just cryptic, dark, and brutal. And anti-Christian. It’s extreme.”
PHI-15 · The FADER · US · 2015 source ↗
“The southwest is my spiritual homeland.” (Santa Fe / New Mexico)
PLC-01 · zingmagazine · US · 2013 source ↗
“Россия — одно из моих любимейших мест во всем мире. Люди здесь очень настоящие и сердечные.” — “Russia is one of my favorite places in the whole world. The people here are very genuine and warm-hearted.” (published in Russian translation)
PLC-02 · Buro 24/7 · Russia · 2012 source ↗
“Bushwick has that feel. It’s a similar community with that whole DIY-American-culture-warehouse scene.” (Brooklyn)
PLC-03 · Psychic Gloss · US · 2013 source ↗
“I went to high school with the core group of people that started Meow Wolf. We were all teenagers together in Santa Fe.”
PLC-04 · Westword · US-Denver · 2019 source ↗
THE JAPAN RECORD — ウィッチハウスの名付け親
ja.wikipediaCredits him with coining ウィッチハウス
Japan CDPH-002 obi · liner notes by Junnosuke Amai (ex-rockin’on) · 廃盤
Label storyPanorama Heltz: 15 releases ’09–12 · launch batch w/ Neon Indian
Tokyo showCONTRA02 · Kagurane · 8/6/17 · “witch house pioneer…堂々の来日!”
First editorialele-king 2013 mention
Honest readFOOTNOTE-FAMOUS CULT FIGURE — never say “big in Japan”
Collector mathZero-transaction scarcity = the paintings’ market shape
PROOF OF JAPAN — ALL VERIFIABLE
| ja.wikipedia | The Japanese Wikipedia article on ウィッチハウス credits Egedy with coining the genre — independent, editable-by-anyone consensus, standing since the 2010s |
| Physical release | Dark Rift Japan CD (Panorama Heltz PH-002, obi + Junnosuke Amai liner notes) — out of print (廃盤), trades at collector premiums; scarcity = real demand |
| Live billing | Tokyo promoter CONTRA02 billed him "witch house pioneer… 堂々の来日!" (2017) — their words, not ours |
| Editorial | ele-king (Japan's leading electronic-music magazine) coverage since 2013 |
| Fan portal | travisegedy.net/japan — our Japanese-language portal, updated weekly · world map 世界地図 — every city pinned & linked |
帯 OBI: ja.wikipedia credits him with coining ウィッチハウス · Panorama Heltz PH-002 Japan CD · liner notes by Junnosuke Amai · Tokyo CONTRA02 8/6/17 「witch house pioneer…堂々の来日!」
TWO ORIGINAL EGEDY CANVASES — PRIVATELY HELD
From the artist's canvas era. Held in the Charles collection. Only three works are publicly for sale worldwide — these two are not among them. Photography and full condition dossier: PHASE 2, IMMINENT.
PHOTOS COMING — THIS SPACE RESERVEDSerious inquiries via the contact channel. Provenance and condition documentation available to qualified parties.
SOURCES — EVERY CLAIM LINKED (36)
acclaimmag.com/music/interview-pictureplane/denverite.com/2016/12/15/qa-travis-egedy-pictureplane-6-yearen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_house_(genre)floodmagazine.com/90678/in-conversation-pictureplane-dopaminhypebeast.com/2017/12/alien-body-fall-winter-2017hyperallergic.com/a-diy-space-is-forced-to-close-in-denver-aihrtn.net/interview-with-pictureplane/imposemagazine.com/bytes/fashion/alien-body-pictureplanenutholepublishing.substack.com/p/an-interview-with-pictureplopen.spotify.com/album/4O1piF0XZaddz5Bw3F69gDpictureplane.bandcamp.com/album/dark-riftpictureplane.bandcamp.com/album/degeneratepictureplane.bandcamp.com/album/sex-distortionpictureplane.bandcamp.com/album/technomancerpictureplane.bandcamp.com/album/thee-physicalpictureplane.bandcamp.com/track/losing-my-mindstereogum.com/2089949/witch-house-salem-king-night-turns-10/stereogum.com/79501/band_to_watch_pictureplane/interviews/baundergroundunderdogs.com/2018/09/28/pictureplane-on-what-it-www.buro247.ru/music/expert/9817.htmlwww.denvervoice.org/archive/2010/2/12/art-feature-clark-richwww.electronicbeats.net/pictureplane-and-daniel-jones-on-truwww.orlandoweekly.com/music/arts-agitator-pictureplane-is-a-www.psychicgloss.com/articles/1700www.revuecolle.com/issues/vol-2-issue-no-33www.slugmag.com/music/interviews/music-interviews/occult-conwww.soundspheremag.com/spotlight/artist-spotlight-pictureplawww.thefader.com/2015/11/04/fader-mix-pictureplanewww.vice.com/en/article/a-definitive-guide-to-trolling-musicwww.vice.com/en/article/rb85mm/pictureplane-interview-new-viwww.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/pictureplane-on-his-hauntingwww.westword.com/music/pictureplanes-travis-egedy-remembers-www.westword.com/music/qanda-with-travis-egedy-of-pictureplawww.westword.com/music/travis-egedy-of-pictureplane-on-changwww.westword.com/music/you-need-a-space-to-get-crazy-picturezingmagazine.com/blog_posts/travis-egedy-interview/