The Veldt is a pioneering alternative soul and shoegaze group formed in 1986 in Raleigh, North Carolina by identical twin brothers Daniel and Danny Chavis.
[2][3] The Veldt have received media coverage from outlets including Pitchfork,[2] Vice,[4] The Guardian,[5] The Huffington Post,[6] All Music Guide,[1] Louder Than War,[7] Stereogum,[3] and many others including praise from producers Joe Foster (My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), A.R.
Kane, and Doc McKinney (The Weeknd, Drake), alongside collaborators including TV On The Radio, Mos Def and Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), and acts they have opened for such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Modern English, Chuck D, Living Colour, and Schooly D.[4][7][1][6][8] The Chavis brothers relocated to New York City's East Village in the 1990s and later initiated the musical project Apollo Heights in the 2000s before returning to working under The Veldt moniker in the 2010s.
[1] The Veldt are increasingly recognized as creating a path for marginalized voices[4] and as an influence on the lineage of music that has led to the Alternative R&B success of The Weeknd and Miguel.
[5] The Veldt's early years were spent in Raleigh during the late 1980s/early 1990s boom in North Carolina's independent music scene that included acts such as Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Ryan Adams.