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Planepacked is (usually) metaltronica – in practice, extreme metal with lots of keyboards and synthesizers. Created by Jessica Kagan, a code-slinging, krav maga practicing transwoman from Massachusetts, Planepacked release the epic new album Transactinides early April, and Jessica was on hand to talk us through the background of Planepacked.
What are the origins of Planepacked?
Planepacked has fairly nebulous origins, but these days I like to label my first experiments with metaltronica in late 2013/early 2014 the beginning of Planepacked. It’s always been a solo project, for what it’s worth. One bit of trivia – I named Planepacked after a glitchy procedurally generated item in the video game Dwarf Fortress.
What should people expect when they check Planepacked out? How would you describe yourself?
Honestly, at this point, my overall identities usually go as follows (if not necessarily this exact order) – engineer, musician, writer, trans, and butch lesbian. Queerness is inevitably a big part of who I am, but I’ve achieved much of what I have by combining both my analytical and creative sides. When all the wibbly wobbly gender stuff recedes to the background, I tend to define myself by what I do.
As for Planepacked, you should expect a thoroughly integrated fusion of extreme metal and various sorts of electronic music (marketed as “metaltronica”). I make some excursions into prog rock/metal territory and classical-inspired work sometimes, but they’re not the main focus by far.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
I have unfortunately not had many opportunities to perform live as Planepacked. The closest I’ve come so far was performing “War Song” at an open mic night arranged by my singing teacher’s studio. It was a great chance to bring metaltronica to a wider audience, but I’d need to assemble a touring band in order to provide the more conventional metal concerts that I’m hoping to perform. In addition, I’m interested in creating some sort of entirely new band with local musicians (in the Greater Boston area), though I haven’t had a lot of time to seriously explore that yet.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
I think aggressive promotion is the foundation of any attempt to build a name and a reputation as a band. You can’t guarantee any sort of virality; it’s going to take time and effort, though working with a good PR agency can help you get your foot in the door. It also helps to figure out your audience – who are you trying to reach with your music, and how are people responding? You’ll note that I (rather cynically) didn’t mention the actual contents of your music. Thing is, everyone’s got different tastes in music, and I suspect any attempt to recommend what I think makes for good, distinctive music will instead lead to me teaching you how to compose for my preferences at the expense of your own.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
My main focus at this point is getting the Transactinides LP out, as well as the non-album single War Song [which officially launched earlier this year]. I’m also working on the album after that.
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel Planepacked would be best suited to open for?
That would probably be Igorrr. Gautier Serre and colleagues have been doing the whole metal/electronic fusion thing for longer than I have and influencing my own conception of what’s possible for a good chunk of that, with the caveat that there’s a lot more sound collage and klezmer in their take than my own. No worries; a girl has to differentiate herself somehow!
Excluding yourself! which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
The best candidate is probably Valdrin, which is a black metal band from Cincinnati (where I lived for many years) that I discovered solely because one of my classmates from high school apparently befriended one of their members. Two Carrion Talismans in particular is a masterwork, though I should note it’s more death metal influenced than their other work. Either way, it’s got to be an easier sell than the always delicious but admittedly controversial Cincinnati-style chili.
What are your own first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
I remember playing around with a Casio (or similar) keyboard when I was a child, though this was mostly just listening to its backing loops and the demo song, which my 5-year-old brain thought was the most epic song ever. My parents noticed and eventually started sending me to piano lessons, which I took to surprisingly quickly. 10 years of that later, and I was left with a permanently rewired brain, well optimized to love listening to and creating music.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
I actually went to NYC in December to attend A2B2 and do some general touristy things. Very lucky I didn’t get hit with a case of COVID for my troubles. I should warn you that I’m in my obnoxious Arca stan phase. It at least makes sense to me – a musician who produces tons of harsh IDM stuff and who’s also trans? Anyways, it was a great time, and I also got some new musical interests (read: Machine Girl, with their digital hardcore/industrial sound) out of the show!
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
I should preface this with the vague feeling I need to be more passionate about social issues in general. Public transportation comes to mind – America is currently locked in a deadly cage of suburban sprawl and poor mass transit infrastructure that’s left us with cities designed for automobiles first and humans second. This is not an easy position to support in the wake of COVID, but if we shook off the political dysfunction long enough for a massive, systemic transformation of the country’s mass transit, we’d get so many cars off the road, we’d be able to create dense neighborhoods to combat the housing shortage, and we’d be able to rewild chunks of the country to help restore the environment. It’s a utopian dream, and it’s harder to implement than, for instance, moving to a country with better public transportation.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
This takes some thinking. It’s probably the OSTs from the Japanese version of the Pokemon anime soundtrack, which I acquired in the mid-late 2000s. You have Neil Cicierega’s “Animutations” to blame for that. They left me with a desire to find what, at least to my ears, were the strangest and zaniest tunes out there. My plan was to send them to my friends and get their reactions – some were nonplussed at best, but some of them seem to have actually enjoyed them.
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year?
I’m not super tuned into the latest music releases, but of the albums I got to, I’d say Nowherer from Victory Over The Sun was my favorite. It’s microtonal black metal with a keen ear for songwriting and a surprising amount of catchy melodies and riffs. Let it be said that microtonality in general is a great way to get my attention. I should also mention that the production job on this was one of the reasons I ended up getting War Song and Transactinides mixed/mastered at Nu House Studios.
What does 2022 hold for you?
As mentioned, the new Planepacked material should release (1/28 for War Song, 2/11 and 3/18 for singles from Transactinides, and 4/8 for Transactinides proper). I’m also going to make a big push to get the next album (#3, as of yet unnamed) written, recorded, and produced. Hopefully, the circumstances that made Transactinides take so long won’t be replicated. I’d also like to get some more formal band activity going, but that’s dependent on how much time/energy I have, as well as how we as a society deal with the COVID pandemic.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
I’m currently in the midst of a big promo campaign, so I’m probably at maximum activity (which isn’t a ton, mind you) for the next few months. Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and take note of our Linktree (https://linktr.ee/Planepacked), which is full of convenient links to ways to support the band!
Album credits:
Jessica Kagan: All songwriting, programming, sung vocals
Moss Girl: Harsh vocals
Nu House Studios: Mastering, mixing, vocal recording, production
Mario Teodosio: Visual artwork
Photography: Riley West (they/them)
