We had the pleasure of speaking with Pleasure Planet during the release of their self-titled debut album on Kim Ann Foxman’s imprint, SELF-TIMER.
Pleasure Planet’s kaleidoscopic debut album has been eagerly anticipated. Crafted over years of late-night studio sessions, Pleasure Planet presents an affectionate and mesmerizing patchwork of the New York City-based trio’s eclectic influences. Their sound is delicately poised between the pulsating rave and the soothing chill-out room, seamlessly weaving glistening pads, chunky basslines, infectious vocals, and warm, saturated rhythms.
Bandmates Andrew Potter, Kim Ann Foxman, and Brian Hersey engage in a psychedelic dialogue, blending their diverse musical histories. They draw inspiration from vintage EBM, ambient music, and the heady early 90s West Coast rave scene, catapulting these classic elements into a transcendent new sonic realm.
KALTBLUT: Your debut album combines an eclectic mix of influences and has been described as a kaleidoscopic patchwork. Can you talk about the creative process that led to such a diverse sound?
Andrew: Our music is inspired by our overlapping influences and the formative years we each spent raving in the 90s before meeting each other. We grew up in the same types of scenes and each played in different bands and electronic projects before Pleasure Planet. I think all these experiences prepared us for really clicking together. We really took our time to grow into our sound.
Kim Ann: We have always worked together in the studio rather than sending music back and forth to work on remotely. Magic can only happen together.
KALTBLUT: Your collaboration seems to have grown organically into what Pleasure Planet is today. How did each of your musical backgrounds influence the direction of the album?
Kim Ann: We each naturally bring our personal experiences, and inspirations from our genre-blending rave years. I was born in Hawaii but moved to SF where I was raised in the light of San Francisco’s golden-era rave scene during the mid 90s. I started collecting records during this time. Then in 1998, I was in my first electronic band called too-bit. That’s when I got my first drum machine, synth, & sampler. After SF, I moved to NYC in 2002, starting DJing out. During this time, I also got involved as a lead singer for Hercules and Love Affair, where I was able to develop as a live performer. All of these experiences shaped me. I bring a lot of that classic rave aesthetic to the music and infuse it with vocal hooks.
Andrew: In the early and mid 90s, I lived in Washington DC, where I was pulled into its special rave scene as a teen. I started buying house and breakbeat records while teaching myself how to DJ on cheap Gemini turntables. I was obsessed with a lot of the same 90s west coast DJs that Kim Ann loved—like Wicked Crew and Funky Techno Tribe. When I moved to NYC in 2001, I started Djing regularly and making breakbeats in a group called Bozak. I started getting serious about making tracks and learning more about production years later in the duo Populette. I think all of these similar types of experiences and influences have become a short hand vocabulary for what we make with Pleasure Planet.
Brian: I started out playing guitar, but around the early 90s I’d become obsessed with all the electronic sounds coming from EBM and industrial music. I spent a summer working to buy a four track and a cheap Boss drum machine intending to make those sounds, but soon after that a friend stole me away for a weekend to a massive rave in upstate NY called Sputnik 4 which changed the whole game for me. I was especially taken with the early era of trance techno and deep acid house, and anything with breaks. Bit by bit I began collecting whatever pieces of gear I could afford, and by the early 00’s my band Ciao dropped the first of several self produced albums, all by the skin of our teeth in the tiniest bedroom studio. So much of that earlier influence and work we’ve all done comes out in new ways when PP gets into the studio, it’s always fun to see how the rest of us responds to a weird little beat or melody noodle.
KALTBLUT: The album features a blend of vintage and modern sounds, from EBM to ambient music. How did you decide which elements to incorporate into your tracks?
Kim Ann: We don’t overthink it. We just feel the moment and see where it takes us. We start a story and see where it goes. Often when we are working together, we might talk about a part from another song we all love, and use that aesthetic, technique or approach as an inspiration for our original elements.
KALTBLUT: Kim Ann, moving into the studio seems to have had a significant impact on the creation of this album. Could you describe how this living arrangement influenced the music you created together?
Kim Ann: When I joined the original studio in 2014, I was focused on solo stuff and Djing. Andrew and Brian were already working on music together as ‘Pleasure Planet’ and they asked me to collaborate for a release on Throne of Blood. It was really fun. We made something together that I would have never found on my own. It was inspiring, and refreshing. After working on more stuff together, it felt like a new dimension for me which was more organic. I wanted to keep exploring where we could go together. I felt myself blossoming in this world we were creating together, and maturing as an artist and also finding myself as a vocalist as well.
KALTBLUT: The track ‘Endless’ captures the essence of post-rave euphoria. What was the inspiration behind this song, and how did you achieve its unique sound?
Kim Ann: Endless was Andrew and I jamming in the studio one night, and we got locked into a groove really quickly. When it felt euphoric and vibey, and exactly where we wanted to be with the track, it was hypnotic and i imagined a state of “endless, timeless, spirals” At that point, I grabbed the mic and just started improvising with vocals and FX. It was very in the moment on the fly and it just worked so well so we kept the vocal and delivery.
KALTBLUT: Your music has a distinct sci-fi feel, with tracks like ‘Planet Love’ exploring psychedelic themes. What draws you to these cosmic elements, and how do they play into your artistic vision?
Kim Ann: Many of our songs are in direct conversation with these themes. For example, ‘Planet love’ is a love letter to psychedelics. We draw inspiration from different experiences and try to recapture some of their magic in the music. Sci fi often gives us concepts and visual vocabulary that directly informs our music. Sometimes a book, movie, or a painting may give us the material that can bring a song to life in a personal way.
KALTBLUT: ‘Saved by the Bells’ is described as a meditative after-hours experiment. Can you explain the concept behind this track and how it fits into the overall narrative of the album?
Brian: Saved by the bells is a very special, emotional track for us. The song is based on a long improvisation we created years ago in our first studio, very shortly after Kim Ann joined the group. When we went to work on our album years later, we brought it back to life—trimming down and mixing the original 15 minute long studio jam. We long felt there was something there, but cleaning it up we were able to see a structure emerge, and then Kim Ann added some sporadic alien vocals and it was magic.
KALTBLUT: As seasoned artists, how has your approach to making music changed over the years, and what lessons have you brought into the creation of ‘Pleasure Planet’?
Andrew: If something feels forced, it doesn’t have a place in our world. So we say goodbye to these elements and invite new ones in. We’ve gotten better at not being precious and not getting stuck in the weeds. We are also patient and have a natural way of working together. I think most of all, we really enjoy making music together— and it’s incredibly fun.
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Photos by @balaramaheller
