Author | Michelle King
Travis Egedy (aka Pictureplane) got his start in Denver, Colorado creating a new breed of electronic music in a warehouse known as Rhinoceropolis. His first studio album Dark Rift was released in 2009 and followed up with Thee Physical in 2011, a record he described as his “dark sex” album. The songs deal largely with the body and sensuality, and touch on topics of sexuality and gender identity. Currently residing in Brooklyn, we had a chance to chat with Egedy about his music, the design aesthetic with which he pairs it, and what’s next for Pictureplane.
Michelle King: First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. And before we get into the musical side of things…we’re big fans of your merch and design aesthetic. Do you do that stuff yourself or can you tell us who does?
Travis Egedy: Yes! I design everything that goes along with Pictureplane. All of my album covers and t-shirts are all done by me.
MK: What is the inspiration for those designs and how does it (if at all) relate to the music?
TE: The Pictureplane shirts definitely relate to the music, especially the earlier ones around my album Dark Rift. Things like a lot of S&M imagery, gloves, hands, and bodies. But now I have expanded from just Pictureplane shirts into ALIEN BODY, which is a way for me to continue designing shirts that don’t have to necessarily be aligned with what I am doing as Pictureplane. ALIEN BODY is a way for me to explore my interests in the chaos magic and the occult, extraterrestrials, government conspiracy, and the paranormal.
MK: You have made some pretty big waves in the Denver music scene, one not too regularly regarded for overflowing with the type of house and trance electronica you’re putting out; how would you say the culture there has impacted your music and vise versa?
TE: I was never influenced by “Denver culture” it was more the other way around. What we were doing with our warehouse, Rhinoceropolis, was really about trying to change Denver for the better. Creating new culture rather than being influenced by something that already existed there.
MK: Last time I was there, a fight broke out at the club we went to. Not so much fun. How would you say the Denver music scene is doing these days?
TE: I honestly don’t know because I live in Brooklyn, but Denver will always have a strong scene. There is a real magic there that will never go away. My favorite projects in Denver right now are Alphabets and Civilized, and Rhinoceropolis is still going strong, which is a testament to that city.
MK: You described your debut album, Dark Rift, as lyrically dealing with humanity entering a new age. Can you talk a bit about the themes you deal with on Thee Physical? It seems to touch on a lot dealing with gender identity and sexuality.
TE: Thee Physical was really all about the body and sensuality. The idea that touch is our way of experiencing this physical dimension. Of course gender identity and sex is a part of that. I remember when I first started working on Thee Physical, I was calling it my “dark sex” album.
MK: It’s been three years since that record came out. What have you been up to since then and what can we look forward to from Pictureplane in the future?
TE: I am finishing up my new album now! I just released a new single and music video called “Self Control” and I am working on a bunch of large paintings at the moment actually. All kinds of crazy stuff in the works always.
MK: Anything to add?
TE: Thank you!
Follow Pictureplane:
Facebook
Twitter: @pictureplane
Michelle King is a music fiend currently residing in Athens, GA. While her business card will tell you she is executive manager and director of publicity at Noisy Ghost PR, you can also find her blogging at She Turns the Tables, racing for Reality Bikes, and going on adventures with her awesome dog.
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