Duct tape my eyes, I still see visions of reality.
Electrify energy. Many different fantasies.
I feel the power of blood flowing. A thirst and longing so incomplete.
What I want most, isn’t exactly, what I need.
In a place where night hushes the waves and the beach stretches like a wound unhealed, Temptrix moves in moonlight. Born of Texas tides and gothic bloodlines, this project, helmed by Ash Cantu, draws breath from body music’s brutalist machinery and exhales it through the sighs of post-punk, electroclash, and nocturnal confession. Their latest offering, Deeper Than Skin, shivers in its own hide, stung by the sharp teeth of longing and the soft ache of want unmet.
Cantu, wandering their island after dusk like a penitent vampyre, wrote the track as an invocation to the unspeakable: desire as both sermon and sin. Bound not by faith but feeling, the song sways between touch and torment. Duct tape may seal the eyes, but vision – carnal, fractured, compulsive – remains. This is a communion of sweat, salt, and skin; a lustful lilt scrawled in blood beneath borrowed stars.
The synths in Deeper Than Skin sneer like machines misused, pulling from the cold well of EBM’s forebears: Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, yet stained with the lipstick and latex legacy of Miss Kittin and Crystal Castles. In this world, pleasure prays to pain and fantasy masquerades as fate. And as the voice pleads to be taken, touched, tasted, we’re reminded: the body is a church, and some saints still stray from their God.
Listen to Deeper Than Skin below, and order the track here.
Post-Punk.com spoke with Temptrix about their upbringing, inspirations, themes, and collaborating with Rudy Martinez.
Your music draws from 1980s industrial EBM and early 2000s electro-femme artists. How did these influences converge to shape the sound of Temptrix? What 80’s industrial EBM Artists in particular inspire you?
Currently, all 4 of my singles out have influences of 1980’s EBM, as well as the same minimal electronic, yet powerful and sometimes melancholic message I’ve perceived through the instrumentals or soft feminine vocals similarly heard in early 2000’s electro-femme artists. I was first inspired at a young age by electronic music via listening to bands such as Nitzer Ebb and Front 242. As I grew older, I continued listening to more electro artists such as Miss Kittin, Crystal Castles and Ladytron. I’ve been listening to a mix of all of these artists since I was an adolescent and feel that my influences from each band has molded the type of music I am writing now.
Has your upbringing in Texas influenced your musical style and thematic choices?
Yes, as a Houstonian, I first heard Ladytron and Front 242 being played in a world-known goth club “Numbers Nite Club” and used to sneak out of my house in high school just to dance to this type of music. The club has been open for 43 years, with all of my favorite 1980’s bands having played on the stage. Their Friday 80’s dance night “Classic Numbers” has always included a long line to wait outside in order to get in. To this day, I still wait in that same long line to dance to my favorite bands on a Friday night.
You’ve mentioned inspirations like Miss Kittin and Crystal Castles. How did you discover these electronic music artists, and what do you like and find inspiring about their music?
I discovered them while attending a goth club as a teenager. I find the emotion from all feminine vocals to be unique, but there is no sound like Miss Kittin and The Hacker. Both Miss Kittin and Alice Glass are powerful femmes who cannot be replicated, no matter how hard the large electronic population tries. Their music was nostalgic of my youth and will forever be held close to my heart.
What are some of your favorite Gothic and Vampire Novels, and how does your personal exploration of gothic literature and vampirism inform the lyrical content of your songs? Do you have any favorite characters from these novels or other media?
During the lyrical writing process, I researched various forms of gothic literature and vampire characters in cinema, while pulling bits and pieces I found myself to be most relatable to. I was most intrigued by Chelsea Quin Yarbro’s “The Saint Germain Chronicles”, as a favorite type of vampire, who craves intimacy. It isn’t exactly about the power of blood, but the power of touch. Yarbro’s vampires are also incapable of attaining full satisfaction in their feeding unless the human donor reaches a climax. I liked the idea of these types of vampires, who are unselfish and ideal lovers. The energy exchange seems more equal, which is why I find them to be my favorite, especially being the feminist that I am.
Are there particular artists or genres outside of darkwave that have unexpectedly influenced your music?
As a Houstonian, I grew up listening to hip-hop. It was the first form of music I learned how to dance to. Then later, I was in jazz dance classes while young, learning to dance to Michael Jackson (who I’m not a fan of due to certain reasons), but my influence has always been heavily involved in great percussion that I could dance to, which is definitely a key component in hip-hop. I have yet to release a song that I don’t find to be danceable. In my opinion, good darkwave involves great percussion (which is why I work with a producer who is much more skilled than I am at writing dance beats).
“Deeper than Skin” delves into themes of desire and fantasy. Can you walk us through your songwriting process for this track?
I had originally reviewed several pages of poetry written over time and decided that there was a theme of longing, desire and many different fantasies that I dare not share. I didn’t want to appear too direct or personal, so I started my research on vampire romance, since I tend to have a strong desire to bite into people (with their consent of course) – who I find to be most attractive (both physically & spiritually).
Working with producer Rudy Martinez, how did your collaborative dynamic influence the final sound of your upcoming album?
Rudy and I have been working together for almost a year. I have shared with him artists that I am most influenced by. Being that I am a producer myself, I believe the collaborative process has helped me to explain certain drums or synths I like and originally, I started writing with him where I would bring in my synth to record or record my own vocals or guitar at home. After time, he has come to understand my style and I now trust that he can produce a full track without me present in the studio, knowing that it will be a track that best suits me. “Deeper than Skin” is the first track where I was not involved in recording on keys (only vocals), but I feel that he really has grown an understanding of the type of sound I want to convey. There are more tracks on my album where I am more interactive in the instrumental recording process, but our collaborative dynamic seems to be in a flow lately, which I am thankful for.
Your music balances electronic elements with raw emotion. How do you achieve this equilibrium between the synthetic and the personal in your production?
There have been times when I was experiencing very raw, dark emotions while in the studio. Often, recording has put me into tears. Electronic music is deeply emotive to me, being that I have loved this form of music for so long. As time has progressed, I have learned to meditate prior to coming into the studio (very recently), prepare a few demos prior to recording as well, so that the raw emotion I am recording doesn’t side-track me. I also find it very important that I feel comfortable recording with someone while spilling my little darkwave heart into a microphone. The vulnerability can be tough, but is necessary for me to complete a solid track.
Do you have a preferred environment or routine that fosters your creativity during the songwriting process?
I’m learning to create more of a routine. During the recording of my first few singles, I would perform them as demos while on tour, then return to the studio and add keys/guitar or vocals. It all seemed a bit too hasty for a while, so I decided to take a pause from booking shows or tours while completing my album. I write lyrics often now, structure them into songs and create demos at home. This has helped me to feel more prepared when meeting with Rudy in the studio to work, as he is very professional and seems to be more pleased when I am well prepared.
How do you approach the challenge of translating deeply personal experiences into universally relatable music?
With this new project, I have been pulling deeply personal experiences involving multiple scenarios or people into one song, then I might figure out how to relate my words to fiction or something spiritual. I feel that my lyrics are a bit more abstract this way and hope that universally, my listeners can relate in their own way. I’d rather not write a song about just one person or experience.
Visuals play a significant role in darkwave culture. How do you conceptualize the visual aspects of Temptrix, from album art to stage presence?
Visually, I wanted to be perceived as a bit more reserved or mysterious. I am a lover of old cinema (usually in black & white), so I feel that this dark cinematic aspect inspires me. On stage, I usually wear a trench coat, use a high-powered fog machine to the point of barely being able to see who’s in front of me and with all my strobe lights, I become a shadow of sorts. I’m still trying to figure out my visual identity as an artist, but being a non-binary femme, I feel my identity often changes from hyper-femme to androgynous. I would like to be perceived as a masculine femme, who has a soft heart and try not to intimidate the audience when I jump off stage and yell my lyrics in their face, but it seems people like it so far, because I always leave the stage with a smile.
How do you adapt your music for live performances, and what elements do you prioritize to engage your audience?
I prefer to have a guitarist present. I play synth, use high-powered strobes that are programmed to sync to my music. Recently, I have started to play the bass live and hired a personal sound engineer who helps significantly with creating my vocal effects so that they sound like my recordings. I prefer to dance, whip my hair about, jump off stage and dance with the audience. I believe that my live performances are much more intense now than ever before, which keeps the audience well engaged throughout the show.
Your lyrics seem to explore the tension between desire and reality. How do you navigate these themes personally and artistically?
I used to write and sing previously about the desire I had for one person. It seemed to catch that guy’s attention. He was very supportive of my older project, but then we broke up and the songs were too painful to sing. I believe now that I am constantly in a reality check and try not to get carried away by the thoughts of fantasies and desire. Although I still have fantasies about romance or other physical desires, I realize that not every tempting choice is the best for me.
Living on an island in Texas and walking the beach at night sounds poetic. How does this environment influence your songwriting?
Usually before I go into the studio, I take long walks at the beach at night outside of my house (I live on an island in the Gulf of Mexico). I meditate and go home to write lyrics. It often feels very dreamy to write lyrics or poetry after my long walks of self-reflection.
How do you perceive the relationship between spirituality and music in your work? Though universal, Love, mystery, desire, and grief seem to be feelings that evolve with experience, and change who we are, how we create, and how we listen to music. Would you agree?
I would agree. I used to practice voodoo when writing music years ago and did a bit too much spellwork in songs. Each lyric I write now, I do so with the best intention. Although I am a spiritual person, I am not confined to one religion but do feel that we are always evolving as spirits walking this earth and hope that my feelings expressed in music are universally relatable to everyone (in the best ways). Maybe I can help someone out there to have a little bit of hope or faith knowing they are not alone in their experience.
Ultimately, what message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I want all of my listeners to feel that they can dance away their pain and that they are not alone in this dystopian existence we all must suffer through. My hope is that my music can be a form of escapism or enlightenment, even if it’s just a good feeling someone has when leaving my show. It is about giving out positive energy, even if the lyrics are dark.
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