An Interview with Tachanka, July 2025
How would you describe your sound? - What interests you about post-metal/your genre specifically?
I have begun to describe my sound as post-metal because my composition tends to emphasize atmosphere and experimental texture, driven by progressive and ambient instrumentation, as well as its discarding of conventional verse-chorus form. I find post-metal's affinity for experimentation in form to be engaging and encouraging as an artist, as though there's sounds and forms yet to be developed.
Who/what inspires your music?
The inspiration for my music is owed heavily to other solo women artists like Chelsea Wolfe, Uboa, Ameokama, Ethel Cain. I really like music with atmospheric, haunting sounds. The inspiration for my lyrics mostly comes from anarchists like Voltairine de Cleyre and the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.
If you could open for any musician/band, who would it be?
I aspire to open for Chappel Roan. love her.
How do you keep yourself motivated and inspired/how do you work through creative blocks?
I get through creative blocks by listening to genres of music I don't normally, to break the stagnation. Usually something will get the inspiration going.
Tell me about the creative process behind your most recent work! How did it turn from an idea into reality? - Is your method more organized & session based or more sporadic and fleeting?
My writing process usually starts by playing bass and just goofing around until I flesh out the riff I want to build around. Sometimes I find a note or a sound, like in my song Tonight I had a harmonica sound to build around. Then it's just about arranging adjacent riffs around that riff, ensuring a strong sense of motion and coherence. I track the instruments section by section, write lyrics and track vocals, and then move on to the mixing and mastering process.
In your bio, you mentioned that your latest release covers topics of trans rage - what is your experience being a trans person in the metal/post-metal scene, especially in such a suppressive state as Texas? Has making music been a good outlet for you?
The metal scene in Texas and in general has been mixed for me as a trans woman. There is a lot of bigotry and exclusion obviously. Truthfully I was having a hard time finding a gig as a guitarist so I thought I'd try to learn all the other instruments and just produce my songs myself. So that exclusion led me to creating Tachanka. It's been a great way to vent my frustrations while also doing what I love. It's turned into a project I have a lot of ambition and passion for.
What is your current big goal? What does the future hold/what are you working towards right now?
my current big goal is to finish my first full album and have a release show with a live band. Eventually I'd like to sign to a record label, but for now I'm happy making progress as an artist and a producer. Releasing vinyls and CDs would be cool too.
Do you have any advice for someone looking/just starting out in making music?
My advice for anyone new to being an artist is to have the courage to do something different. Don't limit your range or influences! constantly expand your horizons as an artist. always reach out for new music and sounds. and don't be afraid to look for feedback and to collaborate with others.
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