Punk has always existed in Latin spaces, and Planta Industrial is just saying it louder. They are bringing a new wave of punk music, and they are two Dominican artists from the Bronx. Once you hear the beat and lyrics of Planta Industrial, you will realize it’s something you have never heard of—in a good way.
Meet Saso and akathedarknight, the creative forces behind Planta Industrial, a project that bends genres, cultures, and expectations without asking for permission. Their sound is here to stay, and soon everyone else will catch up to their wave.
CREMA caught up with the duo over Zoom just after they returned to New York from traveling, still moving at full speed and fully locked into what they’re creating.
Growing up between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic shaped Planta Industrial at its core. Akathedarknight describes it as “the best of both worlds.” As a first-generation American, he learned early how to move between cultures and sounds. “We grew up with a different culture. Very hip-hop-oriented because we were in New York, in the Bronx, but back at home, it would be very much Dominican, very much merengue, bachata, and salsa, even down to Juan Gabriel. Just very Latino at home, but out in school, it was very different.” That duality shows up in their music and in how they carry themselves. Their lyrics draw on lived experience, Dominican Spanish, and Spanglish, which is reflected in the sound of Planta Industrial.
Saso says the goal was always to make Planta feel true to themselves. “Why not make it everything that makes who we are as a collective—sonically, visually, culturally, and all these things?” He points out that alternative scenes across the Caribbean, South America, and Central America have always existed in the music scene, even if they go unrecognized. Growing up, Planta Industrial’s influences ranged from Linkin Park and System of a Down to punk, early-2000s rock, and metal, before hip-hop took over after moving to New York. “That’s really what Planta is,” Saso says. “Think of Jay-Z and Linkin Park.” Akathedarknight chimes in, “With a little bit of Daddy Yankee and a sprinkle of Don Omar and Tego.”
MTV Latinoamérica also played a role, exposing them to alternative rock artists from Mexico and Chile while they were living in the Dominican Republic, demonstrating that punk and rock have always existed in Latin spaces but have not yet received the attention they deserve.
Saso and Akathedarknight met in high school but didn’t become close until after graduation. At the time, they were on very different paths. Akathedarknight focused on fashion, while Saso prepared for law school. “So then, once it turned for me, taking music seriously,” Saso explains, everything shifted. Akathedarknight was already involved behind the scenes. “AKA was always helping me, not only with music production but also with lyrics, directing, editing, wearing a lot of hats, and my operation,” Saso adds.
When they realized they were both actively making music, they decided to collaborate. Their first song together was “That’s My Bitch,” which led to the journey they are on right now. “It’s like, finally, putting together the peanut butter and the jelly. You can eat jelly by itself and peanut butter, but we just did something that just really hit, and I guess the rest will be history,” akathedarknight says.
Despite industry advice to push one song for a year in exchange for streams, which was “That’s My Bitch,” Planta Industrial chose a different path. “Why not give you more songs so you could feel like you were part of us? That’s what we wanted. We didn’t want everyone to just know ‘That’s My Bitch’ for a year. It just didn’t feel right,” akathedarknight explains. This decision gave us hits such as “Teteo in The Bronx” and “Arthur Ave,” to name a few.
“Arthur Ave” feels like a love letter to their neighborhood, their upbringing, and Big Pun. As their TikTok caption, “Dominicans From the Bronx,” began gaining traction, the song became a way to honor where they come from. “Big Pun was such a big staple. He’s one of the most lyrical hip-hop artists of all time, right? He’s really up there. And we just wanted to pay homage to our borough,” akathedarknight says. The song represents unity as well. “It wasn’t more so about being Dominican. It was more about the Bronx. Big Pun is Puerto Rican, and where we grew up, everyone was one. And it didn’t matter if you were Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, or whatever we were; if you’re in the Bronx, we’re all one family.”
Sampling Big Pun was also intentional in this song. Saso explains that it’s one of those lines DJs stop the record for, where the whole room chants along. Instead of using it conventionally, Planta Industrial flipped the approach. “We decided not make it the conventional use of the sample. We did Prodigy breakbeats again; it’s just building the soundscape of what Planta can offer and work with. It’s like what hasn’t been done before. No one’s ever done it in that way,” akathedarknight says.
The title Punk Wave Sin Barreras Vol. 1: Conociéndonos is a nostalgic nod to Inglés Sin Barreras. Rather than releasing a full album, Planta Industrial chose to release a volume-based EP format. “It’s easier to digest because you can’t learn a language right away. You have to break it down. And we felt like with this new genre blending that we’re doing, we wanted to give the audience the same type of spoon-feeding,” akathedarknight shares. Each volume acts as its own world, with future releases becoming increasingly experimental. The structure reinforces the idea behind the name: no borders, no boxes, no rules.
Planta Industrial’s COLORS debut introduced their energy to a global audience. For akathedarknight, the experience felt intentional. “The color scheme is amazing. I want to say, shout out to Jimmy, Felix, Miche, and Avi. These people, they really took care of us while we were there.” They chose “Oi” for the performance, a track that fully captures their intensity and vision. “It was a great experience. We’ve been doing this for a while. It was new, per se, but we were ready for the opportunity; it was something that was well deserved and just right in alignment as to what we’re trying to do,” Saso says. “Because we’re already walking down that path, like, there’s no looking back.” Their COLORS debut has already amassed over 78,000 views, showing their performance is universal.
“Teteo In The Bronx” premiered on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1 show and later landed in a Ross commercial, marking a major moment for Planta Industrial. Akathedarknight admits he hasn’t caught the commercial on TV yet. “So many people send us videos,” he says. “So many things are happening so fast, it takes a while to register.” For Saso, the song’s success demonstrates Planta Industrial’s approach to music. “When we create records, we want to create records that are, of course, genre-bending, forward-thinking, and experimental, but we also want to make them consumable.” He adds, “When we create songs, we’re very selfless about it… I got to cut half of mine off just to make the record sound better. There’s no ego in there.” He believes that mindset makes the music resonate beyond the underground. “We really think about the consumer, which is like our people, our community, and like the voices that we represent and people that identify themselves with us. And Ross liked it. I’m sure others will.” The placement of “Teteo In the Bronx” on both Zane Lowe and Ross platforms shows that this wave of punk music deserves a place.
While Saso and akathedarknight are the faces of Planta Industrial, the project is built as a band and a collective. Producers and emcees like Barack and Gabe play integral roles, and every voice is meant to shine. “When you hear ‘Arthur Ave,’ right, like, you’ll hear a different voice… Barack, he’s his own artist. You hear Gabe, who’s the producer in ‘Teteo In The Bronx,’” Saso explains. Planta Industrial operates fully in-house, a decision that keeps the sound cohesive. “All the producers and everybody speak the same language that AKA and I speak; that’s why the music sounds the way it sounds,” Saso says. Planta Industrial shares with CREMA that there will be a volume two coming soon. Planta Industrial remains focused on building something revolutionary, intentional, and entirely their own.
