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Planeswalker


City Nomads Radio #88: Planeswalker, Singapore




“Once a devotee of the violin and viola, one indie music festival was all it took to make a convert of Mervin Wong. Better known by his alias Planeswalker, this Singapore artist took the plunge from classical to electronic music five years ago, and he’s been blurring the lines between genres ever since. Taking cues from sound-shifting mavericks like FKA twigs and Floating Points, Planeswalker melds string harmonies, otherworldly synth sounds, and field recordings into a hypnotic, immersive journey. Here, he chats with us about his recent solo record Perihelion, and the link between spirituality and sonic expression in his works.” 

Check out the full interview on City Nomads.



Feat. Kin Leonn, Yeule, Nikhil Ramakrishnan (Iyer), Intriguant, Our Softest Hour and other surprises~⁠⠀


From the artist —



With the state of the world right now, I wanted to craft a mix specifically for remote listeners. It’s a journey through different sonic states, beginning with Kin Leonn’s Endless, to Nicolas Jaar’s Fantasy (under his Against All Logic moniker), along with Tales, a track I released under Our Softest Hour – an online art space. It expresses a variety of emotions, exhilarations, as well as moments of calm and tranquility –  which I think we all need a little of in the present time.






Mark

Planeswalker


MIX #001





A journey that traverses the epic sonic landscapes of handling experimental, electronic genres. In this mix, Planeswalker picks the sounds of seasoned producers and artists, starting with Primordial Germination by Japanese musical collective Geinoh Yamashirogumi, and in another moment through the existential realm with Holly Herndon’s Extreme Love. This stopgap reality comes to a sublime end with Tim Hecker, forming the final sensation – a tingling moment with This Life.


00:00 Geinoh Yamashirogumi, “Primordial Germination”,
02:01 Rustie, “Coral Elixrr (feat. Rustie)”
02:52 Giant Claw, “Soft Channel 008”
05:42 Clarke, “Butterfly Prowler”
10:17 Antwood, “Disable Ad Blocker”
12:02 Four Tet, “Anna Painting”
19:13 Thom Yorke, “Not the News”
23:02 Holly Herndon, “Extreme Love”
25:11 SOPHIE, “Is It Cold in the Water?”
28:39 Ben Frost, “All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated”
30:30 Flying Lotus, “Cold Dead”
31:51 WEDNESDAY CAMPANELLA & Oorutaichi, “Underground Ritual”
38:21 Tim Hecker, “This Life”


From the artist —



Electronic music as a genre is so varied with many derivative genres, and I wanted to find out how these diverse tracks could come together to form an alternative, underlying themes. I was particularly inspired by LateNightTales – the idea of ‘music and stories worth staying up for’.


The mix draws upon my headspace over the past six months, in the midst of completing the Perihelion EP. Needless to say, I was floored by specific tracks and artists that I interpreted as having pushed the limits of electronic music — all while figuring out what the boundaries were.


I imagine this mix to be some sort of listening journey taking you through an otherworldly, sci-fi landscape. It is a realm in perhaps a not-so-distant reality where culture, tradition and technology co-existing in a dystopian landscape.





Mark