Planeswalker : Entity
Planeswalker
Entity
Emerging from classical music origins as a trained violist, producer Mervin Wong’s soundscapes as Planeswalker weave emotional narratives by melding organic, string-driven textures with precisely engineered electronics. On his debut EP Perihelion, he blended his fusion of backgrounds on center-stage into the four pulsating tracks of glittering space-like expanse – embarking on his sophomore work, Entity, he finds further assertiveness in his electronics, as he employs a lush array of organs, strings, and vocal textures to create a work bold in its narrative sweep.
The four songs that form Entity feel akin to a fully-formed journey – a metaphorical battle between darkness and light, replete with complications and resolutions. Opening with an evocative aquatic palette, Submarine opens the EP into rumbling layers of cavernous, manipulated strings, plunging listeners into formless yet monolithic walls of dark ambience. As his vocal treatments and drones swirl and evolve, his sonic sculptures emanate a strangely enveloping glow. Here, its effect is not unlike the work of fellow classical-inclined ambient producers like Oliver Coates – his manipulated string-led drones and swells creating intensely affecting worlds
Choosing not to dwell on contemplative modes, its oceanic landscapes then evolve into actively disruptive undercurrents. Riding the title track’s creeping bass warble, granular 4/4 kicks emerge as they meet gated synths intertwining with celestial vocal harmonies – forming crests and waves amidst his calm sea. As the tracklist progresses, tension intensifies as Wong moves into First Bloom, finds Entity’s turbulent journey at its most aggressive. Colliding distorted synths into alternating LFO gates and stutters, it feels as if one is falling into another dimension – only for listeners to be rescued to the surface with a warm, rising pulse. Eventually, as the action falls on Return’s ruminative stringscapes, the music finds light once again. But after the odyssey of warping through Planeswalker’s 20-minute wormhole, it’s a while before one can awake from its thrilled daze.
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