Sunju Hargun: Extans Mantra (環境) Vol. 5
Sunju Hargun
Extans Mantra (環境) Vol. 5
Just as in oceanic exploration, beauty lingers with danger. Such is the message on Bangkok-based producer and Siamese Twins label founder Sunju Hargun’s fifth installment of their Extans Mantra series, Extans Mantra (環境) Vol. 5. Here, they return with a collection of “spacey ambiances and psychedelic frequencies to get lost in time and space,” taking us this time to achingly beautiful aquatic depths via sonic sculptures in equal parts calming and sinister.
The EP opens strongly with “Starfruit”. Insistent pads loop gently in the background, paired with rhythms built from the soft crashing of waves. The sounds take its time to develop, eventually building into a hypnotic trance, as Hargun’s oceanic tranquillity is punctuated by samples of screaming children – smudging the boundaries between human and nature, leaving just coexistence. The sonic metaphor is a reminder of our own inseparability from nature, despite our drawing of imprecise boundaries between our homes and the “outside world”, buildings and nature, screen time and IRL time.
“Silver Haze,” on the other hand, feels like witnessing sun rays hit glittering water. Delicate, heavily processed vocals bloom from hums to open-throated vocalisations that linger, sustained like a vocal warmup. A soft pad follows in meditative repetition, their sustaining gradually unlocking depths of nostalgia before closing with scuttling noises that rapidly dissipate into nothingness. Closer “Blue Dream,” however, is the album’s highlight. A ritualistic drum beat forms the backdrop for Hargun’s sonic manipulation, rendering the listener awash in a sea of sound. Brooding, angular timbres alien to the rest of the EP permeate, with sirens and shouts interspersed, alongside beautiful, sweet melodies, creating a haunting effect through repeated juxtaposition. The interplay between these strong personalities harks back to “Starfruit’s” theme of coexistence – neither human nor nature has to give in.
A reminder that there is beauty in just being, Hargun’s Extans Mantra (環境) Vol. 5 evokes effortless emotional responses through a delicate, serene collection of understated sound, a mass that never needs to be forced; after all, it’s through its slow deliberation that Hargun reaps its beautiful rewards.
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