Where Few Dare To Tread: Revealing The Ambient Path of Planeswalker
The worlds of Planeswalker will leave you in a daze (Credit: Charmaine Poh)
There’s a common vein that connects the seemingly disparate worlds of ambient and classical music. These are narratives carved with instrumental lexicons, with the power to speak eloquently and persuasively without words. They evoke emotional responses within visitors who manoeuvre through their complex structures with wide-eyed wonder, exploring their ebb and flow of delicate lulls and robust climaxes. Linking these two entities with his classical musical background, Planeswalker is an electronic mastermind who authors such creations, spinning tales of captivation, mystery and a dash of panache.
Trained in the violin and viola, the momentum-building producer preserves his devotion to these core devices, adapting them to new-age symphonies blanketed with dense, intricate textures. Cascades of strings dance above morose strata of synths and samples like an aurora, producing an orchestral, chimeric beast that he’s tamed tastefully. As its composer, Planeswalker releases these manifestations with storytelling in mind; these are exhibited in conceptual EPs – 2020’s Perihelion and the upcoming Entity – that lug listeners along voyages of deep listening and sensorial gratification. Like reading an engrossing novel, these are pages you wish to linger on.
Planeswalker’s adherence to the effects of music on the psyche is reflected in his pursuits beyond that of a typical producer. Since his emergence, he’s been commissioned to do several projects in the art scene, including a showcase for Singapore Festival of Arts’ (SIFA) Sound Social Series, and a sound installation for Singapore Art Week earlier this year. This multi-disciplinary appeal of his ambient works is a facet that escalates his workmanship, opening the avenues for cinematic interpretation and immersive interaction. Planeswalker is crossing where few dare to tread, paving the way for those who will surely follow with admiration.
Leaping over barriers and limitations, Planeswalker reveals more about his promising path in this interview.
“I try to throw out form, structure and any preconceived notions of organisation in terms of composition.” (Credit: Charmaine Poh)
Is Planeswalker your first musical project outside of classical music?
There was a period of exploration where I was finding sonic worlds which I resonated with. I actually released an album, Aphelion, in 2018 under the alias Theemptybluesky which featured some of these explorations. Planeswalker is the blood pact to be fully committed as an electronic producer and artiste. I feel that the earlier project, Theemptybluesky, was all about finding my sound and voice, whereas Planeswalker is where I channel this newfound energy.
Can you tell us more about your classical background, and if this has any effect on the way you perceive or craft music as Planeswalker?
Classical music has been a huge part of my development and training; playing the violin and the viola have always been my primary mediums of expression. I think the development of the internal listening ear as well as the physicality of feeling vibrations on a string from a resonating body has influenced the way I hear sounds as an electronic producer. Integrating these classical vessels – the sounds of stringed instruments within an electronic track – gives it a whole dimension of how we perceive these sounds.
I try to throw out form, structure and any preconceived notions of organisation in terms of composition, but these deeply ingrained foundations have a way of seeping out by themselves. Rather than being governed by these ‘rules’, I let them subconsciously influence the dramaturgy of the composition.
The cover art for Planeswalker’s upcoming Entity EP (Credit: Splithalo)
Was diving into the art of production a hard transition?
I feel that, as a violist, I was already a ‘producer’ in the sense that I was basically producing sound from the viola, yet also shaping this sound and organising it musically. I think there was a slow cocooned transition where I realised that I don’t necessarily need to be restricted by the body of an instrument. With music production and sound design, there was an unlimited aether that I could tap into and explore.
The late SOPHIE said, “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture in theory and any sounds, so why would any musician want to limit themselves?”
Bless her soul. Of all genres, why did you decide to venture into the abstract realm of ambient?
I think I naturally gravitated towards a realm where I could explore texture, tone, and atmosphere, rather than specifically chasing the use of a tangible musical or rhythmic idea to express something. I wanted to try and evoke deep, visceral feelings in the subconscious of the listener. It was a natural process but definitely not a binding contract. I am chasing the essence of the metaphysical and things beyond our material realm.
“For my approach, I think I tend to venture in both directions: sometimes minimal and sometimes maximal.” (Credit: Louisa Violet)
Making ambient music involves getting into a certain headspace. How do you get into yours when songwriting?
For me, this ‘headspace’ is all about getting lost, deeper into this labyrinth, and then discovering things about myself and the world (and the tangible sound that I am working with) that I never knew about, while stumbling upon surprises and new possibilities. I find that I don’t need to put myself into the mood, rather it’s a constant process of absorbing and synthesising; the dice are constantly rolling in my head. I get lost even before I head to the workstation or touch an instrument. I would say when I get there, it is actually at the point where I feel the need to put something tangible out into physical form to articulate these multiplicities and divergent energies.
It’s easy to pile on the layers and get carried away when making electronic music, but ambient tends to be the opposite of that with its oft-minimal nature. Do you restrain yourself when making ambient, or do you let yourself go free?
For my approach, I think I tend to venture in both directions: sometimes minimal and sometimes maximal. Again, I try to let the process guide me rather than to impose a set trajectory. I feel in that sense, I don’t restrict myself at all and try to go with the flow. I feel that there is some sort of potency both in the minimal and maximal.
“The sonic texture of string instruments is something I will never be able to run away from.” (Credit: Charmaine Poh)
How do you know you’ve achieved that sweet spot when assembling a piece? Is it an emotion? A sensation? A sonic balance?
I think it’s a deep instinct, but also more than that. It’s difficult because when you are the writer or creator, there is a different relationship attached to the work you have birthed. I try to trust that innate sensitivity and intuition, though of course, a lot of external critical feedback plays a huge role in terms of ‘calibrating’ this internal instinct I am relying on. Credit here definitely goes to the many pairs of dedicated ears whom I rely on in the initial listenings of new tracks or works.
A fascinating tenet of your music is your application of strings – your foundational forte – in your work. Can you tell us more about this adaptation?
The sonic texture of string instruments is something I will never be able to run away from. Even working with electronic-based instruments or sampled and synthesised instruments, I am often thinking about sound like a string player – the carrying of a musical line across a compositional arc that pulls upon all the elements around it together like a kind of glue.
You released your Perihelion EP in the past year. Can you share more about the story behind that EP? Would you consider it a mini concept album?
It’s kind of abstract, very symbolic, and mostly in my head. Perihelion EP was describing some sort of journey toward the sun and then arriving on the moon. The tracks themselves conveyed hints and details of the journey itself. Yes, I would sort of consider it a concept album.
Is storytelling a crucial element in your music? Would you say you’re inspired by soundtracks?
Storytelling, even for an abstract narrative, is crucial to my process in composing the tracks. I try to let this story unfold organically in the process of production. I am just a channel. I’m hugely inspired by soundtracks, in particular the film music of Ryuichi Sakamoto, the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Benjamin Wallfisch. I’m inspired by the power of sound in storytelling to activate worlds and facilitate intimate connections.
“I am letting the essence and energy of sound whisper how it wants to be translated, and I try not to put a box or frame over that in terms of how it is realised.” (Credit: Louisa Violet)
Speaking of narratives, you’ve been involved in performing and creating soundscapes for multi-disciplinary events like SIFA and Singapore Art Week. Are you deeply connected with the art community? And how does making pieces for such events differ from your original songwriting processes?
I feel that my process as a storyteller, songwriter, and producer is only complete when I translate it to a performative experience – be it a live performance or some sort of interaction of the works with an audience. The experience of being able to translate the world of Planeswalker and Perihelion EP live in a way I’ve dreamt about during the live show for Singapore International Festival of Arts Sound Social Series was an unforgettable experience, and I hope to continue performing in the near future!
I learn a lot from my contemporaries in various fields of art-making and performance and enjoy learning about their experiences and processes. In my recent experience, I designed a sound installation work for Shifting Between as part of Singapore Art Week 2021, co-curated by Nature Shankar and Kimberly Kiong, alongside artists Clarice Ng, Divaagar, MACHINEOFTHE, nor, and Softslabs. I feel like I have had a shared experience with these artists, and even though we come from different backgrounds and disciplines, I do see connecting threads. Again, I am letting the essence and energy of sound whisper how it wants to be translated, and I try not to put a box or frame over that in terms of how it is realised. I feel it is exciting to be informed and to explore different forms and mediums of presentation.
Lastly, can you tell us more about upcoming releases or collaborations you have lined up?
I am working on an upcoming Planeswalker release, a new EP titled Entity which is coming out early March 2021. This is another story I am looking forward to telling and sharing soon with listeners. I feel that Entity is where I explore certain inner worlds in my life and as an artiste, I want to take the listener with me through this intimate journey of getting a glimpse of my consciousness, but taking away their own emotional connections to the music. I am also in a two-year process of working together with another storyteller, who goes by Sal. We are in the process of building the first full epic of Planeswalker.
(Credit: Charmaine Poh)
