PJUSK
"SART" (12K1042)
to translate languages, paste text
here: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr
BAD ALCHEMY (DE)
Sart kann für Vieles stehn, nicht zuletzt für eine
1971er ECM-Einspielung von Jan Garbarek, einem Landmann von
Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik & Rune Sagevik, und bedeutet da wie
hier 'zzrt' & 'sanft'. Auf 12k's Blueprints compilation
hatten die beiden bei ihrem Debut schon ihre Ambition angedeutet,
von der Blaupause transusiger Dröhnseligkeit abzuweichen.
Dazu durchsetzen sie ihre atmosphärischen, Moll getönten
Soundscapes mit ominösen Geräuschen, einem Rauschen
wie von Wind oder Verkehr oder einfach der Tonbänder selbst,
von vagem Stimmengewirr und Hantieren. Statt konkret zu werden,
sind die Szenen jedoch übermalt von den flüchtigen
Klängen von Gitarre, Flöte oder Stimme und überblendet
von Geräuschen, die zu uneindeutig sind, um sie als knarrende
Schritte in Schnee oder als knisterndes Eis oder Dergleichen
zu identifizieren. Auf das geräuschhafte Unterfutter sind
immer wieder melodiöse und manchmal sogar halbwegs rhythmische
Electronicaspuren aufgetragen. Die Low-Fidelity scheint dabei
gewollt als eine Art Echtheitsstempel dieser nordischen Seelenlandschaften.
Title wie "myk" = soft, "vag" = unbestimmt,
"stadig" = stets, "anelse" = Ahnung, "rim"
= reim oder "rav" = Bernstein deuten die ätherisch
verschleierte, nostaligisch umsponnene Zone an, in die sich
diese Klangpoesie hinein zu träumen und zu tasten anschickt.
BLACK (DE)
Den Norwegern scheint der Ambient einfach in die winterdunkle
Wiege gelegt. Pjusk rumoren mit ihrem Debüt vollkommen
ausgereift und selbstbewusst in minimalen Eishöhlen, die
ja auch Biosphere schon so schön hat erklingen lassen.
Ungewöhnlich melodisch und teilweise beat-orientiert für
eine 12k-Veröffentlichung, hallen bei Pjusk leichte Drones,
knarzige Raster-Noton-Elektronik, Dub, und Ambient-Schweben,
die von Katakombe bis Frauengesang reichen. Es klikt und puckert
unaufdringlich im Hintergrund, Plötzlich knistern verwaschene
Drumloops oder warme Klangflächen durch die einsamen Tracks
und verbreiten filmmusikalische Jazzigkeit bis sie wieder von
gedehnter Eisigkeit und verfremdeten Feldaufnahmen geschuluckt
werden. Icht habe schon lange keinen solch vielschichtigen Minmal-Ambient
gehört Große Klasse. - (T™)
BLOW UP (IT)
Riferendoci al contributo dei novegesi Pjusk alla compilation
"Blueprints", l'avevamo definito - perdona - te l'autocitazione
- altero rimestare ipnagogico. L'impressione è confermata
dal disco d'esordio di Jostein Dahl Gjlsvik e Rune Sagevik che
vede la luce proprio su 12k e che si uniforma ai dettami di
quell'estetica post o meta-digitale di cui l'etichetta newyorchese
è tra le interpreti piu titolate. Un passato remoto vicino
ad ambienti techno (Neural Network, Circular, etc.), poi una
decisa sterzata verso altri lidi, ora come ora i due nordici
diluiscono la materia elettronica in un composto di suono sporco
e sfilacciato, cosi come masticano le astratte melodie di eventuali
strumenti acustici (chitarra, flauto, occasionalmente anche
la voce...) in un estenuante ruminare di polveri sabbiose, rendendole
simili a relitti che emergano qui e là nel mare in tempesta
a fare da approdi imprevisiti benché provvisori. (7/8)
BOOMKAT (UK)
You might not have come across the name Pjusk before, I can't
say that it rang very many bells in my head either - but the
Norwegian duo did pop up on 12k's very lovely Blueprint compilation
not so long ago. With their careful blend of Biosphere-influenced
electronics and subtle processed field recordings their tracks
were a real highlight, and now they've treated us to this full-length
vision. Building on their early promise, it becomes evident
within minutes that there's something afoot in the worryingly
oil-rich land of Norway. From their early days of raping, pillaging
and spreading red hair around England they've moved into surprisingly
avant garde territory, and in recent years have pretty much
conquered the world of Badalamenti-inspired atmospheric electronics.
Maybe this was all started by the man Biosphere, but with help
from Deaf Center and Erik Skodvin's Miasmah label Norway has
quickly become the centre of a growing scene, a scene which
Pjusk are more than happy to muscle in on. Taking cues from
Deaf Center's murky acoustic doom, Pjusk manage to keep the
hazy atmospherics intact while never quite sinking into total
darkness. Indeed there's a lightness and an optimism rarely
found on these kind of records, something which almost gives
me the same warm glow as listening to 12k's finest moment, 'Frame'
by Shuttle 358. With throbbing waves of emotion-drenched electronics
it's easy to forget you're listening to an electronic album
at all and the whole idea that this could be computer music
goes out of the window altogether. 'Sart' reminds me of a time
when I originally fell in love with electronic music actually,
and although electronic albums have been thin on the ground
in the last few years, hearing this album gives me back the
confidence that it can still be done right every once in a while.
Blending electronic and acoustic sounds masterfully, and showing
an admirable restraint you are slowly and surely drawn into
Pjusk's breezy seaside land, the narrative is assured and deep,
with motifs making themselves clear in a dense fog of vinyl
crackle and tape hiss that you would be forgiven for thinking
emanated from an artfully intense Scandinavian film playing
in the room next door (maybe Insomnia?), all that's missing
is dialogue. 'Sart' is an album which truly stands out for me,
and will no doubt incite the sound of jaws dropping for the
rest of the year - any fans of good quality atmospheric music
would be absolutely bonkers to miss out on it. Sublime.
COKEMACHINE
GLOW (.COM)
I wouldn't exactly call it funky, but Pjusk's Sart, in a similar
fashion to Phonophani's incredible self-titled debut (1998),
is one more step in the conversion of 1994’s Selected
Ambient Works II’s austere minimalism to something of
richer, deeper tones (you know, without that scratchy feeling).
But also something of nearly equal compositional integrity.
In other words, it seems a lot less self-consciously involved
with Terry Riley or Karlheinz Stockhausen than Aphex Twin's
more subdued material; it just wants to trip you out as much
as anything. Still, I'm sure some would consider it something
of a dry experiment: it moves at a funereal pace, its beats
are strictly minimal and never move with what you'd really call
momentum. The insular universe of Sart is well worth the investment,
though, and for every out excursion you get something as immediately
gratifying as the deep bass hum (which makes me wish I had good
subwoofers) of "Flyktig," literally vibrating your
body while haunting synths and almost-imperceptible tweaks dance
in and out of your grasp. It's like listening to anything else
on the 12k label (the project of master microsound artist/photographer/designer
Taylor Deupree) while getting a Shiatsu massage.
The range of tones present give Sart a warm, insular feeling
-- a nice alternative to the colder textures that most other
Norwegian experimental acts offer -- but for something so dense
in terms of an overall range of sounds, it also feels remarkably
light. The bass tones, rather than grounding out the tracks,
serve to briefly illuminate a sense of form and shape, only
to retreat back into the shadows. In this sense, Pjusk deal
in the language of dreams, making music that consistently evades
meaning. For every tactile glitch, the music draws your attention
to the negative space around it, creating faint impressions
rather than concrete sounds. Even the taut two-note synth that
loops throughout the first half of "Myk" is subtly
tweaked to create the sensation of being closer or further away
from the source, the spray of gentle overtones giving the impression
that the solid notes are slowly dissolving in water.
Elsewhere, tracks like "Kontur" and "Rav"
-- where the synth loops and low-end rhythm are abandoned all
together -- are nearly maddening in their sense of distance
and lack of discernible melody. I can accept that this is part
of the point, however: these tracks manage to be hypnotic without
ever really announcing themselves, which makes sense given the
overwhelming sensation that Sart works on a subconscious level.
Still, I prefer tracks like "Anelse" or "Rom"
in which, much like Gas, Pjusk play with simple loops and 4/4
beats without ever sounding remotely like techno music. Unlike
Gas, however, the beats fade intermittently into free-form ambience;
the tracks constantly shifting in unpredictable ways and never
really settle. The fact that there's little to ground any of
these tracks puts Pjusk in danger of chasing their own music
down a rabbit hole, sure, but it's never very boring, which
is kind of a marvel in itself. - Joel Elliott / December 14,
2007
DE:BUG
(DE)
Bei 12k wusste man in letzter Zeit nicht so wirklich, wohin
die Reise geht. Teile der Compilation und auch volle Artist-Releases
waren mir ein bisschen zu sehr in digital oldschooliger Abstraktion
verhaftet. Pjusk aus Norwegen machen jetzt wieder alles wett.
Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik und Rune Sagevik mischen vinyliges Rumpeln
und Kratzen, Field-Recordings aus einer vergangenen dunklen
Zeit mit unerwarteter Schönheit, sind in ihren Arrangements
so sanft und vorsichtig, dass sie uns mit den fertigen Tracks
immer wieder komplett überraschen, wissen um die mitreißende
Banalität kleiner Streicher-Synths, lassen weit hinten
die Glocken klingen, sind dabei mehr Dub als ganz Jamaica zusammen
und dabei so herrlich unaufgeregt deep, dass einem die Spucke
wegbleibt. So nah und doch so fern, so greifbar konkret und
doch so flüssig verwaschen. Rod Modell von Deepchord hat
Sounds beigesteuert, aber das ist es nicht, was "Sart"
den Anschluss an das Jetzt gibt. Es ist die fragile Steuerung
des großen Moments, die dieses Album so wichtig macht.
D-SIDE
(FR)
Découvert il y a peu sur la compilation Blueprints le
duo norvegien Pjusk est l'une des meilleures surprises apparues
en elctronica ces derniers mois. En particulier parce que Pjusk
excelle dans l'art de combiner éléments purement
digitaux et présence de l'etre humain et du monde, et
qu'à des tintements cristallins de laptop, Sart ajoute
des violoncelles, des ventilateurs, des field recordings fortement
retraités qui donnent a Pjusk une richesse narrative
supplémentaire, et le situent loin de l'austérité
traditionnellement associée à l'electronica nordique.
Jamais tres loin du krautrock (et de Neu! en particulier), Sart
tire aussi ses sources du dub et de la pop, meme si ces deux
éléments se retrouvent ici recombinés jusqu'a
en devenir des présences subliminales. Définitivement
prometteur, Pjusk signe un premier opus tres abouti qui fait
d'ores et déjà d'eux un groupe à suivre.
- Jean-Francois Micard
DUSTED
(US)
Norwegian musicians Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik have
a keen ear for the sonically sublime. The duo's name, Pjusk,
means something along the lines of "a small, insignificant
person," but is also related etymologically to the English
word "pixie." And, appropriately, there is something
slyly magical about Gjelsvik and Sagevik's music. Blending atmospheric
electronics and grainily organic elements with an alchemist's
skill, Pjusk conjures gloriously immersive imagery not unlike
the cinematic ambient work of fellow countryman Biosphere. Yet
their eclectic palette, with its fine gradients of color and
light and their elegant melodic structures, is distinctly their
own.
Sart
is Pjusk's first full-length CD. Their only prior release was
a tantalizing pair of tracks that were the highlight of last
year's Blueprints compilation on the New York minimalist label
12k. In many respects, with their deft mix of lyricism and abstraction,
Pjusk fits neatly into the 12k songbook, which includes the
warm ambience of the much-admired Shuttle 358 as well the stark
minimalism of Finland's Antti Rannisto. What sets Pjusk apart
is their ability to bridge these apparently disparate aesthetics
with such ease and finesse, creating music that is at once austere
and enveloping.
Sart
is a remarkably accomplished and complex record. Using an unprepossessing
collection of found sounds, field recordings, electronics, and
acoustic instruments, Gjelsvik and Sagevik craft a quietly transcendent
assortment of tracks that are remarkable for their seamless
stylistic breadth and spot-on execution. The record begins with
a multi-part piece called "Tander" that shyly ushers
you into Pjusk's evocative soundworld. Soon you're wading through
the crackling atmospherics of "Dur" and bobbing along
the gentle dub drift of "Flyktig," a gorgeous track
which recalls the glorious early 12"s of Cologne's Senking
and the ambient experiments of Gas. It's a remarkable, often
shudderingly beautiful journey, full of distressed vinyl and
warm tape hiss, delicate rhythmic pulsing and bracingly icy
textures. By the time you reach the album's closing track, a
charming, burblingly rhythmic vignette called "Statig"
(reminiscent of a more organic, Amber-era Autechre), you find
yourself quite thoroughly enthralled. - By Susanna Bolle
EARLABS
(US)
After attention-getting appearance on 12k’s “Blueprint”
compilation in 2006 [ link] , the Norwegian pair Jostein Dahl
Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik, composing under the alias of Pjusk
since 2005, make their first long-player album available on
the 12k label. Comprised of thirteen tracks, Sart takes 12k
into darker and, at times, more atmospheric territory while
at the same time continuing the label’s signature sounds.
There are numerous electronic music artists exploring the territory
of dark electronics and gloomy atmospheres but not on the 12k
label and not quite with verve, diversity, and poignancy of
Pjusk. Constructed with electronics, real instruments, vinyl
samples, rhythms, found sounds, and location recordings Sart
fashions its own unique alcove in the genre of melancholic electronics
and doom-tinged atmospheres.
The variety of sounds on Sart is one of its strongest features.
In a genre which can easily become static and repetitious, the
album manages to hold the listener’s attention with its
various approaches. Sart begins with the bleak sounds and misty
ambiance of “Tander” only to slide gracefully into
the blissful atmospherics of “Kontour” and sparse
minimalism and vinyl haze of “Dur”. About mid-way
through the album, “Rim” provides a surprising twist
whereby the electronics takes second seat to some beautiful
blues-style acoustic guitar and harmonics and, later, “Anelse”
effectively blends dark rhythmic flavors with bluesy, reverbed
electric guitar licks. “Anelse” is followed directly
with the cavernous, murky dub-inspired richness and diffused
beats of “Rom” which could easily serve as the theme
for some shadowy gathering in the deep forest. “Dempt”
is a discordant piece with arrhythmic percussion and heavily
layered with incongruous electronics and samples which make
for a surreal ambiance. In contrast, the final track “Stadig”
brings Sart to a more harmonious conclusion with cheerless synthesized
melodies, minimal beats, and a delicate sprinkling of electronics.
Sart is clearly a different path for the 12k label and, for
me at least, one that I hope is walked again, not only by Pjusk,
but by other unknown artists who might be experimenting on the
periphery of dark, tonal electronic music.
E|I
(US)
Sart, the fruit of a collaboration between Dahl Gjelsvik
and Rune Sagevik (aka Pjusk), displays a greater, not to mention
murkier, depth. As with Drape, this recording bears witness
to a branching out on the part of 12k, as they apply their refined
minimalist approach to the realms of dub, dark ambient, and
sound art, respectively. The recording is thus another slab
of ghostly, sub-aquatic assemblage of crackles, moans and delicate
percussion lattices. More particular to itself, however, are
the manners in which its interpenetrating layers create a complex
network of cross-connections. Such a structure enables a slipstream
of electronic particles to flow into jarring rhythmic judders
and a myriad of other soundshapes without easy classification
or forensic tracing of their provenance. Even at more extreme
ends, ominous bits of ambience are able to open up portals to
violently flickering fluctuations of electronic tones and industrial
found sound. It's a work that retains its own sense of charm
and magic—indeed, as it stands, Sart is one of
the stronger experimental electronica releases of 2007
GAZ-ETA
(PL)
Forging a new direction that 12K set out on sometime last year,
these two records show a more acoustic, though an equally serene
landscape. Both of these artists were already featured on last
year's "Blueprints" compilation and each one has a
tendency to amaze with sounds that are pure and amazingly effective.
Norwegian duo Pjusk is Josetein Dahl Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik.
On their debut, together with four other contributors [guitarists
Tor Anders Voldsund and Geir Hornes, flautist Erik Manshaus
and vocalist Elisabeth Lahr] they steep themselves in landscapes
lush, rich and brimming with the unexpected. Gently humming
in a way that is as alluring as it is mysterious, the duo trek
through the darklands of musical landscape. Some of the stuff
sounds like records spun backwards, while in other places we
get gorgeous piano facsimiles that dance with ether smoothness.
Delicate bubble-popping sounds mesh with wind-like concoctions
on top of occasional rhythms. Yes, there are even beats. Check
out the soothing "Anelse" for some spooky softer-than-soft
breaks hugged inside of electronic warmth. "Stadig"
features what could pass for soundtrack to Pong game that so
many of us loved. The bleeping of the ball comes complete with
eerie sounds of alien variety. Warmth is not a word I'd use
to describe the duo's general direction. If anything, it's austere
and rather chilly, but chilled in a good way. It's like a cold
glass of vodka in far away Norwegian winter air. It does nothing
but warm the insides and leaves a great impression on the listener.
GO
MAG (ES)
Minimal
ambient, De todos los proyectos a los que Taylor Deupree dio
la alternativa en el recopilatorio Blueprints (algo
asi como la cantera de 12k), los noruegos Pjusk y el inglés
Jodi Cave eran los más cercanos a un tratamiento 'concreto'
de la música. Hablamos, pues, de "escultores sonoros",
tipos que situan en la espina dorsal de sus temas grabaciones
de campo maniupladas, densos juegos de capas que luego se recortan
y horadan, que se estiran y se puntean, se filtran y se deshilachan,
hasta convertirlos en un magma grumoso e informe, sobre el que
es posible comenzar a esparcir melodias y chicharra digital.
De los dos discos Sart es el más
accesible; en el es posible encontrar ritmos cortados con escalpelo
y camaras de ecos (el dub es u na influencia muy facil de rastrear
aqui), y tampoco resulta complicado tropezar con esas melodias
de aires minimalistas y brillo diamantino, con esas atmosferas
cálidas y acogedoras, que son moneda habitual en el sello
neoyorquino.
GOON
MAGAZINE (DE)
Nicht fett aber nett
Ein wenig Knistern hier, ein paar Mal die vertraute »Huuwhuuu«-Pianotaste
gedrückt, alles nach Baukastenprinzip durch den Hallfilter
geschickt. Fertig. Die beiden Norweger Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik
und Rune Andre Sagevik scheinen ihre trostlosen Tage an der
Westküste Skandinaviens genau so zu verbringen. Das klingt
dann alles, so wie es sich für Ambientmusik gehört,
sehr entspannt und hat insgesamt eine sehr beschauliche Grundstimmung.
Aus der Bedeutungslosigkeit hilft dies bei knapp 30 Jahren Ambient-Historie,
die mit Brian Eno bereits eine sehr genaue Ausdifferenzierung
erfuhr, durch Aphex Twin ins Psychotische verschoben und von
The Orb monumentalisiert wurde, dennoch nicht heraus. »Sart«
wirkt bei aller Niedlichkeit wie ein Flashback in die frühen
1990er Jahre, als es noch tiefgründig war, schlichte Synthsequenzen
mit einem Vierminuten-Hall zu strecken - irgendwie schön
und nostalgisch, aber das reicht heute auch nur noch als Begleitmusik
zur Transzendentalen Meditation oder für ZDF Unterwasserdokus.
HHH
(AU)
American electronic label 12k’s roster has taken a slight
shift of late, and Pjusk are one of a number of new signings
that show the label’s newfound explorations into electronic
sound. Based in Norway, Pjusk create a sound palette from disparate
collections of electronic fragments, strings, looped samples
and other audio debris. From this collection they construct
an unusual sounding set of works that maintains a darker edge
than you might first expect.
Unresolved strings pads, vocal interludes, eerie percussive
slices and low grinding heart beat like sounds all cluster together
to create a warm but unsettled sound environment.
Pieces such as ‘Dur’ perhaps epitomise this record
– low-level clouds of audio crackles and splutters (sourced
from vinyl perhaps) create a basis on which a spiralling piece
of gentle electronica emerges. It’s restrained, but at
the same time full bodied and engaging. This is repeated in
‘Vag’, which again retunes the ears with small electronic
sounds, before allowing richer sounds to enter the mix. Norway
is cold for much of the year, so warm tones like this make a
whole lot of sense. - HHH1/2 (Lawrence English)
MAPSADAISICAL
(.COM)
Being on 12k, I can probably be economical with the word count
here, as the following can be taken for granted with each of
these two releases: minimalist, microscopic attention to detail
(extending to the moody landscapes on the covers, as you can
see below) and fanatical obsession with the qualities of sound.
Pjusk’s electro-acoustic sculptures are buried under vinyl
crackle and tape hiss. Amongst this quiet noise, instruments
play slow, sad stabs of melody – guitar in “Rim”,
piano in “Kontur”. Stunning mournful choral and
classical splinters emerge through cracks as in a less abrasive
Philip Jeck performance. Towards the end “Anelse”
and “Rom” feature muffled beats, vocal fragments
and keyboard sounds not entirely dissimilar to those you would
find in a Boards of Canada record.
MUSIQUEMACHINE
(.COM)
Sart is the debut of the Norwegian duo of Jostein Dahl
Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik, otherwise known as Pjusk. Recently
Taylor Deupree's 12k label has pushed away a bit from austere
minimalism toward a more organic, natural sound. Since a non-specific
form of music meets such criteria, many possiblities are opened
up by such a philosophy. Unbound by genre, there's a lot of
freedom for the artists' imagination to roam.
Sart is therefore a little difficult to pin down. Certainly
it's for the most part electronica, but it includes some interesting
additions. Analog tape is credited, as well as guitar, flutes
and vocals. Currently there are quite a few artists who inject
traditional instruments into their laptop recordings, to varying
results. While The concept may not be ground breaking, Pjusk's
arrangements stand out from the pack because they are refined
and meticulously crafted.
There's a slow motion ambiance to Sart, and a modern,
clean sound which is not without dramatic effect. It's not difficult
to imagine Sart as a backing track to J.G. Ballard's
Concrete Island. The novel's protagonist, trapped inside a wooded
island between highways after an accident, is forced to fend
for himself. The contrast of the miniature natural setting transposed
against the sea of concrete and paving which represents industrialized
society, strikes me as a good comparison to this music. This
is because there is at once a natural feel and a futurist sterility
to this music. All of that said, Sart will probably
have a different impression on each listener, because it inspires
the imagination to wander along with it.
On a technical level, it's exemplary. Underneath the careful,
natural flowing ambiance, there are hidden microsounds, which
appear only upon close listening. They add depth and mystery
to what would already be an interesting disc. The traditional
instrumentation is subtle, and doesn't clash with the electronic
element and nothing sounds forced. The use of Elisabeth Lahr's
vocals are particularly haunting as well. With the crushing
release rate related to electronica in the past fifteen or so
years, it takes distinctiveness and imagination to stand out
from the crowd. Sart does so with class.
NORDISCHE
MUSIK (DE)
Es regnet viel an Norwegens Westküste, und das stete Rauschen
und Tropfen hat wohl seine Spuren hinterlassen in der Musik
von Pjusk. Die eigentümliche Stimmung, die das Duo der
beiden Elektroniker Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik und Rune Sagevik mit
ihrer blubbernden, leisen Musik erzeugt, scheint schon in den
Ein-Wort-Titeln der Tracks auf: Flüchtig, Vage, Höhle,
Ahnung, Gedämpft, Kontur, Raum, Weich, Stetig. Hier schweben
Fäden verzerrter Streicher heran, in Blasen von Klang hallt
von sehr fern ein Klavier.
Aus statischem, warm-pelzigem Statik-Klang steigt organisches
Blubbern auf, Stimmfetzen, sanfte Beats wie Herzpulse oder pumpende
Ströme. Diese Musik ist kryptisch und hypnotisch zugleich,
ein minimalistisches Universum aus Klangpartikeln, die sanft
in den Zimmerecken niederrieseln, wenn man die CD laut im Dunkeln
hört. Eigentlich ist sie in diesem Sinne Raum-Musik; das
Ohr gleitet daran ab, das Hirn fängt unweigerlich zu träumen
an, statt zuzuhören. Pjusk bleibt eben das: vage, eine
Ahnung. Aber eine, die ständig wiederkehrt, aufgewirbelt,
wenn man nicht damit rechnet. (sep)
OCTOPUS
(FR)
Découvert fin 2006, sur la compilation Blueprint, qui
jetait dans le grand bain six projets aux horizons divers (collection
d'artistes inconnus, pour la plupart) avec l'espoir de donner
des perspectives nouvelles au label de Taylor Deupree, Pjusk
nous invite, avec Sart, autour d'un feu de camp en
plein hiver. Hiver norvégien, comme les deux membres
Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik et Rune Sagevik, et glacial pour les ambiances
grises et mélancoliques qui se dégagent de la
quasi-totalité des pièces proposées. Le
feu quant à lui, est attisé par des pluies, des
averses de notes cristallines d'un diamant à facettes
multiples réfléchissant le spectre lumineux d'un
soleil levant. Mais résumer le duo aux seules nuances
d'un caractère ambient est très réducteur.
Il façonne "Tander" (magnifique morceau d'ouverture),
"Dur" ou "Spor 2" (présenté
sur Blueprint et rebaptisé "Flyktig") avec
une glaise faite de boucles de bruits retravaillés, qui
assurent le rythme et la pulsation. Le tout jouant d'une dualité
figurative/abstraite, accompagnée de nappes aériennes
qui posent le glacis de mélodies brèves et additives,
on ne peut alors que succomber. L'électro-acoustique
"Rim" (en milieu d'album) sert de prélude à
une suite de titres se tenant la main. On passe de l'un à
l'autre en douceur : motif vaporeux et céleste qui incorpore
une voix féminine, invitant à la rêverie
("Rav"), une basse dub étouffée "Hul",
des arpèges de guitare appuyés par une boite à
rythme singeant les baguettes balais "Anelse". Difficile
de coller une étiquette à cet essai qui fourmille
d'idées et plante des graines (électronica, ambient,
minimalisme, etcS¹) qui, malgré le sol gelé, s'épanouissent
en un bouquet multicolore. Un bel ouvrage dont on attend une
suite avec impatience. - Jean-Marc Clogenson
OX (DE)
In dunkle Gewässer ziehen uns Pjusk hinuter "Sart"
ist ein sphärisch dichter und pulsierender Klangwurm, der
nur selten auftaucht. Immer unnahbar, bedrohlich und kalt. Klaustrophobische
Zustände drücken einen immer tiefer, man fühlt
sich gefangen, wie in einer Blase, zwar beweglich und flexibel,
aber da is immer dieses unbequeme Gefuhl, dass man schon längst
die Kontroller verloren hat. Entdecke die schwarze Seite des
Ambient!
RIF
RAF (BE)
Het Noorse duo Jostein Dahl
Gjelsvik en Rune Sagevik verstopt in zijn lieflijke soundscapes
veldopnames van cassette-ruis, mensenmassa's maar ook van skiliften.
Origineel, zeggen we dan. Als u even niet weest met welke muziek
u uw cursus Mindfulness wil opluisteren: look no further. (svs)
ROCKERILLA
(IT)
La nuova scoperta di Taylor Deupree viene dalla Norvegia. Si
tratta di un duo formato da Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik e Rune Andre
Sagevik, musicisti con alle apalle gia diverse esperienze nel
campo dell'elettronica sperimentale. Su "Sart" sono
state raccolte tredici composizioni che dimostrano quanto i
due musicisti sappiano muoversi con estrema disinvoltura tanto
tra le maglie dell'elettronica digitale tipica delle pubblicazioni
12k, quanto tra il freefolk scandinavo di etichette come la
Fonal. Nel lungo brano che apre il disco, "Tander",
questi elementi convivono perfettamente equilibrandosi in un
suono dal forte potere evocativo. In alcune tracce di "Sart"
presenti la chitarra di Tor Anders Voldsund, il fauto di Erik
Manshaus e la voce di Elisabeth Lahr.
SMALLFISH
(UK)
I must admit that I really
wasn't prepared for just how stupendous this album is. Yes,
it's on 12k and that's a hallmark of quality in itself... you
expect a certain level of design and music every time you buy
a release on the label. 'Sart', though, just blew me away from
the first few tracks right to the end. What I didn't expect
was the sheer variety of styles on offer or the way it seamlessly
flows together to make an album of incredible beauty and substance.
Dark, cinematic, organic, electronic... all of these sounds
make their presence felt, but it's the way it's blended together
that really makes it a killer. For those that enjoy the more
abstract, experimental side of 12k there are strange, subliminal
background tones. For those that enjoy the more minimal, melodic
side of the label, there are moments of sheer sculptural bliss.
And there are even some delightful rhythmic moments - one in
particular brings to mind nothing less than the might Gas with
it's pulsating 4/4 beat and layered textures. All atonce it's
over and you find yourself longing to enjoy it all over again.
My advice is *do* listen to it again... and again... and again.
You won't be disappointed. Album of the week, possibly month
and an easy top 10 album of the year. Stunning.
SOUNDSCAPING
(.NET)
Unbelievable impact, that’s my first and lasting reaction
to this gem of an ambient album, the debut even, for Norwegian
electronica duo, Pjusk. Behind this slightly sorrowful moniker
we find Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik and Rune Andre Sagevik, an artist
and a promoter with experience from the Norwegian techno and
electronic music scene dating back to the early nineties and
as such being included in the niche of pioneers nationally.
The former of the two will be known to many, partly for his
role in the ambient/techno group Neural Network and later as
one half of the acclaimed Circular (ed. Where on earth did those
copies of their last album A Glass Darkly disappear??) releasing
seminal ambient on Origo and national legendary label, Beatservice.
Sagevik on the other hand has also been making electronic music
for nearly a decade, many will known him from Alpha Collective,
but comes from a promotion background and the two did not start
to collaborate until Gjelsvik apparently heard one of Sagevik’s
tracks on the radio back in 2005. The results thereafter are
nothing less than stunning.
Just over a year ago (hence this one in the soundspot), Pjusk
had some expectations associated with them following their appearance
on 12k’s compilation Blueprints last year, and their debut
album Sart does little to twart that newfound fame. The music
itself stands on its own, but there is a substantial mark of
quality associated with the both musically and aesthetically
pleasing releases that come out on Taylor Deupree’s credible
label, 12k, and Sart will surely be one of the highlights for
the label when looking at 2007 in retrospect. On Sart we are
treated to a vast repertoire of found sounds, clicks and cuts,
samples of tape machines, voices, machinery like ski lifts,
trains and other alien, outworldly sounds. Each track unfolds
like an immensely detailed story, as an example the album’s
opening track is like getting onboard for an ethereal journey
with a mesmerising, lulling rhythm like a locomotive passing
through a ghostly landscape. Low, shimmering electronics lead
us on in the next song, fusing seamlessly into the third which
grows and dissipates like breathing or a wave and aptly titled
Dur for the “hum” which supports the track. But
personally, the highlight comes on the tenth track, Anelse (“notion”),
with a dubby rhythm that flows subtly and has several introduced
elements, all vague and sparse, just notions, and gives off
an air of somewhat calm and optimism, simply beautiful anyway,
these sounds are hard to capture in words.
The sound is appealingly warm and delicate, but also at times
dark and lingering, and alternates between something vaguely
familiar but then just as easily shifting the arena to something
outworldly and associations could be made to the sounds of Tom
Opdahl, Information, or even Gjelsvik’s own, former duo
Circular. This album is definitely one to buy and if they perform
live, the show should be something very spectacular as these
sounds should be listened to in a large room where the loftiness
of Pjusk’s sounds can be given the space they need to
be explored appropriately. Now, this album came out in April
this year so although the review comes late, we’re not
hesitant in claiming it as one of the best this year, and Pjusk
have become a name to look out for when they release the follow-up
they are currently working on.
STYLUS
(US)
On first listen, Sart is everything an American would expect
from a Norwegian ambient duo: The compositions are spacious,
guitars are transformed into alien frequencies, ghostly rhythms
emerge out of thin air, and carefully placed found sounds offset
the electronic instrumentation. All of these elements appease
the traditional Western view of Nordic countries, evoking images
of bleak and desolate hinterlands and the post-modern depressives
who inhabit them. In other words, we have come to expect our
high-minded Scandinavians to create art in the vein of Ingmar
Bergman rather than ABBA. But even though Pjusk’s sound
is miles removed from the joyous pop of that Swedish quartet,
it shares a worldly sensibility that frees itself from Norway’s
imposing geographical stereotypes and the expectations placed
on its “serious” musicians.
The album begins with the click of a reel-to-reel tape recorder
and the slow build of ambient textures, comprising the first
and longest piece, “Tander.” The gurgling loops
and hi-pitched squeals settle into a groove that quickly dissolves
into an arrhythmic stream of sound. Over the course of seven-and-a-half
minutes, Pjusk delicately morphs and manipulates tones and textures
into a surprisingly lucid and coherent statement. “Tander”
is the high point of Sart, and though many of the other tracks
rival its quality, none are given as much breathing room to
develop.
Throughout the record, Pjusk draws from a wide palate of genres
with varying degrees of success. “Anelse” and “Myk”
are wonderfully crafted compositions that owe a clear debt to
more ambient-leaning krautrock bands like Harmonia and Tangerine
Dream—in particular, the electric guitar recalls Harmonia’s
(and Neu!’s) Michael Rother. Pjusk also introduces elements
of dub and jazz into the sterile electronic landscapes. “Flyktig”
builds upon a pulsating bass loop, providing an organic counterpoint
to the detached micro-percussion, while the jabbing beats on
“Stadig” add much needed stability to the droning
crescendo of synthesizers. These surprising juxtapositions are
what make Pjusk’s music exciting, but they come too rarely.
Instead, the duo often falls back on a predictable sequence
of inoffensive textures and tones.
“Rim” is a case in point. Its sappy acoustic guitar
refrain devastates the austerity established in the earlier
portions of the album—quickly dissolving the music’s
narrative thread. Sequencing problems and abbreviated composition
lengths also serve to disrupt the general cohesion of the record.
Electronic music, and ambient albums in particular, are hypersensitive
to pacing and song length. The continuity of Eno’s seminal
“Discreet Music” is what made the composition such
an overwhelming success compared to the more disjointed and
tedious On Land. Pjusk could learn a thing or two from their
forefather’s discography and flesh out their abbreviated
ideas into cohesive blocks of sound.
Sart is an accomplished debut from a duo that is just beginning
to realize their musical strengths and potential. Their oblique
incorporation of disparate musical genres into an ambient framework
is what allows them to transcend the traditional canon of Scandinavian
soundscapes. With discipline, and fearless exploration of Sart’s
scattered brilliance, Pjusk has the tools to create a truly
innovative record that heretically challenges the established
maxims of Nordic ambient music.
TOUCHING
EXTREMES (IT)
Taylor Deupree's 12k label seems to be attentively looking around
for new talent these days. In the case of Pjusk, the Norwegian
duo of Rune Sagevik and Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik, we're in front
of a product that exudes class from many points of observation.
Working with "a combination of electronics, dub, rhythm,
found sounds such as tape machine noise, fans and ski lifts
as well as field recordings from around the world", these
artists open a window on sound systems that are austere and
elegant in the most accessible sections, decidedly unfathomable
and gorgeously emotional in the most obscure tracks. Pjusk create
pieces that transit through biotic and industrial in the space
of a few minutes, then all of a sudden concentrate on more disciplined
harmonies to realize an instant soundtrack for the only moment
of calmness in that part of your bad day. But when the melodic
lines blur and the chords fade into dissonant horizons, all
that remains is the vision of the vacant lights of a distant
city at sunset, the soul transformed in a container of intuition.
A powerful pulse colours the most intense tracks, my mind rewinding
back to faded memories of Jeff Greinke circa "Timbral Planes"
and early Rapoon. This alternance of radiant comprehensibility
and plumbeous oppression gives "Sart" its unique character,
defining this debut as one of the most intriguing electronica
albums of 2007. - Massimo Ricci
VARKELORPE (.COM)
I recently stumbled upon a record of great and rare beauty.
The album is called Sart by the Norwegian duo Pjusk
on 12k. Sart is special because it doesn’t sound
like music as much as a naturally occurring phenomena. To listen
to it is almost as if you’ve walked into a dimly lit environment,
there is a low rhythmic pulsing from the floor, and the walls
are bristling with a texture, ornate, baroque tendrils, but
just barely.
I truly enjoy music that does not evoke the image of a musician
composing, but seems to exist as a living, breathing entity
to be encountered and experienced. Sart evokes this
for me, the sound of an atmosphere, ambient in the truest sense.
If comparisons are necessary, I can imagine Sart alongside
Biosphere’s more cinematic works, Cirque and
Shenzou. Vladislav Delay could also provide a useful
point of reference with his ability to slip between fore ground
and back by juxtaposing sleek, streamlined textures with barely
there tones and melody.
Listen to "Anelse."
VITAL
WEEKLY (NL)
From our end of the telescope Norway may seem a land of noise,
but perhaps we are at the wrong end. Pjusk are a duo from Norway
(Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik and Rune Sagevik) and being on 12K is
still far away from noise. They started out in the techno scene
about a decade ago and now turned into more contemplative music,
as shown here. They were first introduced on the 'Blueprints'
compilation (see Vital Weekly 550), where didn't leave the big
impression. Their debut CD 'Sart' does similar. Pjusk built
their pieces around 'electronics, dub, rhythm, found sounds',
but that can apply to a lot these days. Pjusk to me are very
much into the world microsound and glitch me thinks, and even
when they occasionally hop into a rhythm, loaded with reverb
and delay to guarantee that sense of 'dub and rhythm', it's
all of the usual carefulness and intimate sound knitting. Warm
like the mid-winter campfire. It's certainly not a bad CD, though
perhaps a bit long for the amount of ideas that are thrown around.
Thirteen pieces at some fifty-fiv e minutes, is perhaps five
pieces and fifteen minutes too long. Under the sun of 12K Pjusk
isn't the big turn around, the paradigm of music, but it's a
star that shines equally bright as so many others. (FdW)
WHITE
LINE (UK)
Yet more proof ,if proof were needed, that 12k have demonstrated
a commitment to breaking new artists into the impoverished world
of fine quality electronica. Where other labels of equal stature
merely rest on their laurels with tried and tested rosters of
artists, 12k are busily setting the benchmark with a series
of stunning debuts over the last year or so.
Norwegian duo, Pjusk have their first outing on this highly
collectable label, following on from a brief, but encouraging
airing on 12k’s “Blueprints” sampler last
year. “Sart” elegantly straddles the twin disciplines
of minimalist electronica and atmospheric ambience in a 13 track
collection that is both expansive, yet deeply introverted. With
more than a nod and a doff of the cap to fellow countryman,
Biosphere, peppered with subtle infusions of perhaps early Aphex
Twin (circa “Selected Ambient Works”), Sart opens
with the quirky, ephemeral “Tander”. Subsequent
tracks, “Kontur” , “Dur” , “Flyktig”
are delicately handled tonal works, dripping with reverb and
a flicker of darkness, yet retaining glimmers of brilliance.
The epic, “Vag” lapses into textbook Biosphere territory,
with a much more restrained pallette of tones, carried on a
rythmic sub-layer, perpetually inhabited by haunting, disembodied
voices, and an eerie electronic skrim, this truly is cinema
for the ear. “Rav” and “Hul” explore
a much more obtuse, abstracted tonality, hovering in and out
of focus, and splintered with intriguing bleeps and subterranean
fragments. “Anelse”, “Rom” ,”Dempet”
and closing piece, “Stadig” could almost be construed
as a single piece, being sketchy, minimalist tone works, dusted
with dubby overtones and scratchy sampling.
12k’s press release describe Pjusk’s sound as “warm,
delicate, and wet” which make it sound more like a cup
of Latte, than a piece of finely wrought electronica, yet the
duo of Gjelsvik and Sagevik have created here, a work of subtle,
ethereal drama that successfully splices dark tonality with
innately human, organic elements such as voice, guitar, and
found sounds, that give the whole collection a loose, abstract
narrative, that defies easy categorisation. Sart is a collection
that is uniquely Scandinavian in mood, no doubt the product
of dark icy winter nights lit by the hazy glow of the moon,
or the serenely spectacular luminosity of the Aurora Borealis.
If you haven’t already reached for your credit card, then
the loss is entirely yours…my album of the year so far.
BGN
(UNKNOWN)
(AU)
American electronic label 12k’s roster has taken a slight
shift of late, and Pjusk are one of a number of new signings
that show the label’s newfound explorations into electronic
sound. Based in Norway, Pjusk create a sound palette from disparate
collections of electronic fragments, strings, looped samples
and other audio debris. From this collection they construct
an unusual sounding set of works that maintains a darker edge
than you might first expect.Unresolved strings pads, vocal interludes,
eerie percussive slices and low grinding heart beat like sounds
all cluster together to create a warm but unsettled sound environment.
Pieces such as ‘Dur’ perhaps epitomise this record
– low-level clouds of audio crackles and splutters (sourced
from vinyl perhaps) create a basis on which a spiralling piece
of gentle electronica emerges. It’s restrained, but at
the same time full bodied and engaging. This is repeated in
‘Vag’, which again retunes the ears with small electronic
sounds, before allowing richer sounds to enter the mix. Norway
is cold for much of the year, so warm tones like this make a
whole lot of sense. - HHH1/2 (Lawrence English)
