Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Pjusk - Sart [12k - 2007]

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.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Erwin Michelfelder
Latest Reviews

Pjusk - Sart
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 aw...
221225   Zoltán Huszárik-1963- 1979 ...
201225   Re-Animator - Re-Animator( Bl...
191225   Venus DIE-trap - Venus DIE-tr...
191225   Coyotes - Coyotes(VOD/ Blu Ray)
181225   Various Artists - Santa Is Ro...
181225   Death Ride - Death Ride( DVD)
181225   Don’t Open Until Christmas ...
181225   SS Experiment Love Camp - SS ...
171225   Plezzure - Plezzure
171225   May Cause Death,/Hana Haruna ...
Latest Articles

Best Of 2025 - Music, Sound & Film
As the year rolls to its end. Here are our writers' best-of lists for 2025, and as always, it’s a highly genre-varied mixed selection of titles- highli...
221225   Best Of 2025 - Music, Sound &...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom