1. Who
came to be the ideological inspirers of Pjusk?
narrow it all down to one major inspiration and influence, it has to be the
Norwegian project Biosphere. Basically this is where it all started. His music
has been a true source of creativity. Of course we have a lot of other projects
that has meant a lot to us – too many to mention.
Pjusk is a project with quite a depressive image. Is it the mighty force of the
fjords? Is your music tied to nature? How would you describe it?
lot of people consider our music to be closely linked to nature. I guess that
is correct, but it is more on a subconscious level, really. It is only natural
that our music reflects our environment somehow when living in the countryside.
Depressive is perhaps a bit too strong a word – perhaps melancholy is more
fitting. We are certainly not trying to sound depressive.
do both of you understand the term “destructive music”? Does your
work fall under this concept?
is known for dark ambient and black metal, we don’t really see ourselves as
part of that scene. Ambient minimalism – experimental ambient – but not dark.
But we understand why, some tracks would probably be fitting within a dark
ambient framework.
4. You tend to often utilize field recordings in your
work. What kind of sounds attract you? What is the most exciting thing for you
in the entire process?
We were very
into fan noise on our first album, Sart. We got a fair amount of nice
soundscapes from hotel fans. We’re also fond of noise and sounds that have a
rhythmic quality to them. Sounds that could work as a pulse or backbone in a
track. Noise or sounds from a wonky machine or factory equipment can often
sound great after a bit of processing. The favourite moments with
field recording are initially when we discover the sound, and then when we reach
the end result, the sound or loop that ends up in a tune.
of your latest EPs have appeared in free access. Why is that? Does this mean
the end of cooperation with 12k?
at all. We started our own label “Fono Fonogram” and released three EPs by the
end of last year really to investigate the reception and concepts of using
Bandcamp and digital distribution. The test was really about checking if we
should continue establishing a label for our collaborative work and then
perhaps do other releases later on. I guess we have abandoned that idea. Still
happy to be with 12k.
According to your opinion, does a modern musician need a label or are Bandcamp,
Soundcloud and Facebook enough?
all depends on your goals as a musician. It is certainly a good start, but
getting out on the road is certainly the best part of releasing music.
7. Could it be said that the most widespread genre of
electronic music in Norway is in fact Ambient?
Well, the two biggest electronic artists (in the wider term – thinking commercially) is Kygo and Alan Walker. The latter being responsible for hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. Ambient is a small genre for the initiated few.
Norwegian musicians and labels would you personally recommend? Does Norway have
any original festivals that are fun to visit?
Recommended artists from Norway:
· Morten Qvenild (latest album: Personal Piano)
· Todd Terje
· Erik Skodvin
9. Your
project started in Bergen, the city where the great composer Edvard Grieg lived
and worked. What is your opinion on him and his work?
We are of course proud of
Grieg and his works – it is part of our Norwegian heritage and culture.
10. Is
Pjusk strictly a domestic project or are you always prepared to give live
performances? Do you like to move around or do you prefer to remain in one
place?
We love doing live
performances. It is a great opportunity to meet new people. Although we think
we haven´t cracked the live code entirely yet. It is about balancing risk and
safety and I guess we still have a way to go. Anyway. Great fun. Please invite
us to Russia. We would love that.
Could you give us the list of your favorite movies and books? Has all this
served as an inspiration for creating music? Where does your inspiration come
from?
Well, being electronica fans, we probably want suprise anyone when we
spill the beans about being sci-fi nerds.
We
love Blade Runner, the Alien franchise, 12 Monkeys and etc.
Jostein, how was the Circular project born and has it had an
influence on your consequent work? What was the main idea behind it? Is it
still alive or has it come to an end?
moment progress has been quite slow due to many reasons, but we are working on
new material – to be honest we probably have hours of music almost finished, so
I guess we should expect a new album out by 2017.
Each one of your albums has a spectacular graphical represantation! Do you have
a designer do the visuals for you, or are you personally responsible for it?
defined visual style in mind when releasing an album. This is important factors
and we take it seriously. A lot of great music has been let down by lousy
covers and stock photos.
Anything to say to the Data.Wave audience?
simply: Peace, love and unity!
Questions: Ilya Kudrin / Krib
