Track-by-Track: Baljuw Review Their New Album ‘Dinsterwenk’

As a musical entity, Baljuw is more like a canvas and an array of paint colours than a traditional band. They take a unique approach to writing and recording that is unconventional yet unique. You can experience it for yourself in their new album Dinsterwenk, released late last month. A co-release between Icarus Records and Consouling Sounds, the album came together as a result of a series of intense recording sessions. During these sessions, the duo carefully put together their palette of sounds, layering sound upon sound and style upon style. What you get is an ambient trip of experimental sounds, a conglomeration of jazz, folk, and warm electronica.

Baljuw is the brachild of Matthias Dewilde (Nagløed, Matterhorn Well) and Nicolas Van Belle (Suura, Ever Present, Sarcastic Fringehead). They have known each other as friends for many years, but it wasn’t until recently that they decided to actually collaborate. It was in 2023 that Dewilde and Van Belle began to really play together, inspired by their shared interest in sound and texture. They began playing together, which ended up being improvisation sessions more than anything. The duo did some live performances together, including at the Ghent Citadelic Festival in their native Belgium. From there, the idea grew to translate this positive energy into a full-fledged record.

With Dinsterwenk now released, Baljuw join us today for the exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of this interesting new record.

“Our debut album Dinsterwenk is a collection of fully improvised music.

“We recorded long takes over the course of several jam sessions and afterwards selected some snippets for this album. Today, we’ll go track by track and discuss why a certain take was worth saving, mixing and releasing for you all to enjoy!”

1. “Lekk Toge”

“In November 2023, during our first recording session, a very noisy Rhodes joined the wind and rain outside our studio window in creating a perfectly gloomy soundtrack for that winter afternoon. The guitar joins in later with a stuttery loop. Rainy and grey winter landscapes slowly evolve in a stuttering fashion into warmer surroundings, yet still covered in melancholy. The wet spots on the canvas are gradually filled in, but only with muted colours echoing the grey hanging from the sky.

“The slow fade, the noise, the lack of resolution, all make it clear that there is more than meets the ear in processed textures and soundscaping. A process necessary for clearing skies begins its path into the storytelling of Baljuw’s Dinsterwenk.”

2. “Plandal”

“A cold landscape with a clean tone provides a constant pulsation. Dormant, yet continuous and alive. The slowed-down form of life gets provided by thick flakes of snow from a guitar loop.

“Slowly giving chance for the sun to reach its peak and open up the sky, as long as it can possibly last. Giving ‘Plandal’ its unique accepting floating energy. Mesmerizing icy crystals fall down from the Rhodes and guitar, making it clear that light is sparse in wintertime. And pulsating rays of sun go as fast as they come.”

Baljuw ‘Dinsterwenk’ album artwork

3. “Proknop”

“Far from any landscape, during the mixing of this track, we couldn’t stop imagining popcorn kernels bursting, hence the title. Still, it’s the strange, unhinged guitar that stood out most: metal sliding over metal. The spooky texture keeps moving, full of friction, yet never quite resolving.

“The Rhodes adds a counterpoint, first well-defined, then gradually shifting towards distant resonances from an epoch where larger lifeforms quietly went extinct.”

4. “Treakion”

“This piece begins with a low rumble by Matthias, opening up a new kind of scenery. An organ loop by Nicolas lays down a stationary moment, grounding the listener. Matthias adds sounds that recall vintage science fiction, giving the track a futuristic flavour, while Nicolas contributes fuzzy bowed guitar textures.

“The sound develops slowly, from clear and distinct to blurred and less recognizable. Although the night is still dark and low, sometimes distant signals can still be heard.”

5. “Konder”

“Perhaps the darkest ambient track on the album. Spooky, clear plops from Nicolas dance away from Matthias’s broad, shadowy Rhodes. While Nicolas sustains a carpet of eerie texture, Matthias takes the lead, opening up an abyss through spaced-out, frictional movements.

“‘Konder’ slowly paves the way to ‘Akalipso.’”

6. “Akalipso”

“A dark, thick layer of Rhodes slowly unfolds into a longer-lasting, edgier structure. The guitar joins in, speaking of the crows that have left the landscape. A thin, eerie bowed guitar paints the image of trees, burned and left behind as blackened skeletons.

“Bold flashes of lightning and thunder from the Rhodes briefly illuminate the scene, giving way to a melody that feels like a lament, declaring the end of time to those who wouldn’t listen. The crescendo rises, only to leave behind an echo of a distant memory.”

7. “Soap Theo”

“The final journey of Dinsterwenk brings a sense of closure to the ever-changing seasons. The storms have passed; the decaying landscapes laid down. Rain moistens the barren land, allowing minerals and primal life to find their way to the surface, hinted at through the subtle movements of guitar.

“The Rhodes adds rays of light to the hills, setting them ablaze in flashes of green. Animals return, their breath and sounds dispersing the mist that shrouded the beginning of this story. An inevitable cycle is being foretold, while beauty simply enjoys its presence in the nature of being.”