In "Argot", Passepartout Duo’s fourth full-length album, Nicoletta Favari and Christopher Salvito craft an enigmatic dialogue between two unlikely companions: the Serge synthesizer and the acoustic grand piano. What unfolds is neither a contest nor a duet but a mutual discovery - a study in how machines might speak, not in beeps and whirs but in something hauntingly akin to an ancient dialect.

Recorded during residencies at Stockholm’s Electronic Music Studio and GMEA in France, "Argot" transforms the Serge System - a notoriously cryptic instrument from the 1970s - into a lyrical co-composer. Using techniques like speech melody transcription, the duo coaxes it into mirroring human intonation, resulting in a kaleidoscopic texture that feels as though it has always existed, waiting to be unearthed. Against this electronic alchemy, the piano traces melodic paths with a delicate, almost reverent touch. The result is an album that shimmers with timelessness, blending technological experimentation with emotional resonance.

The album opens with “Get Along,” where the synthesizer sways through simple harmonies, nudging the piano into its own reflective gestures. It’s a dance that is tender yet alien, like overhearing two beings share a secret. “Colorful Quartz” introduces Japanese flutes (shinobue and nohkan), their organic agility weaving through the unpredictable tonalities of the Serge - a meeting of cultures, eras, and materials as delicate as it is daring.

And then, there’s “Imitates a Penguin”. With a title that hints at whimsy, the track instead delivers sharp percussive interplay, the piano hammering out rhythms that feel strangely joyful, as if the synthesizer itself has learned to laugh. The humor here is subtle, a playful nod to the album’s exploration of the “human” in machines.

The standout track, “Viols and Violas, in Mus.”, brings the Invoke String Quartet into the fold. Their contributions don’t merely accompany but interact, adding a spectral depth to the album’s meditative core. This is music that occupies the liminal space between composition and improvisation, precision and freedom - a fragile balancing act that Passepartout Duo pulls off with extraordinary grace.

Unlike their earlier, more minimalist explorations, "Argot" feels expansive, both sonically and conceptually. The duo enlists guest musicians like Alex Fournier (double bass) and Invoke, whose textures lend the record a worldly, collaborative dimension. Yet, this inclusivity doesn’t dilute Passepartout Duo’s voice; instead, it amplifies their vision of music as an open conversation.

The track titles, derived from crossword clues, lend the album an air of irony. “Much of a Sunflower” and “Kissing in the Park, Briefly” read like fragments of half-remembered poetry - ephemeral, open to interpretation, and reflective of "Argot"’s ethos of linguistic play.

This is an album that asks questions rather than offers answers: Can machines dream? Can a synthesizer mourn or a piano crack a joke? The answers, if they exist, are embedded in "Argot"’s deeply meditative yet joyfully peculiar soundscapes.

In the end, "Argot" is a marvel of human-machine collaboration. Passepartout Duo has crafted something profoundly of its time while reaching back to ancient musical instincts. It is a reminder that even in the age of algorithms, music can still surprise, delight, and speak in languages we never knew we understood.