Ambarchi / Berthling / Werliin

German premiere

Ambarchi / Berthling / Werliin: “Ghosted”

(AU, SE)

The Swedish rhythm section of bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Andreas Werliin have developed an imperturbable connection. They are a fluid yet expansive groove machine with all parts exquisitely in sync, a state they have honed as the propulsive center of Fire! and Fire! Orchestra, two groups led by reedist Mats Gustafsson. The Berlin-based Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi – one of the most influential figures in experimental music for three decades – has also worked with them in fits and starts over the years, making several duo recordings with Berthling and collaborating with Fire! When they set about recording the music on the stunning 2022 album “Ghosted”, it felt like a low-key day in the studio, built around slinking ostinato grooves and slowly developing melodic shards, but that seemingly relaxed vibe was crucial that came out of the session. Berthling settles into a series of cycling grooves produced with a full, woody tone and Werliin dances around them, locking in and strengthening the sense of forward motion. On top of the sleek rhythms, Ambarchi functions as a minimalist sound sculptor, laying his guitar down flat to transform it into a sound generator, with its signal plugged into a Leslie speaker, which is famously used to give the Hammond B-3 organ its warm vibrato. In Ambarchi’s hands he transforms sustained tones a shimmering beauty that sounds closer to a tamboura used in Indian classical music than a rock instrument, as he virtually deploys sound as a paint like substance – daubing, splattering, and spreading it across the hypnotic rhythmic foundation.