Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin: Ghosted III

Another year, another chapter where Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin resume their ceaselessly thought-provoking Ghosted collaboration.

Having all worked together prior to this collaboration with the Nordic experimental supergroup, Fire! (Ambarchi and Berthling had also worked together for their 2015 release, Tongue Tied), the trio solidify their synergy with boundless prestige on Ghosted III – their third release of the decade.

While Ghosted I and Ghosted II were a boiled scrum of Afrobeat, drone and doom jazz that resulted in something akin to deep catharsis, recorded in three days, Ghosted III sees the trio at their most untethered, delivering hypno-rhythmic splendour that unlocks the mind.

Throughout the three releases, while each member has had their defining moments, Berthling’s work on bass underpins much of Ghosted III. Opening cut, Yek, guided by his repetitious bass line, and as Werliin’s minimalist percussion pierces the surface of the mix, Ambarchi oscillates between meandering plinks and a riff that sparkles like the sun off the ocean face.

On Do and She, the trio stretch their sound beyond the limits, with prog-infused, multi-dimensional lounge jazz that seemingly melts into the canvas of Afrobeat. Nuanced soundscapes that are like a slow crawl through the steaming marshlands that lead to krautrock.

Meanwhile, Chahar flirts across the landscapes where the trio took flight during their first two records. Again, led by Berthling’s hypnotic bass lines, it’s the moment on Ghosted III where the trio interlock with heady, psychedelic grooves that offer a spatial freedom like never before. Panj resonates with a similar quality, but more dialled down, and while Ambarchi’s subtle guitar noodlings are dotted throughout the piece, again it’s Berthling who controls the tempo, with bass lines that hoop and stab.

While Berthling’s work is at its most indelible on Ghosted III, it’s no surprise that Ambarchi has his moment to shine, and it comes via closing composition, Sesh. A post-jazz sound bath where his guitar work feels like getting kissed by the sun. It’s an endorphin rush through minimalism, as the trio covers yet more ground across their unconfined sound world, and one that constantly offers new possibilities.

It’s becoming a common theme when Ambarchi, Berthling and Werliin lock horns, and as far as collaborations in this decade are concerned, arguably, there hasn’t been one better. Ghosted III, yet another conquest.

Ghosted III is out Friday via Drag City. Purchase from Bandcamp.