JÜ present their new album III
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“This band has always been about our interests in mainly non-Western musical traditions that can give a different approach to the way we sense melody or rhythm, harmony or time.”
Ádám Mészáros
Jü w. Dóra Győrfi
(left to right: Ernő Hock, András Halmos, Ádám Mészáros, Dóra Győrfi)
Photo © Gergely Ofner
The making of JÜ’s ‘III’
(SuperSize Studio, Budapest)
With each successive release, the world of the Budapest-based trio Jü seems to become exponentially larger and encompass an ever-expanding range of vibrant and startling influences.
The straightforward title of their latest release III reflects the basic fact that this is their third outing as a band and also the tripartite nature of the collective trio. But it also harkens to something mystical and elusive about the number three, a quality of arcane mystery reflected in the number’s vital importance in cultures across the globe.
That essential fact, rather than any specific meaning, may get at the heart of why the members of Jü – guitarist Ádám Mészáros, bassist Ernő Hock, and drummer András Halmos – opted for the title. More than anything, their music reflects a core drive to explore traditions and ideas from far-flung corners of the world, returning with a vital and pulse-quickening sound accented by countless disparate influences yet singularly possessing its own boldly uncategorizable voice.
On III that sound is marked by the now-familiar whirlwind of blistering rock, dizzying prog, ferocious free jazz, mesmerizing ambient textures and alluring Eastern European rhythms. This time out, a strong influence from Southeast Asia bleeds its own way into the mix, particularly the gamelan music of Indonesia and the ecstatic devotional songs of India. The mysticism and spiritual intensity of this music melds with the band’s immersive potency to conjure an overwhelming sound of compelling complexity and breathtaking vigor.
The hybrid sounds become all the richer throughout III with the addition of two special guests, both of whom join the trio on several tracks. Vocalist Dóra Győrfi is a Hungarian singer who works primarily in the context of gamelan and wayang groups in Java.
Master electronic musician Bálint Bolcsó is a regular collaborator who also joined the band for its previous release, Summa, and adds a limitless array of possibilities to the band’s palette.
Release Date: September 24th, 2021
András Halmos – drums, vocals on 10
Ernő Hock – bass
Ádám Mészáros – guitar
Dóra Győrfi – vocals on 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Bálint Bolcsó – electronics on 2, 6, 7 and 9
1. Palaran
2. Cerberus
3. Oak
4. Ash
5. Thorn
6. Bebek
7. Cornucopia
8. Shashka
9. Minerva
10. Sumirana Karo Sada Dina Ratee
All compositions by Halmos, Hock, Mészáros
1 is based on the traditional song ‘Palaran Durma Laras Slendro Pathet Nem’.
3 is based on the traditional song ‘Bayati Shiraz’.
4 is based on the traditional song ‘Kedah Kasaha’.
9 is based on the traditional song ‘Barambun Malam’.
10 based on the song written by Baba Somanath Ji.
Published by RareNoisePublishing (PRS)
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Dexter at Supersize Recording Studio, Budapest, Hungary, February 2021.
Executive Producer for RareNoiseRecords : Giacomo Bruzzo
Cover art and design by Krisztián Kristóf
Thanks to: Sára Ábrahám, Júlia Kis-Várday and the Puják, Nuska, Mór, Lenke, Dóra Győrfi, Bálint Bolcsó, Gábor Kitzinger, Ádám Demeter, Roland ‘Kócos’ Takács, Marci Biró, Dávid Somló, Dexter & Supersize Crew, Giacomo Bruzzo
© + ℗ RareNoiseRecords 2021
