Ambarchi and Guthrie have known each other for years, first meeting in Melbourne in the 90s where they quickly formed a mutual admiration society. Since then they have worked together often in varying contexts, with Guthrie guesting on Ambarchi’s acclaimed “Hubris” album (Editions Mego 2016) and Ambarchi releasing Guthrie’s mind-boggling “People Pleaser” album on his Black Truffle imprint (2017) amongst many other releases

The duo thrives on the interplay between Ambarchi’s swirling guitar harmonics and the metronomic pulse and constantly shifting accents of Guthrie’s drumming. They weave a mesmerising net of frequencies, textures and rhythms, fusing the organic push and pull of a ’70s psych jam with the psycho-acoustic precision of an Alvin Lucier composition. Building on the foundation of Guthrie’s propulsive polyrhythms alongside the shifting tonal bed of Ambarchi’s rich, overtone-drenched guitar, Ambarchi and Guthrie merge the ‘in-the-moment’ crackling vitality of free improvisation with an overarching compositional framework.
Photo: Kristel Jax