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 RareNoise Records release III (out in September24, 2021) reflects the basic fact that this is their third outing as a band and also the tripartite nature of the collective trio. 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 Győrfiis a Hungarian singer who works primarily in the context of gamelan and wayang groups in Java. Master electronic musician Bálint Bolcsóis 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.“We listen to all kinds of music, and influences emerge naturally,” explains Halmos. “We don’t care about styles and trendswhen making our music. I mean we care, but only to avoid sticking to any of them. We are interested in doing somethingthat is interesting and new for us. If I had to mention influences, they’d mainly be sounds, rather than particular genres or musicians.”As Mészárossays, the pandemic naturally complicated the creation of III in its earliest stages, but once inspiration struck the writing of the album proceeded at a brisk pace. “Mostly [we worked in]the good old way of developing musical ideas that have been piled up since the previous album,” the guitarist says. “This band has always been about our interests in mainly non-Western musical traditions that can give a different 

approach tothe way we sense melody or rhythm, harmony or time. The album is a recent imprint of where we are in this study now –it turned out to be quite a lot of Southeast Asia on this record,but Dóra was ahuge partner in crime in that.”“We didn’t have a particular plan, we just wanted to write good songs,” adds Hock. “We simply carve the songs until the right intensity is reached.”The raw material from which this mind-blowing music was carved made liberal use of Southeast Asian folk music. For the most part it situates Győrfi’s transcendent renditions of these songs into a wholly new context, though the traditional music spurs the band into unexpected rhythmic and harmonic detours while the vocalist deconstructs the timeworn material with passionate aggression.“We are simply amazed by the beautifully far out universe of Gamelan music,” says Mészáros.“After asking Dóra to collaborate we showed her our music and for the next rehearsal she showed up with different songs and lyrics that she thought would fit.”In the case of III, it translates into the most expansive and thrilling album that Jü has made to date. Blending elements of world music, experimental jazz and rock, a vast variety of progressive and traditional musics, bleeding-edge electronica and ancient folk, it is an exhilarating sum even more profound and pulse-quickening than its already brilliant parts.