Audiopile Review: Ultraääni ends the year the way they started it, offering up the second LP of 2024 from the one-man spiritual jazz machine, Organic Pulse Ensemble. The project of Gustav Horneij has become a bit of cult act in Nordic jazz, each LP gaining more traction than the last, his preceding LPs, including the one released back in January, now fetching pocket-draining sums. And it’s not hard to understand the insatiable interest once you get a taste yourself, with his particularly heavenly style ranking as some of the most ear-pleasing jazz to come from that already potent corner of the globe. Ad Hoc is no different, Horneij gingerly piecing together, one instrument at a time, lush vistas overflowing with leisurely horns and flutes, celestial sweeps of harp, and deep modal grooves. Summoning the Eastward-looking pioneers of early ‘70s spiritual jazz like Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, the work of Horneij is all the more impressive considering these expansive albums are all the work of one person. Simply incredible. Silkscreened covers, numbered edition of 500, sold out at the source.

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Ad Hoc is the latest offering from Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustav Horneij, under his Organic Pulse Ensemble alias. True to its name, Ad Hoc embraces spontaneity and the art of being in the moment, with each track crafted using a Tascam four-track tape recorder. Playing all the instruments himself, Gustav used this minimalist recording method to capture most performances in a single take, leaving no room for the digital safety net of endless edits. Instead, mistakes became opportunities, reshaped into defining features of the album—a process Gustav calls “problem-solving on the fly.”

The result is a vibrant collection of spiritual jazz compositions, where modal grooves, layered percussion, and emotive saxophone and flute solos converge with Ethio-jazz and Eastern influences. While the album retains the meditative and exploratory qualities that characterize Horneij’s work, tracks like Solid bring a funkier, groove-driven energy to the mix, adding dynamic contrast to the album’s soundscape.

Released as a joint effort by Ultraääni Records and Puro Recordings, this limited LP pressing is a testament to Gustav’s dedication to organic, soulful music-making. Ad Hoc is an invitation to dive into the raw, unpolished beauty of music made in the moment—mistakes and all.