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1 CD
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€ 14.95
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| Label Ronin Rhythm Records |
UPC 7640105942572 |
Catalogue number RON 001 |
Release date 05 April 2019 |
Swiss pianist Nik Bärtsch's group effort with Mobile establishes his concept of ritual groove music (or perhaps Zen funk) with this CD. The sounds they convey are lean but not mean, spare beyond compare, very European, and unlike any of his contemporary groups, the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, or ECM groups in particular. The inventive drumming of Kaspar Rast provides supple support for Bärtsch, Mats Eser's marimba, and the bass clarinet or alto sax work of Don Li. There's an airy, spacious, and cool Scandinavian feel to all of the pieces, dubbed "Moduls." The development of "Modul 5" is lugubriously slow, almost ritualistic, and based on a one-note bass piano key vamp, while a mere three notes in a pseudo waltz with juxtaposed drum rhythms from Rast cement the most palpable distinct groove during "Modul 11." Their most labyrinth and bottomless underground voicing is "Modul 4," and while staying in that mode, "Modul 2" is extremely quiet and low-key, with a nominal understated advance that is hard even to discern. There's a short free minimalist piece quite similar to Steve Reich and a concluding solo piano offering from Bärtsch that further emphasizes space between notes being much more important and prevalent than the notes themselves. A tip-of-the-iceberg recording, in the figurative and literal sense, one can speculate this is a mere beginning, almost child's play, for what Bärtsch and his crew have in store for the future of his compelling and singularly original music.
Born 1971 in Zurich. Pianist, composer and producer. Lives in Zurich. Instruction in piano and percussion from the age 8. 1997 Graduation from the 'Musikhochschule Zürich'. 1998-2001 studies in philosophy, linguistics and musicology at the University of Zurich. 2003/04 stay in japan for half a year.
Ongoing work on his RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC as pianist and composer. Leader of MOBILE (since 1997; with Kaspar Rast, Mats Eser & Sha) and the zen-funk quartet RONIN (since 2001; with Kaspar Rast, Thomy Jordi (till 2011 Björn Meyer) and Sha. 2002 - 2012 also with Andi Pupato). Instructor for ‘Practical Aesthetics’ at the 'Musikhochschule Zürich/Winterthur' (2000-2003).
Co-founder of the Music club EXIL in Zurich (2009).
Founder of the label Ronin Rhythm Records, a platform for creative groove music (since 2006).
Co-founder and co-artistic director (together with Judd Greenstein and Etienne Abelin) of the Indie-Classcial Festival Zurich Apples and Olives (2014).
Interest in the influence and the combination of music and movement, specially in the following Bodytechniques: Aikido, Feldenkrais, Gyrotonic.
Nik trains at Kokoro Aikido Dojo Zurich.
Residencies, workshops and lectures at several institutions (f.e. Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London (UK), Musikhochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig (DE), Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH), Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (CH), Conservatorio Die Musica Trieste (IT), Accademia Di Architettura Mendrisio (CH), ETH Zürich (CH)).
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