Tania Giannouli and Nik Bartsch have played together as a piano duo since 2023. Whilst they are both open to influences and traditions, their skill and passion are also nourished by chamber music from the classical tradition, by the true spirit of folk music, by a dedication to the ritual structures of sacred music and by the innovative creativity and need for freedom that jazz demands. Their rhythmic energy is shaped by the legacy of Balkan music and by the rhythmic traditions developed on percussive instruments such as the cimbalom. The intellectual and musical backgrounds of these two artists have now merged naturally after long individual journeys and have created a shared sonic philosophy rooted in the present. The eight pieces on this album present an organic and effortless distillation of all of these aspects.
SPIN is the 9th release of the working band RONIN since it's foundation in 2001. Since the last release AWASE (ECM 2018) the band has developed the repertoire continuously further. SPIN shows the phase in which the band is now: looking back and forward at the same time. The RONIN rhythm culture based on pattern, cycle and groove developments and refined beats is still presented and combined with playfulness and the consciousness for freedom within the clear structures.
MINIMAL marks the Percussions de Strasbourg's first foray into the world of minimalist music. Faithful to their legendary history, yet open to other sonic horizons, the ensemble asserts a plural identity, nourished by a sensitive dialogue between heritage, aesthetic diversity, and creative freedom. This recording, centered on Steve Reich's famous Mallet Quartet, brings together works such as Avant, pendant, et pourtant by Camille Pepin, where formal rigor and emotion intertwine, and Sunday by Shelley Washington, imbued with a gentle melancholy. Nik Bartsch adds his rhythmic textures and "ritual groove". Conceived by Minh-Tâm Nguyen and shaped by the inspired ear of Vincent Peirani, MINIMAL reflects an openness to jazz, pop, and classical influences. It marks a turning point: a record conceived before the stage, envisioned as a living manifesto of contemporary creation.
