After several recordings on ECM, this is Nik Bärtsch's second studio album with minimal funk groovescapes on his own label Ronin. With the zen-funk quartet...

After several recordings on ECM, this is Nik Bärtsch's second studio album with minimal funk groovescapes on his own label Ronin. With the zen-funk quartet RONIN founded in 2001, Nik Baertsch proceeds with his together with Kaspar Rast (drums), Björn Meyer (bass) and Percussionist Andi Pupato. Their music consistently follows the same aesthetic vision under various instrumental guises: creating the maximum effect by minimal means. Despite the multiplicity of the band’s influences, Ronin’s music always possesses a strong individuality. They incorporate elements of disparate musical worlds, be they funk, new classical music or sounds from Japanese ritual music. However, these forms are never merely juxtaposed in a post-modernist fashion but instead amalgamated into a coherent new style. Ultimately, these sounds and rhythms are highly idiosyncratic. The music consists of very few phrases and motives, continually combined and layered in new ways. Ronin thus creates a consistent aesthetic across all levels of musical expression.