The Necks

since 2001 ronin has been bridging the gap between minimal music, jazz, zen meditation and martial arts. with utmost precision, swiss pianist nik bärtsch has been building a consistent oeuvre, recorded in fine detail by renowned label ecm records. through ‘modules’, numbered compositions, he builds a fine-meshed structure that reveals surprising rhythms and grooves. the tight performances recall minimal techno and electronic music.  throughout the years, ronin has had few lineup changes. the newest member is  jeremias keller on bass, since 2020, alongside sha on bass clarinet and double bass clarinet, and kaspar rast on drums. ‘firmly anchored to the groove, swiss-born bärtsch leads his group ronin through knotted moduls. layering his piano into and above ever-evolving patterns from a locked-in rhythm section, the group flirts with rock, funk and some kind of cosmic, steve reich-informed varietal of jazz. when bassist björn meyer and drummer kaspar rast start percolating, bärtsch touches on a new form of musical propulsion, one that isn’t necessarily swinging but always moving, evolving and expanding, ever forward’ (los angeles times).