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Release Date: 31 January 2025
Label: Ronin Rhythm Records
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 610098168553
Genres: Jazz Electronic
Description
Repeated listens to this tranquil, ever-shifting and sometimes transcendent record invokes an association with the Japanese term, Ukiyo, meaning the "floating world". Originally associated with Buddhism, where the term also denoted the sorrowful, or transient earthly plane from which its adherents sought release, ukiyo nowadays is seen as a state of mind emphasising living in the moment, detached from the difficulties of life.
The sense of weightlessness in the music really does suggest existing in a "floating world". This quality is achieved by supremely confident and intuitive playing. The three musicians - Nicolas Stocker (drums), Urs Muller (guitar) and Raphael Loher (piano) searched for sounds in the studio that became part of the wider recording process.
The opening cut, 'Organelle', announces itself with a dreamy, bubbling Organelle synth part. Guitar effects weave patterns on the surface and a gentle heartbeat is provided by the percussion. The key is minor and the melody line, picked out by the keys, is understated. The surface effects hint that things aren't meant to stick around for too long. There is a centring of the senses; though the piece ends sounding like a clockwork toy, slowly winding down. The track acts like a simple amuse bouche; 'Organelle' is there to put the listener in a receptive mood and explore the wider vistas to come.
The other tracks include 'Field', a marvellous exercise in restraint. Nothing feels hurried and the music could invoke the idea of watching a hot air balloon ascend into the sky. Slowly a beat starts to tap out a pattern and the pressure builds, courtesy of the guitar's glissando and the increasingly present beat. And, like many other pieces on The Playful Abstract, the track quickly fades out of view, its memory kept alive by a few last taps from the percussion.
The Playful Abstract, is KALI Trio's third release on the label Ronin Rhythm Records after Riot (2018) and LOOM (2021).
Tracklisting
Nik Bartsch's Ronin
KALI Trio
BLAER
Ingrid Lukas
Nik Bartsch's Ronin
Dee Day Dub
Nik Bartsch
Sha's Feckel
KALI Trio
