Ecstasy through asceticism

RITUAL GROOVE MUSIC, the title of my first CD, also points to the fundamental concept of my musical thinking. The music shows a close affinity to architecturally organized space and is governed by the principles of repetition and reduction as well as by interlocking rhythms. A piece of music can be entered, inhabited like a room. It moves forward and transforms through obsessive circular movements, superimposition of different meters and micro-interplay. The listeners attention is directed toward minimal variations and phrasing. The band becomes an integral organism - like an animal, a habitat, an urban space. One must think with ears and hands.

Normally, we work in three distinct formations. The group MOBILE plays purely acoustic music, performed in rituals of up to 36 hours, including light- and room design. The Zen-funk quartet RONIN, by contrast, is more flexible and plays the compositions more freely. As a solo performer I perform my compositions on prepared piano with percussion.

Despite the tightly organized compositional construction, improvisation plays an important role in our music. On the one hand, accentuation, ghost notes, and variations within a composition are tossed back and forth between the musicians; on the other hand, a particular voice within a composition might have more freedom than the others. In doing so, that voice forms an independent module that can interact with the strictly notated interlocking patterns in continuously changing ways. Groove-habitats or void musical space of raw poetry emerge.

My thinking and music are based on the tradition of urban space. They are not distilled from a national or stylistic tradition but from the universal sound of cities. The city in its roaring diversity requires an ability to focus and concentrate on the essential: to measure one’s actions, to remain silent at the right place. This music draws its energy from the tension between compositional precision and the self-circumvention of improvisation. From self-implied restriction stems freedom. Ecstasy through asceticism.

Nik Bärtsch

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Biography

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'. 1989-2001 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 quintet RONIN (since 2001; with Kaspar Rast, Björn Meyer, Andi Pupato & Sha). Instructor for ‘Practical Aesthetics’ at the 'Musikhochschule Zürich/Winterthur' (2000-2003).

Co-founder of the Music club EXIL in Zurich (2009).

Interest in the influence and the combination of music and movement, specially in the following Bodytechniques: Aikido, Feldenkrais, Gyrotonic. 

1999 and 2002 career award of the ‘UBS Cultural Foundation’

2002 'Werkjahr' (career award) from the city of Zurich

2004 culture-award from the town of Zollikon (appreciation-award)

2006 priority jazz support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

2007 composition mandate from the Swiss Arts Council

Relevant concerts & projects:

With MOBILE:

Production and composition of the BLUE trilogy, performed over a period of three years with concerts of 36 hours respectively:

2000: 'AREA BLUE' in Zurich

2001: 'AQUA BLUE' in Baden

2002: 'MU BLUE' in Zurich (video. Together with oos)

2003: 'Water Church Ritual', Wasserkirche Zürich, with guest Walter Grimmer, cello, 6 hour mirror performance

2005: 'Perpetual Rhythm - a musical dance ritual', with Butho dancer Imre Thormann & his Bodygarage Tokyo, 8 hour performance in the Rondorama on the Stanserhorn (Co-Production with Stanser Musiktage).

2005: 'SEE - a live musical soundpicture', 4 hour performance on the lake stage in Zurich; together with oos (Co-Production with the Theaterspektakel Zurich).

2005. Openair performance together with the Gagaku ensemble of the Osaka Gakuin University Japan at the Hiyoshi Shrine in Otsu Japan.

Large Compositions:

'Modul 26 for Sextet' for the New York group Bang On A Can (20 minutes, 2010, premiere at Merkin Hall New York).

'Orit' for three percussionists (20 minutes, 2008, premiere at the Mehrklang Festival Freiburg 08)

'Modul Ritual', New Chamber Funk I, composition for 4 saxophones, piano, rhodes, drums & percussion (70 minutes, written in Japan 2003/04 for the ARTE QUARTETT).

'Orchestrated Moduls', New Chamber Funk II, composition for RONIN and the Ensemble für Neue Musik Zurich (2005, 60 Minutes).

'Macbeth' by Shakespeare/Müller, UA Sophiensäle Berlin 2004, music theatre, director: Nora Somaini.

Solo project ‘Hishiryo’ for prepared piano and percussion (since 2001)

Important Concerts and Festivals:

Portland Jazzfestival (USA), San Francisco Jazzfestival (USA), North Sea Jazz Festvial (NL); Factory Festival Paris (F); Berlin Jazz Festival (D); London Jazz Festival (UK); 'Athens Festival' in Athens (Gr); Jazzfestival Montreal (Can); Coastal Jazzfestival Vancouver (Can); for the 'Mozarteo Brasileiro' Sao Paulo (Bra); Jazzfestival Kopenhagen (Dan); 'Jazz em Agosto' Lisboa (Por); 'Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival' (D); 'JazzClassica' at Schloss Elmau (D); 'Rheingau Festival' (D); 'Traumzeit Festival' Duisburg (D); 'Festival de Musique de Menton' (F); Pianofestival St. Petersburg (Rus); Sergey Kuriokhin International Festival St.Petersburg (Rus); Novara Jazz Festival (I); Saalfelden Jazz Festvial (Aut); Enjoy Jazz Festival (D); Motives Festival (B); Jazzfestival Kaunas (Lit); Jazzfestival Schaffhausen (CH); Jazzfestival Onze Plus Lausanne (CH); 'JazzNoJazz' festival Zurich (CH); 'Live at Sunset' festival Zurich (CH), Menuhin Festival in Gstaad (CH); Stanser Musiktage (CH); Jazzfestival Cully (CH); Jazzfestival Willisau (CH)

Film music for the documentary film projects PHOTO SUISSE (2003/04) and DESIGN SUISSE (2005/06) of Swiss TV SFDRS and for SWISS VIEW (since 2006).

Music for the CD 'Design Hören' of the architecture magazine 'HOCHPARTERRE' & the ITH (2004)

Collaborations:

Ongoing work with Butoh dancer Imre Thormann (since 2004: Perpetual Rhythm 2005, Voyager 2006, Parallel 2008: Pictures)

Ongoing work with the Japanese dancer Hideto Heshiki (since 2006: Stereo 2007)

'Isorhythms & Moduls' for two prepared Pianos with Zurich pianist and composer Christoph Stiefel (since 2003).

Collaboration with the clarinet player, composer and producer Don Li on his TONUS-MUSIC (1996 - 2002)

CH New Jazzfestival tour with Harald Haerter 1997.

Final at the 'European Jazzcompetition' of the Jazzfestival Leverkusen 1995 with the band 'Domenico Ferrari & the groove cooperative'.

Other important theatre-compositions:

'Titus Andronicus' by Shakespeare/Müller at the Theater Kampnagel in Hamburg (Festival Junge Hunde 1999); 'Gier' by Sarah Kane and 'Kühltransport' by Maxim Biller at TIF Dresden 2001 resp. 2002; 'Medea' by Euripides at the Stadttheater Mönchengladbach 2002; director: Nora Somaini.

Discography:

Nik Bärtschs Ronin, „HOLON“, ECM 2008

Nik Bärtschs Ronin, „STOA“, ECM 2006

Nik Bärtschs Mobile, „AER“, 2004, Ronin Rhythm Records

Nik Bärtschs Ronin, „REA“, 2004, Ronin Rhythm Records

Nik Bärtschs Ronin, Live, 2003, Ronin Rhythm Records

Nik Bärtsch, „Hishiryo“, Piano Solo, 2002, Ronin Rhythm Records

Nik Bärtschs Ronin, „Randori“, 2002, Ronin Rhythm Records

Nik Bärtschs Mobile, „Ritual Groove Music“, 2001, Ronin Rhythm Records

Tonus-Music Labor Res. Result LIVE Vol. 1 & 2 Tonus Music Records 2002

Don Li's Tonus, GEN , Tonus Music Records 2001

Don Pfäffli's Tonus, SU:N, Brambus, 1999

Menico Ferrari & the groove cooperative, About Roses and Thorns 1994, out of stock.