Nik Bärtsch's Ronin

Born in Zürich, Switzerland on August 3, 1971, Nik Bärtsch is a pianist, composer, and producer. Outside of music, he is also passionate about oriental philosophy. His debut album, Ritual Groove Music (recorded with his band Mobile), was released in 2001 and revealed an artist unafraid to mix a jazz groove with more experimental and repetitive tendencies. His next album was a solo effort entitled Hishiryo: Piano Solo (2002). Bärtsch then formed a ‘zen funk’ band called Ronin, releasing the Randori album, also in 2002. Over the next 16 years, he would release a total of eight albums with Ronin including 2018’s Awase. Outside of his work with Ronin, he also reunited Mobile in 2004 for the album Aer and again in 2016 on the album Continuum. Throughout his career, Bärtsch’s recordings have embraced numerous genres including jazz, funk, classical, and experimental, earning him numerous honors including the Rising Star: Keyboards Award from the 2016 critics poll in DownBeat Magazine.