Llyria

Description

The third album from one of the most exciting young European bands, Llyrìa follows on from Stoa and Holon, the recordings that established Swiss band Ronin on the international scene. Leader Nik Bärtschs modular pieces still define the context of the groups music but the committed input of the individual Ronin members has lifted the work to the next level, blurring the distinctions between composition, improvisation and interpretation. The music has become more open, so much so that Bärtschs old buzzwords like Zen funk and ritual groove music now scarcely apply and even minimalism is only a distant reference. Reed player Sha shines brightly here, and lyrical melodic themes make themselves felt, but perhaps this is, more than its predecessors, a drummers record, its beats lovingly crafted by Kasper Rast and percussionist Andi Pupato. Recorded in the South of France in March 2010, with Manfred Eicher producing.