KALI Trio: The Playful Abstract

Nik Bärtsch's Ronin Rhythm Records has become a go-to label for hypnotic groove enthusiasts. Established in 2006, its artists share a focus on uncommon time signatures and post-minimalist composition but interpret them in strikingly different ways. For example, Blaer leans towards the more restrained, stately and steady, building to powerful catharsis, similar to the Colin Vallon Trio; HELY invites comparisons with artists on Gondwana Records that elegantly combine jazz instrumentation with indie rock structures. 

Enter KALI Trio, whose debut Riot (Ronin Rhythm Records, 2018) presented an already-refined approach to atonal post-minimalism with distorted edges and no shortage of groove. Follow up Loom (2021) was constructed of just four long-form tracks, its knotty interplay of piano and drums echoing elements of Nik Bärtsch's work with Ronin and Mobile. The Playful Abstract's nine compositions are more compact, averaging around four minutes each, presenting a diverse palette of moods and textures while building upon the trio's trademark off-kilter time signatures and groove-focused ethos.

The instrumentation of The Playful Abstract is often warped beyond recognition. Urs Müller's guitar becomes aqueous seepage; Raphael Loher's treated keys become a gently detuned transmission from a distant room. Nicolas Stocker, whose textured rhythms may be familiar to listeners of Nik Bärtsch's Mobile, contributes everything from focused motorik beats ("Shift") to atmospheric tuned percussion ("Mos3").

Much of The Playful Abstract sees the trio arranging organic shapes into ample (indeed, playful) molds. "Cascading" highlights Müller's guitar work, with bright shards of tone and texture processed into rhythmic patterns. The airy propulsion of "4k Gently Peaceful" and "Bendings" recalls Can's Future Days, while "Eon" is an amorphous emission more akin to the work of William Basinski.

KALI Trio, like Dawn of Midi, reimagine what an improvisational trio can be, blurring the lines between jazz and electronic rather than fitting neatly into either category. Their third album shares as much DNA with Tim Hecker as it does Keith Jarrett's Changeless, making it all the more compelling in its exploration. The Playful Abstract is a confident step forward and an enthralling new facet in the ever-evolving Ronin Rhythm catalog.