KALI Trio - The Playful Abstract (2025)

KALI Trio – The Playful Abstract is a meditative and dynamic album that evokes the Japanese concept of ukiyo, meaning "floating world." The trio—Nicolas Stocker (drums), Urs Müller (guitar), and Raphael Loher (piano)—embraced a new creative approach, focusing on improvisation and spontaneous composition.
Musically, the album is characterized by short, transient pieces, emphasizing atmosphere over structure. Tracks like Organelle and 4K Gently Peaceful explore ambient and rhythmic textures, while Cascading and Shift embody the fleeting nature of ukiyo. The longest track, Field, builds patiently before fading into the ether.
Celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2025, KALI Trio sees this as their most ambitious work yet, combining elements of jazz, experimental, and minimalism. The Playful Abstract marks their third release on Ronin Rhythm Records, following Riot (2018) and LOOM (2021).

Raphael Loher - Piano, Prepared Piano, Contact Microphones, Organelle, Electronics
Urs Müller - Guitar, Effects
Nicolas Stocker - Drums, Rototoms, Tuned Percussion, Contact Microphones, E-Kalimba & Sub E-Kalimba, Electronics

Tracklist:
1-1 KALI Trio - Organelle [3:52]
1-2 KALI Trio - 4k Gently Peaceful [3:59]
1-3 KALI Trio - Cascading [3:33]
1-4 KALI Trio - Mos3 [4:58]
1-5 KALI Trio - Eon [2:57]
1-6 KALI Trio - Shift [3:10]
1-7 KALI Trio - Bendings [5:43]
1-8 KALI Trio - Field [7:59]
1-9 KALI Trio - Flux [3:54]