| How important is the connection between you and the members, you play for quite some time together?
That is one of the major things. You can change people and this music can also be played by other people even if I am not there, but the way that we play that together, this is essential. All these members are extraordinary players, but for this music you need to have the attitude that you serve the music and the group. We work and play as a community.
| How does meditation help you to perform and to create music?
Meditation is a way of training focus, training to leave a lot away. When you compose and play this is essential. To leave things away you need to have focus that is not stiff but is relaxed. That's very difficult to train and in meditation you train exactly this.
Also, when you meditate you go out of the intellectual analysis, you go much more into the intuitive body knowing, this is not against thinking, it just has to do with trust more your musical body and that helps a lot in composing but mainly in playing and performing, to real be there.
| What's next for you after Ronin?
Ronin is a thing that constantly develops. This is not just a band, is an idea, a concept, is a way of working together. As I already said, our way of working refresh itself. So, Ronin is always now and next.
Of course, I have other things that I do - my acoustic group ”Mobile”, that is more into classical chamber music; another project I have with a visual artist that brings the piano into a stage setting; my solo shows and my work as composer for other assembles.
For me, it is not just the music itself important but also the project in the community I do. For example, the club and the festival I founded along with other people are meant to be initiatives that create more platforms for other people and for an audience to experience other artists. So, these projects do not focus on my music but on other people’s music, for the community.
When you already made a name for yourself, I believe it is your responsibility to open up for young people especially. This is one of the reasons I have founded Ronin Rhythm Records. Here, I can offer support for young artists and help them to become more known and international.