Swissdisc

Breitbild: «As isch nid immer alles crazy»
Breitbild is rooted in the rap scene that developed in Chur at the end of the 90s. What was first a loose association now has an inner core of 11 musicians. In addition to 4 MCs (master of ceremonies) and a DJ, Breitbild has an instrumental section formed by members from Toshmann & Rabbit. The group‘s latest album «As isch nid immer alles crazy» (It’s not all always crazy) contains samples as well as real keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and percussion instruments. >>>

23.04.2009

Fanoe: «Down to heaven»
Fanoe is the Danish-Swedish trio initiated by Klaus Fanoe. Fanoe was born in Aarau, but has Danish roots. The other two members of the band are Diana Perola (bass) and drummer Marco Trachsel. Their debut album «Empire Dirt» was released in 2005; it attracted attention and earned them a slot as a support band at a Sister of Mercy concert. >>>

23.04.2009

Slam & Howie and The Reserve Men: «Vicious songs»
Slam Howie & the Reserve Men belong in the short list of Swiss country bands ((Zeno Tornado & The Boney Google Brothers, Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys) who play with a twinkle in their eye. Like them, the Bernese Quartet around Lt. Slam and Howard B. Benson aka Howie Country offers a teasing blend of charm and pepper. >>>

23.04.2009

Two Gentlemen
AMG, Gentlemen Music and the «booking section» of Irascible are pleased to announce the creation of Two Gentlemen.
As a new company involved in booking, management, and record production, the Two Gentlemen task force includes, from April 1st on, several people coming from the three aforementioned Lausanne companies, well known for their long-term work on Swiss and international artists. >>>

23.04.2009

Rap with roots in jazz and soul
With «Main Course», their first album, the Apt, a duo from Lucerne, presents us with a hip hop number whose roots are embedded in soul music and jazz. Emerging from this fertile soil is a rap music which can be peaceful and grave, yet rich in underlying tensions, like in «The missing flow», or else full of fury, like in «Moood». >>>

07.10.2008

Aloan receives the Newcomer Award from the SUISA Foundation for Music
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Gurten Festival in Berne, the SUISA Foundation for Music presented its «Newcomer Award», a prize amounting to Frs. 5,000, to Aloan, an electro group from Geneva. The quality of the performance of this group from French-speaking Switzerland is equal to that of Pegasus, Signorino TJ and Seven, all well-known groups who have received this award in the course of the last few years. >>>

28.07.2008

A Rodeo of jazz and rock
Monster Rodeo, the new album by Cowboys from Hell, fully deserves its title. The tone is set right from the start, with an effervescent hard rock number. Some of the expressions betray its origins: not American but Swiss German! After this first, not entirely indispensable track, the recording really takes off, surprising us with its undeniable originality. >>>

21.03.2008

Anshelle: «Rewind please»
The contents of the biography of the Bernese Band Anshelle reveal a trace of disappointment. Disappointment because, as a Bernese pop rock band, they would certainly have more chance of success singing in Swiss German. But, backing up the powerful voice of Michèle Bachmann (formerly Neuland), they sing in English on their second album offering pop rock with a touch of soul reminiscent of bands like Texas or Coldplay. >>>

03.12.2007

Lole: «Sugary and dry»
Olivia Pedroli is said to have a very special radiance on stage. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of seeing her perform live yet. Some of that radiance seeps through her second CD, «Sugary and Dry». Lole and her band have a sense for deep, variegated music which draws its inspiration from folk, pop and jazz. >>>

03.12.2007

A first album for Middlecage
Hailing from the Bernese Jura, and founded at the end of 2003, the group Middlecage has just released its first recording, after having made its debut at well-known venues like the Bikini Test at La Chaux de Fonds, and in different competitions such as «The Battle of the Bands» in Zurich. Under the title «5th season», the numbers on the album are rock music through and through. >>>

20.11.2007

A very successful Afro-Cuban cocktail from Palatimba
«Lo mas duro», a new release by the group Palatimba from Yverdon comprises Afro-Cuban vibes and rhythms by mixing timba, salsa and funk music. Here and there you can hear other musical influences too, like a touch of jazz from time to time. The whole recording is an excellent cocktail of urban Latino music, whose quality owes a lot to Dampierret Mesa Martinez. >>>

20.11.2007

An original electro from Aloan
Aloan’s third album «Better in springtime» is an electro trip hop with a powerful atmosphere. The group from Geneva skilfully mixes acoustic and electronic instruments to produce tonalities drawn from soul music and rap. For example, the rapper Granite, who can also be found on Quartier Lointain’s latest album, produces a flow that is instantly recognizable in a number like «tonight I’ll kill you». >>>

04.08.2007

Japrazz, a successful mix of hip hop and jazz
First you hear footsteps, a key turning in the lock, and faraway jazz playing in another room, then suddenly the music is here in the foreground, and turns into rap. With this excellent acoustic equivalent of a forward tracking shot, the Japrazz ensemble gets us in its grip from the start, and doesn’t let go for the whole of its first perfectly accomplished mini-album. >>>

04.08.2007

Sinner DC’s electro successfully revisited
Let’s admit it: there was reason for some scepticism about the album «Montage» - a remix of Sinner DC’s preceding album «Mount Age», given that repeats and remakes, whether of films or of music usually turn out to be inferior to the originals. But this recording is different, and meets with unanimous approval. >>>

04.08.2007

Handsome Hank and His Lonesome Boys: «Live at murmansk»
Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys have to be taken with a good pinch of salt. The six gentlemen have an inclination to bend the truth. In the booklet accompanying their latest CD, «Live at murmansk», the sixtet claims they were sent to Murmansk to perform in 1962. They didn’t know they were on a secret mission. >>>

14.04.2007

Music for the Snow Runs
QL, the band from Biel, has released its third CD just in time for the peak skiing season. An album full of après-ski slapstick punk. >>>

14.04.2007

Beauty of Gemina: a Gothic atmosphere
Trip, hop, electro, rock…a gothic cocktail concocted by The Beauty of Gemina for their first album entitled «Diary of a lost». The atmosphere is instantly charged with electricity at the onset of «Victims of love», before adopting the tones of a religious opera mingled with rock for the evocation of treachery or the tragic grandeur of Shakespearian jealousy. >>>

20.03.2007

Andreas Vollenweider: «Midnight Clear»
In anlgo-saxon countries, even rockstars with a bad-boy image can do modern interpretations of Christmas carols: over here though, it’s still unusual. Still, it is hardly surprising for Andreas Vollenweider to release a Christmas album: «Midnight Clear». His previous albums were already contemplative: the Zurich harpist has offered his fans countless interior acoustic quests for meaning and happiness. >>>

07.02.2007

Moondart: «Druflos»
After the EP demo «Füüf!» (2004), «Druflos» is the official début album of the Lucerne quintet Moondart. Like their name – a play on words – suggests, the band led by singer and guitarist René Fuchs have made an album of Swiss-german music. Moondart is more than just another band trying to cash in on a particularly lucrative genre in Switzerland. >>>

07.02.2007

Zugluft blows a wind of vivifying folk
The album starts with a frenzied folk track which is slightly reminiscent of balkanic music. The Zurich band «Zugluft» brings us a breath of – predominantly folk-musical – fresh air. Quite appropriately, since in English, Zugluft means a draught. >>>

07.02.2007

March15: «Touch Down»
The man behind March15 is Felix Klaus, who already played the contrabass for Bobby McFerrin, the Basler Kammerorchester and Michel Legrand. That is barely perceptible in «Touch Down». The ten songs fall into the broad category of pop & rock. But Klaus has his own personal view of what pop music should sound like. >>>

07.02.2007

Henchman, a blast of vigorous rock
Riffs playing thick and fast, lively and perfectly controlled rock music, all this features on the Henchman trio’s first album, entitled «Unmistaken». As it happens, the group is Swiss-German, but like most rock groups, they sing in English. Roger Haemmerli, singer and guitarist, (as well as the two other members of the trio) also appreciates the fact that people don’t differentiate between German-speaking and French-speaking Swiss. >>>

10.01.2007

Raphelson launches his first solo album
Those who are acquainted with Magicray have already had the opportunity of hearing Raphelson, the singer and guitarist of the group. At present, he is exploring new pastures with «Hold this moment still», his first solo album. Out of a series of personal songs, he has chosen eleven, highlighted by a delicate palette of instruments: violin, harp, harmonica, guitar (of course), and piano. >>>

18.12.2006

Goodron takes to the road
«Outtakes of Life» by the group Goodron from Lucerne is full of energetic and well concocted rock music. The recording takes off with several titles that have original and catchy tunes, such as «Sing for life» and «Dance». >>>

14.08.2006

M4music «Best of Demotape Clinic 2006»
The 2006 «M4music – Clubfestival, Conference and Demotape Clinic» took place last May in Zurich. For the record, this festival, organized by the Migros culture percentage, is the only one of its kind and constitutes an important rendez-vous for the Swiss pop music scene. >>>

14.08.2006

Cataract: «Kingdom»
Like Celtic Frost and Coroner, Cataract also quickly reached recognition abroad while remaining largely unknown in Switzerland. The third album «With Triumph Comes Loss» (2004) of the musicians from Zurich and Zug contains an independent mix of metal and hard core. >>>

04.07.2006

«Sounds From Home – La Suisse internationale»
In addition to the ubiquitous rock music in Swiss German dialect, Switzerland has long had a scattered music scene reflecting the country’s many cultures and cross-cultures. On «Sounds From Home – La Suisse internationale», Thomas Burkhalter, the music ethnologist from Bern, presents 20 pieces by first and second-generation immigrants living in Switzerland. >>>

04.07.2006

Skaladdin’s new release: ska punk gone wild
«Young, handsome & we know it» is the Bernese group Skaladdin’s third album. Saxophones gone crazy, fast rhythms and spirited tunes produce a ska punk crammed with energy. When Skaladdin was founded in 1998, ska punk was almost unknown in Switzerland. >>>

12.03.2006

Camp: «Iconography»
The debut album of Camp, the Zurich band founded in 2003, already shows great potential. «Iconography» is strongly inspired by the cool synthisizer sounds and dark romanticism of early eighties New Wave – there are traces of British bands like Cure, Depeche Mode and Echo & the Bunnymen, as well as of New Yorker band The Rapture. >>>

26.01.2006

Lyn Leon: «Private Pop»
A catchy breath of pop blows through Lyn Leon’s soft jazz. «Private Pop» is the band’s third, fascinating album and it is full of musical elegance and warmth. The warmth is surprising since you would expect a colder sound from the glass instruments the trio sometimes plays. >>>

26.01.2006

Swiss Music Club at MIDEM 2006
For the 7th time, the SUISA Foundation for Music is organising the popular SWISS MUSIC CLUB. The Foundation is seeking to give talented young musicians with international potential a platform before a professional audience at the world’s largest music fair. This platform is often crucial for the future of these promising young artists. >>>

21.11.2005

Velma in an electro-rock trance
Velma’s fourth album, «La pointe farinet, 2949m» is a particularly good electro-rock production. On this album, the band from Lausanne develops the leitmotivs in a somber, obsessive style, creating an hypnotic atmosphere. «Private perfection», the second-to-last track on the CD, is especially remarkable in this respect - a true piece of bravura. >>>

01.11.2005

Honey for Petzi: a beautiful rock storm
In 2001, Honey for Petzi made itself a name across Europe with its first album, ''Heal all Monsters''. Now the long wait for the band’s second album is over: at last, “Man’s rage for Black Ham” is out. >>>

27.09.2005

Swiss Acts @ Popkomm 2005
An overview of the Swiss bands appearing in the Popkomm's official programme. >>>

08.09.2005

Gigi Moto’s Mix for Connoisseurs
«Superstar» was the turning point. After four years without a new release, noone was expecting to hear of Gigi Moto again. The quintet had been turned down by record companies so often, that trouble was slowly starting to brew between them. All at once, the album was released after all. And instead of the anticipated disinterest, the quintet suddenly found itself in the limelight. >>>

30.06.2005

Biker Rock by the Hank Davison Band
For 15 years, the Hank Davison Band has been performing on one stage after another across Europe and America following biker-meets. It has in the meantime acquired cult status with bikers. Outside this circle, the rockers are less well-known, despite having played with groups like ZZ Top and the Scorpions. Amateurs of good, raw rock can now make up for this shortcoming: the Hank Davison Band has just released its first studio album. >>>

30.06.2005

Reggae.ch Vol. I
Universal Music has released a reggae compilation «Reggae.ch Vol. I», produced in co-operation with the internet portal www.reggae.ch, DRS 3 and Couleur 3. The album contains only Swiss reggae bands! >>>

30.06.2005

DJ Boost: «Chill House Volume 6»
Who isn’t yearning for the sun, the beach and the sea? DJBoost’s latest CD, «Chill House Volume 6», offers a foretaste of summer 2005 to those seeking to flee – if only mentally – the rainy spring. >>>

07.06.2005

Electro pop from the double bed - Division Kent: «Monsterproof»
Swandive was one of the most innovative Swiss bands of the late 90s. Before it disbanded three years ago, the Zurich band had gotten to the very heart of trip-hop. Now Sky Antinori, one of Swandive's members, is back. His band project, i.e. himself and his girlfriend Andrea B., is called Division Kent. >>>

03.05.2005

Seven: «Lovejam»
In a remarkably short lapse of time, Jan Dettwyler alias Seven has developed from a promising newcomer into a shrewd soul singer. Meanwhile, not only has the 26 year old Aargauer mastered all the registers of his unusual voice, he has mastered the tricks of the school of soul with noteworthy assurance. He proves this on «Lovejam», his third album. >>>

28.04.2005

Vivian: «Don't Look Down»
The release of Vivian’s third album – ready a long time ago – was delayed by nearly a year following Warner Music’s astonishing decision to give up its Swiss repertoire in 2004. Fortunately, that has not affected «Don’t Look Down» in the least. On the contrary: the group’s playing is increasingly fresh and masterful. >>>

26.04.2005

Slimboy: «No Fires On Beach»
The Brit pop solo project of 2000 has long since become an American punk pop quartet. In its third album, Slimboy has found a clear direction and an international standard – the band sounds correspondingly straight and easy. >>>

19.04.2005

Favez: «Old And Strong In The Modern Times»
While singer Chris Wicky was working on Favez’ new album, his long-standing relationship broke up and it seemed as if his whole life had fallen apart. Instead of his usual role as observer, Chris Wicky suddenly started writing with a knife between his teeth. The result is «Old and Strong in the Modern Times». >>>

30.03.2005

Stress: «25.07.03»
So far, Andres Andrekson, alias Stress, has been most impressive live with his smooth rap and charismatic presence. At last, the Double Pact rapper’s qualities have come fully into play on a recording. What is more, Andrekson – a French-speaking Swiss originally from Estonia – has now burst out of his hip hop corset with a colourful mix of whistle-along styles and melodies. >>>

30.03.2005

American ballads from the Moondog Show
The Moondog Show’s third album, “Evergreen”, takes you on a musical journey down South. The members of the group guide the listener on a tour from country music to soul, including folk, rock ‘n roll and rhythm ‘n blues. >>>

27.01.2005

Swiss music club at the MIDEM 2005
The board of trustees, whose job it is to examine regularly the principal options open to the institution, recently broached the subject of the “Swiss Jazz Club” at the MIDEM, an event located in the Salle Méditerranée at the Carlton Hotel for the last 5 years. >>>

17.01.2005

The SUISA Foundation for Music’s «Newcomer Award 2004» for SEVEN
For the first time this year, the SUISA Foundation for Music has presented the «Newcomer Award 2004» for the best Swiss talent in the field of pop-rock music. This prize is just one in the series of «AVO Session Awards» distributed during the AVO Session festival which took place in Basel from the 5th to the 20th of November 2004. >>>

03.12.2004

POPKOMM 2004 in Berlin – A Good Start
After several years of stagnation in Cologne, the POKOMM moved into its new premises at the Berlin fair. From the figures reported, the « new » POPKOMM seems to have left its mark on Berlin. >>>

29.11.2004

Martin Dahanukar: « Apocalypse Now »
« Apocalypse Now » mirrors a burning jungle full of exciting colours. A sombre soundtrack for this planet. And off-comment to the CNN-Non-Stop-Visual-Loop. Fire and shadows setting up a dancing pattern on a megapolitain scenery. >>>

20.08.2004

Reto Burrell: «Roses fade blue»
Reto Burrell has just released his third album, like the other two with German label Blue Rose. On «Roses fade blue», the Swiss-German singer and songwriter with English roots continues determinedly to go his own ways. The result is an acoustic album with eleven subtle, melancholic songs that reveal Burell’s maturity as a songwriter. >>>

18.05.2004

Trummer: «Night Light»
What a début! No one outside his home region had ever even heard of Christoph Trummer. And now, this young songwriter from the Bernese Oberland has taken the music scene by surprise with an album of astonishing maturity. >>>

15.04.2004

Dada (Ante Portas): «Seasons Change»
The pool on the sleeve is empty, the field strewn with autumn leaves. The mood is somewhat melancholic, yet the singer in the forefront bears a mischievous smile. The sleeve of «Seasons Change» suits the contents of the album to a tee. On their new release, Dada (Ante Portas) sounds quieter and more reflective than before. The quiet is constantly broken by optimistic tones. >>>

15.04.2004

G-Sax: «The Color of Passion»
G-Sax – alias Roland Graf – is one of Switzerland’s most sought-after saxophone players. He works as a solo musician, or together with well-known singers, bands and DJs such as DJ Antoine, Rolf Imhof, Claude Challe and Minus 8. >>>

13.01.2004

Paul Mac Bonvin: «Ainsi va la vie»
His new album «Ainsi va la vie» (That’s Life) takes Paul Mac Bonvin to Canada, but he remains faithful to his well-tested mix of country, cajun and rock’n’roll. >>>

09.12.2003

Jeff Turner: «Every Song A Story»
Jeff Turner has released his new album just in time for his Christmas tour with John Brack. On «Every Song a Story», a classical «unplugged» album in singer-songwriter style, Jeff Turner tells thirteen amusing yet deep stories. >>>

09.12.2003

DJ Bobo most popular Swiss artist again
With «Chihuahua», DJ Bobo has broken all his previous records. In October, thanks to his summer hit, DJ Bobo was again awarded the World Music Prize for best Swiss artist. >>>

28.11.2003

Pierre Audetat: «Iota Horologi» & «Ghost note»
Lausanne musician Pierre Audetat has already worked with big names like Nils Peter Molvaer, Sens Unik, Erik Truffaz, Silent Majority or Trilok Gurtu. Be it as pianist, arranger or composer, Audetat – a migrant between the worlds of jazz, hip hop and electronic music – clearly feels most comfortable in the latter, the world of electronic music. >>>

26.11.2003

Contemporary Culture Convention IV
The fourth edition of the contemporary culture convention (ccc) will be held on the weekend of 13 to 15 May 2004, like before at the Reitschule in Bern. The ccc is a festival devoted to electronic music, with a small fair for exchanging information and nursing contacts. >>>

18.11.2003

Popmonster: «Destressor»
Searching for the perfect pop song – chapter two: after a first, softly playful album full of pearls three years ago, the Basle trio’s second album «Destressor» comes more quickly to the point. >>>

28.10.2003

Claudia Bettinaglio: «Sometimes»
«Sometimes», Claudia Bettinaglio’s second album, is a success. The songs, mainly her own composition, swing between jazz, blues and rhythm‘n’blues.
>>>

28.10.2003

Yasmine Tamara: «Tranquil»
With Yasmine Tamara has bloomed one of those talents that are all too few and far between in our country. This young woman, hitherto known (in insider circles) as the female voice of bands like Grand Mother’s Funck or Funky Brotherhood, has set about astonishing us from her first album. >>>

24.10.2003

Glen Of Guinness: «Back & Side»
Switzerland’s favourite Irish folkmusic band is back with an arche-typical album. At the end of the 90s, with the single «Here Comes The Rain», Glen of Guinness, the band from French-speaking Switzerland, managed to stir interest in German-speaking Switzerland too. >>>

24.10.2003

Lunik: «Weather»
Lunik’s début album «Rumour» (1999) already stood out from the mass of Swiss pop productions. For its second album «Ahead» (2001), which was also released in Germany and the USA, the Bernese group weeded out certain stereotypical trip-hop and drum'n'bass elements, adding character to the pieces and making them more pop-like. >>>

03.10.2003

Favez: «Bellefontaine Avenue»
Let’s say it right off: the Lausanne band Favez is among the best that Switzerland’s rock scene has to offer. With its new album «Bellefontaine Avenue», the band has once again produced a masterpiece. But, as usual in Switzerland, homegrown bands must earn their laurels abroad before they can aspire to wide recognition at home. >>>

23.09.2003

GNU: «Milky Way»
GNU’s third album opens to the sound of exotic chords. After the mini-intro, however, the three Fribourgeois let loose with first-class pop rock. After just a few bars, it is clear that GNU has bid its lo-fi past farewell and tinkered its sound to produce what it simply calls Gnu-pop rock. >>>

23.09.2003

The Sad Riders: «Lay your head on the soft rock»
If you have already experienced Chris Wicky live on-stage with his guitar, you will not be surprised by this album. But if you know Chris primarily as the singer of the Lausanne rock band Favez, you will be astounded by «Lay your head on the soft rock», his singer-songwriter album released last spring. >>>

23.09.2003

Posh: «What's Wrong With Being...?»
Three years ago, when Posh started its record career with the Label «Coffee», the début album «Innocent» received rave reviews and the subsequent tour was quite a success. Then the group from St. Gallen disappeared from the scene, withdrawing to concentrate on the «wretched» second album. >>>

05.09.2003

Infinite Dreams: «Touch my Skin»
Central Switzerland is one bright melodic rock band the richer. Infinite Dreams was founded in 1997 and found its current musical make-up two years later with new front girl Miriam Pürro, who defines the band’s style as «catchy chorus, exciting melodies and driving groove». >>>

01.09.2003

Marc Sway: «Marc's Way»
When Marc Sway, a totally unknown singer and songwriter from Männedorf on Lake Zurich, signed a contract with BMG Germany, the Swiss music scene was taken by surprise. A recent concert shows that BMG made the right decision: the 24 year-old has that certain something known as star quality: >>>

19.08.2003

Kristin Ash: «Today»
Kristin’s career seemed to have ended before it ever really started. Her first CD released 4 years ago was a lukewarm Sina-ish infusion in Fribourg dialect which never really satisfied the public, the recording company or the artist herself. That was followed by a long time out – to clear her head for new ideas. >>>

08.08.2003

Stephan Eicher: «Taxi Europa»
After a classical music film soundtrack, Stephan Eicher has now released an album that is unmistakeably connected to the pop song titles of his successful works «Engelberg» and «Carcassonne». The tracks on «Taxi Europa» are no pale imitations of the latter but reflect the experience menawhile gathered by Eicher. >>>

31.07.2003

Honey for Petzi: «Nicholson»
«Nicholson», Honey for Petzi’s new mini-album, is the stylistical suite to their last album, «Heal all monsters», produced by Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey etc.). Honey for Petzi consistently pursues their musical course and has now released their own interpretation of post-rock. >>>

02.07.2003

Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys: «Greatest Hits»
What would an old disco hit like «Daddy Cool» sound like played on the banjo and violin? Or a punk classic like «Blitzkrieg Bop» sung in a broad southern drawl and dis-arranged by a bluegrass combo? Great! or at least they do when Handsome Hank and his Lonesome Boys are at work. >>>

01.07.2003

Lovebugs: «13 Songs With A View»
Apart from one single and a concert, the Lovebugs stayed out of the limelight last year. After the departure of founding member Sebastian Hausmann, the model band from Basel wanted to take time to work on new songs peacefully. >>>

28.05.2003

Vivian: «Alive»
Singer and songwriter Roger Vivian explains that he moved his band from BMG to Warner Music because he no longer wanted to be treated like a child. Meaning that the young band from the Lucerne hinterland had no desire to walk even more consistently pop-y paths with their second album. >>>

28.05.2003

Pippo Pollina: «Racconti Brevi»
Where does the man get all that energy? For years Pippo Pollina has been constantly on the road, cropping up anywhere between north Germany and Sicily, an indefatigable representative in the matter of Italianità. In his backpack, a brand new, expensively produced CD, «Racconti Brevi», created over a long period of time in Toggenburg and in London. >>>

16.05.2003

Boogie Bangerz, Vol. 1
The radio station Couleur 3 is well-known for its innovative broadcasts and its DJs and MCs constantly on the look-out for the latest music trend. For years now its programme «Downtown Boogie», broadcast at 9 pm Monday through Thursday, has also given hip hop a platform. >>>

15.05.2003

DJ Tatana: «Wildlife»
At the beginning of her career, Tatana Sterba alias DJ Tatana was one of the rare women on the club scene. The underground years were not easy. Her new mix-CD has now gone straight to the top of the charts. In «Wildlife» Tatana remains true to her title of «Trance-Queen». >>>

15.05.2003

Slowly we bleed: «home remixes»
Two years after the original «home», Slowly we bleed have released «home – remixes». Slowly we bleed consists of jazz singer Katja Mair, who has meanwhile made a name for herself as a member of the a cappella group Urban Voices, guitarist Mathias Hofstetter and bass player Daniel Manhart, who also contributed to the samples and programming. >>>

14.05.2003

Core22: «Nuance»
The career of the Valais band Core22 just won't seem to take off. A fact that remains a puzzle for experts too. An international breakthrough was already prophesied for Sonia Heller & Co. years ago, when the band was still experimenting in the cross-over zone and was reminiscent of Skunk Anansie. >>>

11.04.2003

Paul Camilleri: «In The Middle Of The Night»
Yet another step forward! With his second album, Winterthur neo-modern bluesman Paul Camilleri has again made great progress. Progress not just as a guitarist and songwriter, but as a singer. >>>

01.04.2003

Slimboy: «We Hate Slimboy»
You have got to grant it to Joel Bader, alias Slimboy: the young man has a sense of humour, and even a healthy portion of self-irony. After all it was Bader who once infused fresh air into the Swiss radio landscape with a punk-pop cover of Britney Spears' «Oops I Did It Again». He has baptised his new album «We Hate Slimboy». >>>

26.03.2003

b.connected: «perfect blend»
«Perfect blend». This, the fifth CD by the Swiss jazz-funk group, really is a perfect blend. In one sense in the styles, and in another in terms of the production. No less than David Richards, who has produced albums by Queen, David Bowie and Chris Rea, is responsible for the excellent sound quality. >>>

04.02.2003

30 Years of Swiss Pop & Rock on 5 CDs
The first comprehensive history of Swiss pop and rock music is now available in a boxed set of five CDs featuring a selection of 111 hits and gems from the beginnings until 1985, more than half of which appear for the first time on CD. The “Swiss Pop & Rock” anthology was produced by the SUISA Foundation for Music and swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI). >>>

01.01.2003

Susan Orus: «It's a long road ahead»
Recording two albums in Nashville, the stronghold of country music, is a dream come true for the Toggenburger Susan Orus. The title of her second CD, «Don't Give Up» (Musikvertrieb), is quite à propos since her original mix of Pop, Rock and Country risks falling between two stools in Switzerland. >>>

01.12.2002

Interview with Elisabeth White
The Australian-American Elisabeth White has been living in Switzerland for ten years. Three years ago, her first solo album «Maybe God's A Woman Too» earned well-disposed reviews. The 30 year-old has deliberately taken her time in making her follow-up album «Come To Me» (BMG). >>>

28.11.2002

The Moondog Show: «Bonne Espérance»
Americana from Basel? Yes, it exists. Two years ago, Moondog Show's first album «Far Beyond», highly praised by the German edition of «Rolling Stone», already created an enthusiastic stir. >>>

31.10.2002

Zofkas latest Album is and is called «Nice»
So far, Michael Ricar has made himself a name as a producer of music for commercials and documentaries. The Zuricher recently released his second solo album under the pseudonym Zofka. «Nice» demonstrates impressively that electronic lounge music does not have to hum along coolly in the background but that it can also sound engagingly warm and full of character. >>>

20.09.2002

Reto Burrell: «Shaking Off Monkeys»
A tireless itinerant preacher of US rock 'n roll, the Swiss singer and songwriter Reto Burrell has just released his second album «Shaking Off Monkeys» (Blue Rose/Disctrade) which he is now presenting on an extensive concert tour across Switzerland. >>>

16.09.2002

Liz Libido: «Freakreation»
That darned second album. With its first album, Liz Libido made a successful debut even though the Winterthur band was not entirely satisfied with the result. With «Freakreation» Liz Libido has taken a big step forward. >>>

10.09.2002

Polar: «Somatic»
For four long years nothing more was heard of Polar. There are reasons for this: for two years the Genevan with Irish roots was travelling all over Europe, promoting his last album «Bi-Polar». >>>

01.09.2002

TranceEscape 6, mixed by DJ Pure
This summer DJ Pure is presenting the sixth TranceEscape compilation. Three years ago, when this series was started together with the broadcast on Couleur 3, it very quickly developed into an important element in the Swiss dance scene. Today DJ Pure is not only presenting his music on the home market but is spreading his uncompromisingly hard trance sound worldwide. >>>

01.09.2002

Dada (ante portas): «Bound For Nowhere»
Before, everything was better. Or at least different. Rock musicians were the teacher's terror and the teacher was a stand-up comedian on the side. But today's young guard of rock musicians teach school-children, who could well be their own fans, on the Ministry of Education's payroll. Of rebellion, not a trace; the only commotion in the school building is at break, when schoolgirls with fluttering hearts besiege the teachers' common room for autographs. Crazy world. >>>

16.07.2002

Camen: «Addicted to it»
Camen, the George Michael from Winterthur, presents his second album. Where in his debut-album «Twelve», the former leader of the rock boy-group Mighty Sharp was torn between US R&B and DJ BoBo-style Euro disco, «Addicted To It» reflects a markedly clearer profile. >>>

13.05.2002

J. Kirby's Band
The drummer, singer and songwriter J. Kirby Bivans grew up in the States. After his music studies, he moved to Nashville, to work with country singers like Vassar Clements, Nicolette Larson. Carl Perkins and Lorrie Morgan. On a European tour, he «got stuck» in Switzerland where he formed his own band, J. Kirby’s Band. >>>

01.05.2002

Poison Ivvy: «cheap thrills»
In 1990, Mr. Trash, Toti Delicious and Nick Nasty got together to form Poison Ivvy. They are now releasing their third album «cheap thrills», a congenial mix of different styles: Punk Rock, Garage, Glam Rock, Surf Guitars. >>>

01.05.2002

Kisha: «Crazy World»
The release of Kisha's second album was widely echoed by the Swiss media. It must at once be said that Kisha has managed to produce a fresh follow-up that may not contrast fundamentally with her somewhat smooth début but stands out against it in certain significant points. >>>

01.05.2002

Corin Curschellas: contemporary folklore
«Music Loves Me» was the title Corin Curschellas playfully gave her first solo album in 1992 – and that title could apply like a Credo to her whole musical work. With remarkable assurance, the singer from the Grisons masters large leaps in tone as well as in style. >>>

02.04.2002

GrooveLift #4 - mixed by Mr. Mike
Blame it all on Mr. Mike. It was he who created the GrooveLift radio show, parties and CDs over two years ago, launching them on their paths to success. After letting Charles Schilling and Victor Simonelli, two big international DJs, mix the last two GrooveLift CDs, Mr. Mike has taken Volume 4 back into his own hands. >>>

01.03.2002

Rave Olympia – mixed by DJ Spoke
The Swiss scene is one major event the richer. The organiser of the now legendary Goliath Parties started the new year with a new Rave series, the Olympia Rave. >>>

01.03.2002

Angy Dee: «La Pequeñita»
It was barely two years ago that Angy Dee, who grew up in the Ticino, won the first SWIZZ-DJANE-QUEST. Her life has changed decisively since that day in May 2000. >>>

01.10.2001

Bighead: «Nevr-Dull»
Up to now, Bighead has made himself a name under his real name, Michael Bürgin: he has worked as arranger, musician and/or songwriter for the most varied bands and projects. The Basler with a classical music education emerged most recently in the «Composers of the Week» series, launched in anticipation of the European Culture Month to be held in Basle in November. >>>

01.09.2001

Sinner DC: «Ursa Major»
The BBC, Melody Maker and Les inrockuptibles have already reported on them, but in German-speaking Switzerland hardly anyone knows them. We're talking about the Genevan trio Sinner DC, which has now brought out its third album, «Ursa Major», on the French label «Spirit of Jungle». >>>

20.08.2001

No Religion: «Fire»
In its music, No Religion blends Metal and House, two styles that always seemed incompatible before. That the Swiss-German quartet should do so with growing success and self-confidence is the result of the individual histories of the band's members. >>>

21.06.2001

Tony Lewis : «Naked»
Californian Singer-Songwriter Tony Lewis releases his fifth CD on the independent label T & T Productions. The album, entitled «Naked», is a departure from his previous Nashville-produced records, in that he takes a solo-acoustic «unplugged» approach, with the aim of capturing the intimacy and emotion-charged energy of a live solo performance. >>>

21.05.2001

The Park: «Spiders of addiction»
With its funky touch on rock and its savage approach to pop, The Park has managed to set itself apart with a distinctive sound. The gristly mix of electric and acoustic guitars is lightened by a touch of ambient sounds, rounded out by commanding and sensuous vocals, and energized by powerful drums, bass, and electronic samplings. >>>

30.01.2001

Susan Orus: «Susan Orus»
There are not many Swiss artists willing to loot their pension plans to record an album in Nashville. That takes some confidence in one's own abilities: Susan Orus clearly has that. Certainly, other Swiss Country musicians have recorded in Nashville, but seldom were they successful in capturing the modern Country-Pop sound of the city on CD. >>>

17.11.2000