Electron Festival, Geneva

For ten years now, the Electron Festival has brought together the best and the most daring innovators of electronic music in Geneva. This year’s anniversary edition takes place from 28th March to 31st March, taking in ten different venues and involving well over one hundred artists. One of the many highlights this year is a 20th anniversary celebration of Cologne label Kompakt. Amongst the many other artists appearing live are Atari Teenage Riot, London’s Trojan Sound System, Beardy Weardy, LFO, Derrick Carter, Kas Product, Daniel Miller (the Mute Records founder will present a DJ set), Clock Opera, Loadstar, The Bug featuring Daddy Freddy and Gebrüder Teichmann. The Electron Festival is not just a festival of music, however. It An exhibition, “Chill Out”, “Une exposition sur l’expérimentation et le partage de l’atmosphère comme ouverture sur des espaces sonores et visuels”.

On Saturday 30th March, Swiss Music Export (SME) and Fondation Romande pour la Chanson et les Musiques Actuelles (FCMA) will be sponsoring a special presentation by Mandrax – aka Stephan Kohler, DJ, producer and club promoter extraordinaire – about an extraordinarily important phase in the history of electronic music, from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. Originally from Lausanne, New York resident Stephan Kohler is one of the pioneers of the electronic music scene of the French part of Switzerland. His presentation will deliver a personal view of the developments that shaped today’s electronic music. It will also focus on the connection between the music and the social, political and economic trends of the time, including sexuality, drugs and fashion. This event named Déambulations Electroniques will take place at 16:00 at Le Commun – Batiment d’Art Contemporain. Entry is free.

http://www.electronfestival.ch