Is there a better way to recover from the festive season than the Eurosonic? If there is, we haven’t heard about it and we don’t want to. Especially this time round when, after our Covid-induced exile in digital-land, we are able to return to the full-fat, high- octane real world version in Groningen from 18 to 21 January 2023! With 291 acts scheduled for the live stages, a total audience of well over 40’000 music fans expected, and just over 4000 business professionals attending the conference, the Eurosonic is our first great music event of the year. We don’t need to tell you what a fantastic opportunity this offers to gauge the musical mood of the next twelve months – or until it’s time for Eurosonic 2024.

It won’t have escaped you, we hope, that Swiss Music Export is a massive fan of ESNS. Thus, we are once again supporting what we consider to be some of the most interesting emerging acts around Switzerland at present. These are Saitün, Omni Selassi, Baby Volcano, Varnish La Piscine, Anna Erhard, Kings Elliot, Joya Marleen, and Kety Fusco. Four of these were specially selected by the various wings – German, French, Italian, Rumantsch – of the national Swiss radio & television station, SRF. The French chose Varnish La Piscine, the Germans Joya Marleen, the Italians Kety Fusco, and the Rumantsch Anna Erhard.

Here’s the dates, times and venues for Swiss Music Export acts appearing at ESNS – do not miss any of them!

SAITÜN
Mediterranean scales and rhythms, psychedelic grooves and the punch of a hard rocking slacker combo (if that’s not a contradiction in terms) are a rabble-rousing match made in heaven. Ecstasy guaranteed.

Thursday 19 January 2023, 20:25 – 21:15, Werkman College

ANNA ERHARD
Ex-Seraphyn member Erhard combines a fine ear for melodic surprises with a tinder-dry and droll sense of humour. On “Campsite”, her recently released second solo album, recorded with Pola Roy, she delights in all kinds of electronic off-piste experiments to thrilling effect.

Thursday, 19 January 2023, 21:30 – 22:15, Huize Maas (Front)

VARNISH LA PISCINE
Signed to the legendary French Ed Banger label, Geneva-based Varnish la Piscine aka Pink Flamingo is a many-facetted songwriter and rapper as well as a film maker. His latest project, entitled Metronome Pole Dance Twist Amazone, doubles as the soundtrack for his first film, “Les Contes du Cockatoo”.

Thursday 19 January 2023, 00:30 – 01:15, Huize Maas (Front)

KETY FUSCO
Kety Fusco plays the harp and has worked with many well-known European orchestras. Fed up with the straightjacket of the classical world, she has reinvented herself as a passionate experimenter, combining richly layered electronic textures with quicksilver harp riffs.

Friday, January 20, 2023, 20:30 – 21:10, Forum (Rabostudio)

KINGS ELLIOT
Having just returned from a triumphant tour of the US, supporting Imagine Dragons and Macklemore, London-based singer/songwriter Kings Elliot has now announced another US tour, this time with Stephen Sanchez. Combining all the ingredients of a catchy R&B-inflected pop song with confessional lyrics that clearly hit a nerve in these confusing times, Kings Elliot is on a roll!

Friday, 20 January 2023, 21:30 – 22:15, Stadsschouwburg

OMNI SELASSI
A trio consisting of Rea Dubach (vox/guit.) and two drumming multi-instrumentalists, Mirko Schwab and Lukas Rutzen, their gravity-defying blend of Krautrock, dub, musique concrete, Pascal Comelade and Pere Ubu recalls the Dadaists’ best moments.

Friday 20 January 2023, 22:15 – 23:00, Mutua Fides

BABY VOLCANO
The creation of Swiss-Guatemalan performer and singer Lorena Stadelmann, Baby Volcano’s beguilingly spooky music takes the staple ingredients of hip-hop in order to subvert the genre with an eerie sense of melody and deconstructed rhythm.

Friday 20 January 2023, 23:00 – 23:40, Palace

JOYA MARLEEN
Despite a slender output that does not yet include a full album, 19-year-old Joya Marleen carried off no fewer than three awards: “Best Female Act”, “Best Hit” for her unbelievably catchy “Nightmare”, and “SRF3 Best Talent”, national radio’s award for the most promising newcomer. Do we need to say more?

Friday, 20 January 2023, 23:00 – 23:45, Huize Maas (Front)