SME with a packed programme @ Reeperbahn Festival 20 – 23 September 2023
Setting the scene for an intense winter season of conferences and music business get-togethers, the Reeperbahn Festival is definitely the one not to miss. It is one of the most enjoyable and picturesque networking events in Europe, turning the whole of the St. Pauli district into a kind of garden of Eden for musical exploration and discovery.
Swiss Music Export is also back again this year, and with a bumper programme, too, of unmissable networking events, showcases and gigs.
To make our various offerings still more irresistible, we are able to offer a discount to Swiss professionals, contact us via mail.
* Register for the Swiss Business Mixer here! *
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SWISS CLUB NIGHT
THU 21 SEP | 16:00-01:00 | KAISERKELLER
First off in the SME series of events is an evening packed with some of the most adventurous acts currently reflecting the musical Zeitgeist in Switzerland.
LIVE ACTS:
18:00 – 18:40 ANDRINA BOLLINGER
Having made her name as a fearless vocal experimenter with Eclecta and JPTR, Bollinger will be presenting material mostly from her David Odlum-produced solo debut “Secret Seed”.
19:15 – 19:55 ASBEST
The trio from Basel serve up a darkly hallucinogenic brand of post-Black Mountain guitar rock. Their latest album, “Cyanide”, was released a few months ago on the well curated label A Tree in a Field Records.
20:30 – 21:10 MISCHGEWEBE
The duo of multi-instrumentalist and singer Mel D and guitarist/electronic wizard Bill B serve up a dreamy blend of pop, pulsating acid house and spooky ambient.
21:45 – 22:25 DI-MEH
Swiss/Moroccan rapper Di-Meh joined Genevan rap-collective Superwak Clique at an early age and has long since established a reputation as a gripping story teller blessed with a superior sense of timing.
23:00 – 23:40 MEHMET ASLAN
Mehmet Aslan, a DJ raised in Basel by Turkish parents, trawls the richly rewarding history of Turkish pop and underground music to produce a wildly eclectic brand of present-day dance psychedelia.
00:15 – 00:55 LA COLÈRE
Trained as a jazz and classical singer, La Colère radically changed her musical course after discovering the music of Röyksopp. Starting off with a bright brand of synth-pop, she has recently moved towards considerably deeper waters.
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SWISS SUNRISE SOCIAL
FRI 22 SEP | 10:00-13:00 | SPIELBUDE
A quiet corner for meetings and discussions, complete with specialty coffee drinks and croissants, offered jointly by Swiss Music Export and FONDATION Suisa.
Presented by FONDATION SUISA and Swiss Music Export
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SWISS BUSINESS MIXER
FRI 22 SEP | 13:30-17:00 | SPIELBUDE
Another SME “must” – the traditional Business Mixer with fine live music and liberally garnished with cheese raclette and white wine.
***Anyone wishing to attend needs to register here! Deadline is 18:00 on Tuesday, 19 September.**
13:45 – 14:15 SOFT LOFT
The five-piece was formed to perform the songs of 25-year-old singer/songwriter Jorina Stamm. Aiming to provide a “safe space” in music, her songs are sweetly melodic, her words relatable and memorable.
14:55 – 15:25 COBEE
Starting off as a rapper, Cobee swapped hip-hop beats and autotune for guitars, drums and britpop for his recent second album “Blooming”. The album amply demonstrates Cobee’s ability to integrate everything he has learned from the rapping game – timing, a delight in unusual sounds, German-language lyrics – in a deeply personal take on “indie”.
16:05 – 16:35 SIRENS OF LESBOS
Having moved miles away from their early tongue-in-cheek hit “Long Days, Hot Nights”, Denise Häberli, the Serag sisters, Jasmina and Nabyla, and producers Melvyn Buss and Arci Friede have combined an eclectic range of influences to create a joyful and captivating melange of Nu Soul, Fleetwood Mac, Lee Perry and Hercules & Love Affair.
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SWISS SUNSET STAGE
FRI 22 SEP | 17:00-23:00 | SPIELBUDE
Nomen est omen – the Swiss Sunset Stage, co-presented by Swiss Music Export, FCMA and Stadt Zürich Kultur, does not just offer a fizzingly fantastic selection of live acts. It is also the perfect location to enjoy the spectacle that is a Hamburg sunset!
LIVE ACTS:
17:10 – 17:50 SAM HIMSELF
Describing himself as a “Swiss-American Fondue Western baritone”, Sam Koechlin, whilst living in Brooklyn, struck up a strong creative partnership with American producer Daniel Schlett (War on Drugs, Marc Ribot, Theo Croker, etc.). Under the guise of Sam Himself they morph into a sort of laid-back, americana- and indie/pop-reared neo-Springsteen.
18:25 – 19:05 ALINA AMURI
Born in the DR Congo and raised in Switzerland, singer/songwriter Amuri may be blessed with a classic soul voice. However, whilst acknowledging the influence of Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Nina Simone, her songs defy easy categorisation. Impressively, demonstrating the originality of her vision, her recent EP – especially a track entitled “Soul Call” – offers a tantalising taster for her forthcoming, third album.
19:40 – 20:20 YET NO YOKAI
If Krautrock had been invented circa 1972 in Turkey and then transported into a modern, slightly digitised world, you’d have ended-up with Yet No Yokai. The trio are masters of psychedelic riffing, Mediterranean scales and piledriving rhythms. Add to that their dadaesque lyrics sung in German, and you have the complete, brain-bending, mind-blowing psychedelic experience.
20:55 – 21:35 ALOIS
With their latest album, “Night Vision”, released in May, Alois delivered the perfect summer album for all seasons. Take a spoonful each of soca, rhumba, samba, reggae and perhaps even a dollop of soukous, throw in half a can of Phoenix and a pound of trance, season to taste, mix thoroughly, and you’re halfway there. With their psychedelically tinged songs, trippy grooves and timeless vibe, Alois are a total delight.
22:10 – 22:50 LA NEFERA
A band containing a French sousaphone player, an Argentinian guitarist and a Swiss drummer reflect the Dominican-Swiss rapper’s multi-layered approach to music pretty accurately. Whilst last year’s single “No debes jugar” fused reggaeton, cumbia and baile funk to powerful effect, her latest, “Ay Amor”, features euphoric Latin brass riffs and piano.
These events are presented in partnership with FONDATION SUISA and the Embassy of Switzerland in Germany.
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Other Swiss Performances at the Reeperbahn Festival
COBEE
SAT 23 SEP | 19:35 – 20:20 | HÄKKEN
DIRTY SOUND MAGNET
THU 21 SEP | 23:30 – 00:00 | Bahnhof Pauli
Steeped in classic sixties rock à la Steppenwolf, Moby Grape and Doors as well as more recent fare like Oh Sees or Black Angels, after several years of touring and four albums’ worth of riffing, this superpower trio from Fribourg couldn’t sound any more joyous or, indeed, dirty if they tried.
GRANDBROTHERS
THU 21 SEP | 21:20 – 22:20 | Grosse Freiheit 36
Grandbrothers are Erol Sarp, a German pianist, and Lukas Vogel, a sound engineer from Zurich. Inspired by the likes of John Cage, Steve Reich, Jon Hopkins and Aphex Twin, they have created a complex set-up that combines a conventional grand piano with a mechanical contraption that plucks, hits and tickles the piano strings, and a computer/sampler that allows the resulting sounds to be manipulated live on stage. Truly an extraordinary experience.
SIRENS OF LESBOS
FRI 22/SAT 23 SEP | 00:25 – 01:15 | Nochtspeicher
SOFT LOFT
THU 21 SEP | 20:25 – 21:20 | Molotow / Backyard
VERONICA FUSARO
WED 20 SEP | 21:30 – 22:15 | Nochtwache
Her first EP, “Lost in Thought” (2016), was a surprise success and put Fusaro on the radar of music journals and fans alike. Her following EPs also testify to the talent with which the singer–songwriter knows how to embellish sunshine pop, laid-back indie rock, and nuances of jazz with her bluesy voice. This year’s debut album, “All the Colors of the Sky”, makes it clear in eleven outstandingly produced songs what kind of artist has taken shape over the years. Live, she is a truly unforgettable experience.
ANDRINA BOLLINGER
ASBEST
MISCHGEWEBE
DI-MEH
MEHMET ASLAN
LA COLÈRE
SOFT LOFT
COBEE
SIRENS OF LESBOS
SAM HIMSELF
ALINA AMURI
YET NO YOKAI
ALOIS
LA NEFERA
DIRTY SOUND MAGNET
GRANDBROTHERS
VERONICA FUSARO
FONDATION SUISA
Embassy of Switzerland in Germany
