Swiss Artists at Eurosonic Groningen Netherlands – 16 – 19 January 2019
It’s the beginning of a new year which means: it’s Eurosonic-time. What better way to celebrate the survival of the feeding frenzy that is the “festive period” than taking a trip to Groningen! Last year, more than 4’000 representatives from all corners of the music industry in 42 countries attended the conference. 37 EBU radio stations broadcast from it, and 420 international festivals sent their spies to assess the talents of 352 live acts. An ideal opportunity, in other words, to begin the year not just with a list of resolutions that will be broken within days, but also with a notebook full of new names, connections and ideas.
Swiss Music Export has always been a great fan of Eurosonic, and we are more than happy to support artists making the trek to the Netherlands. This year, no fewer than nine acts from Switzerland are scheduled to perform at the festival. These are Crimer, Cyril Cyril, Danitsa, Flèche Love, Hyperculte, Long Tall Jefferson, Lord Kesseli & the Drums, Odd Beholder and Tatum Rush. Three artists were chosen to be represented by three Swiss radio stations of the respective artist’s language region (French, German and Italian): Flèche Love by Couleur3, Crimer by SRF 3, and Tatum Rush by Rete Tre.
One of the most popular initiatives launched by Eurosonic is the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP). Designed to facilitate communication about fresh acts in each territory, ETEP is coordinating several hundred shows each year with artists from thirty countries across the whole continent. We at Swiss Music Export are very pleased to report that the second most successful artist – behind Superorganism – in terms of getting festival bookings last year was one of ours: Zeal & Ardor. The band played at no fewer than thirteen festivals thanks to their performance at Eurosonic and the efforts of ETEP. Thank you very much, ETEP!
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Here’s a few words about the Swiss acts appearing live at this year’s Eurosonic. Miss them at your own peril!
CRIMER
Thu 17 Jan / 21:30 – 22:15 / Huize Maas (Front)
A gravity-defying one-man explosion of rubber-legged post-disco dance moves, Crimer and his super-tight band have created a thoroughly contemporary take on 1980s synth-pop made all the more irresistible by a bottomless reservoir of instantly memorable choruses.
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CYRIL CYRIL
Thu 17 Jan / 21:25 – 22:10 / Huis de Beurs
Describing themselves as “muezzin without frontiers”, Cyril Yeterian (accordion, banjo and myriad other instruments) and Cyril Bondi (drums/percussion, also a member of Plaistow) truly don’t sound like anyone else. Cyril Cyril will travel to Groningen with a piping hot debut album entitled “Certain Ruines” in their luggage.
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DANITSA
Thu 17 Jan / 21:30 – 22:15 / Platform Theater
A rapper with Jamaican roots, Danitsa serves up a spicy stew of dancehall ragga, funk and hip-hop laced with unforgettable melodies and unusually varied instrumental arrangements.
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FLÈCHE LOVE
Fri 18 Jan / 22:50 – 23:35 / Stadsschouwburg
Flèche Love aka Amina Cadelli was one of the voices of Kadebostany, the spectacular post-Balkan/post-Queen/post-Techno troupe from Geneva. Freed from creative shackles, hers is a moonlit kind of trip-hop, dreamily atmospheric, full of mystery and silky melodies.
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HYPERCULTE
Thu 17 Jan / 20:30 – 21:10 / Minverva
Hyperculte are double-bassist Vincent Bertholet – also the driver behind the hydra-like Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp – and drummer Simone Aubert. Aided by a raft of effect pedals as well as loops recorded live their songs are powerful and yet minimalist, with great rhythmic and melodic depth.
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LONG TALL JEFFERSON
Wed 16 Jan / 14:00 – 15:00 / Klinkhamer Records (Edelsteenlaan 21)
Wed 16 Jan / 20:00 – 20:45 / Huize Maas (Front)
Thu 17 Jan / 23:00 – 23:40 / USVA
Long Tall Jefferson aka Simon Borer is a fine singer/songwriter and an exceptionally subtle guitarist with an ear for quiet, minimalistic beauty. After 200-odd solo gigs, he has now acquired a full band which adds an entirely new dimension to the songs from his fab latest album, “Lucky Guy”.
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LORD KESSELI & THE DRUMS
Wed 16 Jan / 23:00 – 23:45 / Der Aa Theater
The guitar/vox/drums duo Lord Kesseli and the Drums describe their narcotically intense grooves as “synthetic sci-fi with an analogue anger in their belly”. They will be presenting tracks from “Melodies of Immortality”, their new album which turned up on more than a few “Best of 2018” lists in Switzerland.
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ODD BEHOLDER
Fri 18 Jan / 21:35 – 22:15 / Doopsgezinde Kerk
Led by the dreamy vocals of Daniela Weinmann, Odd Beholder are an electronic duo distantly related in style to Portishead, though a little less dark and more minimalist in approach.
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TATUM RUSH
Thu 17 Jan / 22:10 – 22:50 / Praedinius Gymnasium
As a much in-demand producer dividing his time between Lausanne, Paris, Berlin and Milan, Giordano Tatum Rush has worked with the likes of Zap Mama, Richard Dorfmeister and Björn Magnusson. As a solo artist, he blends feather-light vocals and electronic beats with poppy melodies and hints of R&B and a touch of Brasil.
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Crimer
Cyril Cyril
Danitsa
Flèche Love
Hyperculte
Long Tall Jefferson
Lord Kesseli & the Drums
Odd Beholder
Tatum Rush
Eurosonic
European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP)
Couleur3
Rete Tre
SRF 3
