Eurosonic Goes Digital – 13 – 16 January 2021 – Groningen, Netherlands

It is the beginning of a new year, and with it, nearly time for one of everyone’s most favourite festivals – the Eurosonic in the lovely Dutch City of Groningen. Alas, as we all know, the past twelve months haven’t quite turned out the way we would have liked it. Indeed, ESNS 2020 was one of the last festivals proper, complete with real musicians on real stages, with real punters cheering them on, before Covid-19’s devastating arrival. Along with many other artists, venues and festivals, the organisers of Eurosonic have fought and thought hard to devise a different way of putting on a show in spite of the difficult circumstances.

Thus, we are once again able to enjoy a Eurosonic festival, albeit one that takes place entirely in the digital sphere. We at Swiss Music Export would not have missed a physical Eurosonic, and so, naturally, we’re not going to miss the virtual version either. Five of our acts will be part of the streaming programme, all highly recommended, of course:

SWISS ACTS
AD INFINITUM – ALOIS – AUGENWASSER – FLEXFAB & ZILLER BAS – STEINER & MADLAINA

STEINER & MADLAINA
Wednesday 13 January – 20:30 – 20:45 – Channel 01 – RE-WATCH VIDEO
Steiner & Madlaina was founded by Nora Steiner and Madlaina Pollina. They released their debut LP “Cheers” via Glitterhouse in the Autumn of 2018 and enchanted the whole music world with songs like “Das schöne Leben” and “Wenn du mir glaubst”. Steiner & Madlaina are currently finishing their new album “Wünsch mir Glück”, aiming for another brilliant mix of pop, indie folk and the 60s with a January 2021 release.

AUGENWASSER
Thursday 14 January – 20:10 – 20:20 – RE-WATCH VIDEO
Since 2014 Augenwasser has released several tapes, records and 7 singles on Bongo Joe Records, La Suisse Primitive Records and Hot Dogma Records. Starting out from a garage/folk background and moving into a more electronic direction in recent years, Augenwasser has kept the practice of homemade multi-trackings of his own brand of intimate ballads, as captured on “Sleepdancer”, his latest album, which came out in November 2020.

AD INFINITUM
Thursday 14 January – 22:50 – 23:05 – RE-WATCH VIDEO
Ad Infinitum sets the stage for your darkest nightmares with their debut “Chapter I: Monarchy”. The album grabs your demons by the horns, boasting energetic and uncompromising symphonic metal, led by the grand voice of Melissa Bonny (Rage Of Light, Warkings). Her desire to create her own music gave birth to Ad Infinitum in November 2018 with the single “I Am The Storm”. Soon afterwards her project turned into a full band when she recruited Niklas Müller, Jonas Asplind (Follow The Cipher) and Adrian Thessenvitz.

FLEXFAB & ZILLER BAS
Friday 15 January – 20:10 – 20:25 – RE-WATCH VIDEO
Bass producer FlexFab joins forces with Kenyan rapper Ziller Bas in the MUGOGO project. Together, they deliver a solid mix of modern African club music, bass/electronic and rap in Ziller Bas’ own “Sweng Flow” dialect: a combination of English, Swahili and his native Giriama. The story began when FlexFab toured East Africa. During a show in the Kenyan town Kilifi, local rapper Ziller Bas insists on joining in. The chemistry is immediate. When FlexFab returns in early 2020 they record fourteen songs, three video clips and a documentary in two weeks.

ALOIS
Friday 15 January – 22:30 – 22:45 – RE-WATCH VIDEO
The sophomore record from synth-pop mavericks Alois is called “Azul” (blue in Spanish) and is full of warm, life-affirming energies, infused with deep-seated melancholy. The songwriting combines Caribbean disco with elements of contemporary electronica, 80s synth-wave, Balearic dub and hints of trap. It’s a hybridised pop with a heavy predilection for the dance floor, as exemplified by their recent Skiclub Toggenburg collaborations as well. Alois are a proper band, they come from jazz and relish playing out.

ESNS 2021
ESNS 2021 Conference Programme
ESNS 2021 Festival Streamings
ESNS 2021 A Taste of Swiss Music
ESNS European Music Week

Ad Infinitum
Alois
Augenwasser
FlexFab & Ziller Bas
Steiner & Madlaina
ESNS 2021 – Channel 01
ESNS 2021 – Channel 02
ESNS 2021 – Channel 03
ESNS 2021 – Channel 04
ESNS 2021 – all Channels