Caprices Festival 2015: When a Bass Melts the Snow

I had pretty much some quietness when it comes to party feeling and my love for electronic music, another reason for me to forget my post travelling depression and head to the Swiss Alps and attend the Caprices Festival in Crans-Montana.

Caprices belongs to the legendary events when it comes to music here in Switzerland: it has reached its 11th edition already, and it combines finely bands and live DJs. This festival collected a proud list of headliners in the past few years, including names like Paolo Nutini, Deep Purple, Erykah Badu, Amy Macdonald, Carl Cox, Stromae or Martin Solveig.

Photo: caprices.ch

The big surprise of this year's event was a line up filled with mostly electronic acts, despite the opening night that had urban and soulful acts like Swiss Rapper Stress or Ayo. I headed up on Friday afternoon, to fully enjoy the basses pumping in the different locations, especially the ones in the main hall Le Moon and some midday intros at Bar7. As you can assume already, the festival is held in different location, and not really in walking distance from each other. We had our problems by getting the shuttles, but overall came around pretty well and enjoyed some sweet spots in town.

Caprices is divided into 4 locations, all different from each other: and I can assure you, every of these places will leave you some great memories.

MDRNTY

MDRNTY was a total sold out, like most of the time. Held where there's still snow in spring and the sporty, winter charme is still palpable, it has always the finest acts playing during daytime from 12 to 7. If you'll ever plan to get here and have an unforgettable dance in a transparent tent, then be quick by buying your tickets! The line up this year was to die for (Luciano, Ricardo Villlalobos, Art Department, Apollonia, Christian Burkhardt, Sven Väth), and I don't think you'll ever experience another place while you enjoy the best deep house tunes by looking at a breathtaking panorama. This is the sky high point of the festival, and the view is unbeatable, isn't it?

MDRNTY - Photo: caprices.ch

Bar7

Bar7 offers a free first class DJing line up for those who are waiting to get up the hill for MDRNTY, for those who can't get enough after, and maybe for the ones who didn't get the chance to grab a ticket. This place is conveniently located at MDRNTY's feet.  Artists like Chic Miniature, Magda and Gianni Callipari offered the finest tunes to start the day, where you can enjoy a typical cheese fondue or simply try one of the fine wines. Shows start at 12 until midnight.

Espace Valais

More quiet, family friendly, and for cuisine lovers, the Espace Valais sets on local bands during daytime since last year. A good spot located quite in the middle of town, perfect to esplore this wonderful place and all the charme it has to offer.

Fondue!

Le Moon

Le Moon is the bigger, louder version of daytime MDRNTY, and I was looking so forward to this! I had the honour to enjoy amazing visuals, while listening to great artists like Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Solomun, Digitalism and Dubfire, who had the most aesthethic stage of all, in my opinion. The guests were all laid back and enjoying a great party, the venue also offered some spots hosted by H&M Switzerland where everybody could try their DJ skills, get some professional photographs or simply have a spectacular view from the lounge over the stage.

Le Moon, Entrance - Photo: caprices.ch

Kollektiv Turmstrasse

Digitalism

Dubfire

Practical Infos

Getting here: Crans-Montana is located around 3 hours away by train from Zurich Main Station. Purchasing your ticket online can have its benefits because of some great deals from time to time. You can book your tickets here.

Where to sleep: because everything happened quite spontaneous, and the over-planner in me was almost crying, we had to book two different hotels, due the total sell out of part of the festival. I would reccomend the Hotel Le Mont-Paisible locationwise: it's on walking distance from Bar7/MDRNTY and not far away from Le Moon.

The Festival: Try to keep an eye on the ticket releases, especially if you wanna enjoy more venues! You'll find all the information on the Caprices Website.

Where to eat: When you might have enough of festival food, you might should try the restaurant Panorama, which was also my second hotel. Located in Mollens, a small village near Crans-Montana, the restaurant offers amazing views, great service and delicious food.

A special thank you to the Caprices Festival for having me, and to my friend Paulo for his photo/videographic assistance

Songbird Festival Opening #1: The Drops / Willam White - young freshness vs. positive vibes

The 7th Edition of the Songbird Festival taking place in the Swiss mountains of Davos couldn't have a better start by having on stage two acts totally different from each other: the young pop/rock quartet of Basel based band The Drops and our national Reggae Sweetheart William White.

The Festival starts punctual every year in the beginning of December, with the winter sport season, when all the snow lovers find their up to our mountains. I have to admit, I've never learned any sort of Skiing or Snowboarding (this might be the result of living in south Italy most of my teenage years), but it isn't something that would stop myself to hit the mountains during winter. There is a lot going on during the season here, especially when the festival is running, so don't be afraid of the cold! Besides the big names of the Swiss music scene, you'll find uprising gems, most acoustic acts, playing unplugged sets in several bars in town.

Songbird Festival Official

The opening night was held in one of the most exclusive Hotels of Davos, the Intercontinental, well known for its golden egg-shaped design, and a huge, modern cottage interior. The official announced concerts take place mostly in Hotels, legendary cafés or even in museums sometimes. The Drops' and Willam White gig was a successful sold out at the Intercontinental Ballroom, and,  I was quite surprised to find a seated location, especially for a rock and reggae concert. I made the experience in the past already, that people tend to be stuck into their chairs the whole time, even if they feel to dance along the songs during the show. Seats may are a good idea for a chilled out acoustic or classic concert, but a little less if there are some guitar riffs involved. Fortunately, the whole shy athmosphere of the beginning turned into a big party later on; it was great to see people putting all the chairs aside and transform the ballroom into a big dancefloor.

The Drops opened the first official festival night:  they're fresh wind for our national music scene: young,  passionate and powerful. Their songs are catchy, sometimes they remind of a fresher Coldplay version, on the other hand when the guitar riffs get louder they really take me back to Mando Diao's golden era ("Happy Clapper" has exactly that light touch). One of the prooves might be their Youtube Hit "Eleanor", official Music Video for the first Single of the Album "Flying Dutchmen", released two years ago.  This track was also winner of the SRF3 Talent Award back then, and very well deserved. I already had the pleasure to see these guys live as the opening act for the band My Heart Belongs to Cecilia Winter four years ago in Zurich, and somehow I knew that they're gonna take it very far. They have some genuine fun on stage, and a big plus is also their interaction with the audience after the show: always there for a chat or some photos, The Drops are very open minded and down to earth. The Drops threw a good warm up for the main act, an amazing job actually, I wished they could play a little longer... Their new record is planned for next autumn, and I'm quite sure that there are some amazing stuff coming up with their new project. So stay tuned!

Have a listen to "Eleanor" here:

The headliner of last night's festival opening was Swiss Reggae superstar William White, and I was overwhelmed of this man's passion and power! I am pretty ashamed to admit that this has been an absolute premiere for me: I never attended a reggae concert before. But there's always a first time for everything, right? And it couldn't be better! William White started his musical career 15 years ago, is already a big Name in the music Scene here in Switzerland, and is starting to get recongnition for his work also internationally. The Independent Artist was the man who transformed the room into a well thrown party. Switching from reggae, to blues and also to some salsa tunes, making us laugh between the tracks with his jokes, it was pretty clear that sitting there wasn't an option for Long. Wrapped from the very first note, I had the feeling of being part of a private jam session, when in some moments the Barbados born artist turned around to his band while playing and spreading positivity through the room. The whole seven piece band was involved and part of it, which is a thing I love the most during a live gig. The extended show included some famous tracks like "For Your Love" or "Open Country", also the title of his actual work, but there weren't covers missing as well, like Bob Marley's "Caution". At some point, the crowd showed some initiative by throwing the chairs where they're surely not needed, so that every space in front of the stage was free for dancing.

I rarely left a Show wrapped in positivity like it happened last night. I might should listen more Reggae... William White is already saved in my playlist for sure, so I would say it's a pretty good start. I couldn't walk out of Intercontinental happier and thrilled to attend opening night #2 at the Hotel Montana on Saturday.

"Open Country" was recorded in Portland, Jamaica, and includes collaborations with Ziggy Marley's guitarist Ian Coleman or bassist of Burning Spear Devon Bradshaw. The Album was also recently released in the UK in digital form.
William White will be on tour again next year solo and with band. Find your Dates here.

With The Drops :)

A Special Thank You to Michel Pernet & his Blofeld Team for having me

Jungle (UK): the rise of Modern Soul

Red painted walls, smoke coming from the stage, a huge chandelier at the entrance, round tables that aren't for table dancing anymore: that's the location where I had the pleasure to attend the show of one of the most outstanding bands of the British Music scene. I'm talking about Jungle, modern soul collective from London, already acclaimed this summer at several Festivals around the globe.

Jungle's concert took place yesterday at Komplex Klub in Zurich, former Dollhouse Stripclub, a club venue that kept the original interior and the vibe of being somewhere tabooed. Lush! I love this kind of places! The show was a total sold out, and you could easily notice that by seeing people still standing in the queue outside when the guys where playing already.

The concert was opened with "Platoon", a track that made Jungle famous worldwide last year, a wonderful choice to break the ice. There were fingers snapping, people dancing, no place was more appropiate to have all those different kinds of mirror balls everywhere: the 70s were back within seconds. I'm not kidding: the best confirmation for my statement were a couple of ladies and gents, being in an age and looking like they really were present during the hippie happenings almost 45 years ago. So if they were dancing, then it means the show was good.
Jungle have oldschool Disco and Soul running through their veins, that's for sure, but what it's making them unique are the modern and psychedelic beats added in each song. You can think about Daft Punk, can hear some MGMT out of it, or even feel Jackson 5 out of it, but you'll admit at the very end that's nothing exactly comparable to Jungle's sound. If I had to give to this wonderful collective's music a Definition, I'd say modern Soul with a touch of Disco. Period.

Photo: Jungle Official

A packed Komplex Klub

Frontmen Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson, on stage with their band ("composed of friends and friends of friends"), proved to have a great control of their voices live and sounded amazingly good. They could have might interacted more with the audience, but I belong to those persons who thinks that as long an artist's performance is done right, I'd forgive them not talking. Could be the nerves, or as a human being, could be a bad day as well.
After warming up the already overheated club with songs from their only and current album like "The Heat", "Julia" or "Accelerate", the final explosion of emotions, the coronation of an evening catapulted a world I thought I missed out, was given by closing track "Busy Earnin'" and the encore with  "Time".

Watch Jungle closing with "Busy Earnin'" here:

Jungle were booked as opening act for Pharrell Williams after releasing their debut album. You could imagine why: Josh and Tom's voices are a delight, their singing is very similar to Pharrell's, but, unfortunately for him, they are way better live. These band is on the right way to shine. I can't wait to see them play again! And what do we learn? Yeah, vintage inspired music will never die, because it's still the strongest one to touch People, brings generations together and it's timeless. We got the proof yesterday night.

If you missed Jungle live in Zurich yesterday, you have the Chance to experience them tonight at Les Docks in Lausanne. Get your ticket here

Rest of the world, grab your Dates here! There are Shows planned for Europe, US and Australia until March 2015

A Special thank you to Mainland Music for having me.

Marina and the Diamonds (UK) - Froot: life couldn't get much sweeter.

Folks! If there's any of you out there with a little passion for innovative Indie Pop, then you surely didn't miss Marina Diamandis' announcement via social media yesterday.
It was pretty clear that something will be coming soon, 'cause this greco-welsh Beauty already made public her Album release through her first single, which has the same name as the Album itself: "Froot".

"Froot" will be released on April 3rd, 2015, so in six months. If the Album is pre-ordered on Amazon, ITunes or Marina's Website, there will be a track released every month. This might makes the waiting time a bit easier, even if a lot of hardcore fans couldn't understand why it has to take so long after this announcement. In my opinion it was a great idea and I really look forward to every month's release!

Photo: Courtesy of thelineofbestfit.com

The new single seems to go back to Marina's Indie roots of her first Album, "The Family Jewels". When I listen to the music without the lyrics, I can totally hear something of "Shampain" out. Totally different was the direction of album number two, "Electra Heart", which went more in a Dance Pop direction, and made her gain popularity especially in the US. I remember her single "Primadonna" being sold like crazy also here in Switzerland. I am a fan of both babys, it's maybe because every record has songs that I feel related with. Even though "Froot" leans lightly on "The Family Jewels", it has a different vibe. Like a lot of musicians, Marina tried to fight darkness and disappointments by putting them down on lyrics, and in her case, there was a lot of dark humour in all those texts. Something that I love, just because there are plenty of passages that I would say myself! On the day that "Froot" came out, the Internet was like "there you go, another song about casual sex". And everybody was wrong. So wrong.

As she reveals in a very private interview on thelineofbestfit.com, the single is about her finally found happiness. An ode to it, basically. The whole Album will be a total new thing and will eventually catch less the sad Spirit she used to have in the last couple of years. We can't tell until we hear.  She already knew that "Electra Heart" would have been a phase, "the anomaly", as she calls it in the interview. She gained a lot of Electro Pop Music fans during that period, so now it's up to them if they still wanna follow her progress or just let her fall because it could become different. After ending her "Electra Heart" tour, she disappeared for six months and didn't really see loads of People during that time. She sorted things out, and this progress and rising should be heared on "Froot". I am really excited to hear the new monthly releases and see where it takes until the full album is out. So if it goes in the single's direction, there's nothing that can go wrong. For those who don't know, Marina surely has one of the most versatile voices in the Pop Business! Also her Video appearence changed: she Looks like a futuristic Sophia Loren. A word to describe how I feel about it: Amazeballs!

"Froot" Album Cover

"I suppose still being feminine but maybe dressing in a way I didn't before. I used to be a lot louder, a lot more 'pop art', but now I'm 29 I feel different, and I want to dress differently. [...]  I can't control what people think of me and what people are going to think of anything I do in the future. I think for the first time, I feel comfortable. I know I've struggled in certain parts of the past five years, as most artists do when they're starting out, and I know I'm always going to want to experiment with production and with sound so everyone had better get used to the fact I'm probably going to change with each album!"  - Marina Diamandis on thelineofbestfit.com (read full interview here)

So have a listen, give her a Chance, she planned some nice things, why don't believe her?

Marina And The Diamonds
"Froot"
Release Date: April 3rd, 2015
Atlantic Records UK

Purchase is possible through iTunes, Amazon or the Marina and the Diamonds Website

Marina and The Diamond just announced that she will be performing at Lollapallooza, Brazil, in March 2015 - more dates to come

Baloise Session 2014 - Storytellers: Music Lasts Forever

My Sundays usually are the same: it's probably the only day of the whole week where I absolutely do nothing. I'll might cook but that's it. Last Sunday was gig day, the second time in a row, which gave me a great feeling actually, since I had something to look forward to that wasn't the screen of my TV or my pijama.

I was more than honoured to dress up for one of the most famous Fall events here in Switzerland: the 29. edition of  Baloise Session, former AVO Session Basel, Boutique music festival taking place in a very chic venue, located in central Basel. This event has already got on stage several big stars of the music scene, like Miles Davis, P!nk, Eric Clapton or Morcheeba. Every concert is streamed live on Swiss televison and, in Addition, in 140 different countries in the world. The atmosphere is certainly something totally different than any usual concert. Guests and fans are seated by a table, can enjoy the music, sharing a bottle of wine and some candlelight. The average age is also a bit higher even if the musicians are in their 20s, because the whole line up is carefully picked for a crowd that is able to appreciate some good Music.

Photo Credit: Baloise Session

In my case, I couldn't be happier to attend the (sold out) Storytellers night: starring Swiss uprising jazz star James Gruntz and Scottish Songwriter Amy Macdonald.
James Gruntz was a pleasant surprise for my ears, he has a refreshing touch into his lyrics and could become an Evergreen into the Swiss Music Scene. I think jazzy Pop could or should be something in everybody's personal collection at home: there's nothing better than jazz, blues or soul while enjoying an evening home while the first leaves are falling and the air becomes chilly outside. It's all about the mood.

Photo Credit: Baloise Session

It was my first Amy Macdonald concert that I've ever attended as a press member. I actually don't remember how many times I've seen her live already, but I know they were a few. At least five or six, I guess. So it was a quite particular moment for me, to stand pretty close to her with my camera in my hands. I think I can put this amazing lady's music into my personal Top 10, when it comes to songwriters. Since I heard the first song back in 2008, I became a fan instantly. She has a very relaxing and positive way to tell stories, doesen't really matter how slow or guitar riffed her Songs are. And I think I'm not just speaking for myself: Switzerland is famous for loving Scottish artists, and Amy is the living proof, almost every Show is sold out. Her tracks are timeless, not going with any actual trendy Music flow, it's just how Amy sounds. Just take "This is the Life" for example: as I said, it's timeless.

Photo Credit: Baloise Session

The first moments of Amy Macdonald's concert opening were kind of insecure. Not because of her, she came on stage, wearing all black like a rockstar and played amazingly! It was actually because of the crowd: it was too quiet. I mean, I was more singing along than taking photographs, but it was not suprising.
"I played a private gig in here last night, where people are usually supposed to be your fans, but they were actually enjoying themselves more than you guys. You're welcome to stand up and dance.You should have a good time", came out from a smiling Amy, and she was so right! Her irony paid off, than the front of the stage filled up with a dancing crowd within three minutes. From my point of view, that was the instant when the evening was really beginning. So, after I made sure to have one or two useable photographs for this post, I ran back to my table, left my stuff there, grabbed my friend Paulo and got lost into the crowd in the front row.

Her major hits like "Mr. Rock'n'Roll", "L.A." or "Spark" weren't missing. Amy managed to be very entertaining and ironic in between the single tracks, telling some anecdotes about her daily life. How she supports the Scottish Football Team for example, or how passionate she is about her country. You actually could see her love for Scotland also on her microphone: blue and white crystals were forming the Scottish flag on it. Her song about Caledonia, "Pride", couldn't miss on the setlist at this point.

After an unexpected, calm start, the Storytellers' concert turned into a party. Maybe it was Amy's little reproach, maybe it was the wine. I was happy to see the audience giving her a Standing Ovation at the end of the night. The show made mine and everybody else's Sunday ending perfectly. The ride to Basel is totally worth it, even if you're stuck in traffic for more than one hour. Yes, it happened to me, but it was totally forgotten on my way home.

After seeing artists as talented as James Gruntz and Amy Macdonald, giving you this inebriating, light feeling after their gig, I have the confirmation that good music is something that last forever. No matter what Generation you're in.

Find more out about Baloise session here:

Baloise Session is running until November 12th, 2014 featuring the following artists:

Cee Lo Green & The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Bryan Ferry & Schiller

Morrisey & Beth Hart

Wyclef Jean & Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires

Foreigner & Krokus

Leona Lewis & Pegasus

Fatoumata Diawara, Roberto Fonseca, Omara Portuondo & Mayra Andrade

Dr. John's "Spirit of Satch" & Monty Alexander's "My Roots to Jazz"

Thank you to the Baloise Session Team for having me

Jungle (UK): the groove is coming soon to Switzerland

There was no other Newcomer band in the UK lately that was able to let several press members speculate around about them. Rumors came up in the internet, talking about an anonymous duo, acclaimed to become the new Daft Punk.

I'm talking about modern soul collective Jungle, a London based band, which released their first Album this year . The record is funky in a total innovative way. The vocals sound like in 70s or early 80s disco tracks, the beats are modern, catchy, including Tropical prercussions, wildlife noises and psychedelic washes. If I should attempt some comparing, I would Switch between a few artists, actually: MGMT (the psychedelic sounds), Daft Punk (part of the guitar riffs) or even Jamroquai (that catchy, funky sound).

Funny thing is, that These two guys, "J" and "T", didn't really want to make a whole secret about their persona at all. The only fault of these two talented young men was to release their first single "Platoon" last year,without picturing themselves, and choosing the 6 year old breakdancer Terra to be the Superstar of their Music Video. That's it. Critics were expecting them to play behind a wall at their tour start. Like Daft Punk showing up with helmets or Gorillaz being cartoons. None of that. The duo just put together a band, mostly composed by their friends and went on stage. The moment came where the names finally popped out: Jungle are Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, it's no secret anymore. I think they still have a laugh about it, when the whole story is mentioned in interviews.

Have a look and a listen to "Platoon" here:

After a successful festival summer and a totally sold out UK tour, Jungle are ready to hit the rest of Europe. So, if you are in Switzerland, go for it! Jungle will make a stop in Zurich, and play at concert venue Komplex 457. Do you wanna know who they are and move your hips a little bit? Get your ticket here.

Jungle (& Special Guest)

 

Album: Jungle
Release: 2014
Showtime: 20.11.2014 20:00
Venue: Komplex Klub, Hohlstrasse 457, 8048 Zürich

Presented by Mainland Music and Takk