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8 Recommendations For Mätteli Badenfahrt Festival 2023
From August 18 to 27, the festival Mätteli Badenfahrt features an astonishing line-up of local and international artists. Here are our recommendations.
The «Mätteli Badenfahrt» festival in Baden, Switzerland, features the who-is-who of the Swiss indie music scene: the country's rising stars and well-established acts share the stages alongside some interesting international acts. And you get it all for the ridiculous price of 50 Swiss francs.
We've combed through the extensive line-up and picked eight favourite Swiss artists that we wholeheartedly can recommend.
Ikan Hyu
18.08.2023, 21:00, Bühne Achtevierzg
Ikan Hyu's energetic performances are something one doesn't easily forget. The duo's explosive mix of synthesisers, Moog bass, and ravish drums, paired with a punkish DIY vibe, guarantees a sweaty and exhilarating experience.
Sensu
19.08.2023, 00:00, Bühne Achtevierzg
What can we say about Sensu that we've not yet written? With her latest EP, AM___PM, the producer delivers another batch of highly danceable tracks that promises to turn any place into an exuberant dancefloor.
Negative WhiteJanosch Troehler
Nola Kin
20.08.2023, 18:30, Bühne Achtevierzg
With her debut EP Fallstreak, Carla Fellinger presented the world with her new project Nola Kin. It’s hauntingly beautiful, well-balanced music for lovers and dreamers, full of bittersweetness and powerful poetry.
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Soft Loft
20.08.2023, 19:45, Bühne Nüünevierzg
Soft Loft’s debut EP, In Case You Still Get Lonely, was only released in June 2023, but the band already sounds fully grown. They’re creating a safe space for the vulnerable eager to dive deep into their emotional universe.
Moonpools
23.08.2023, 18:45, Bühne Achtevierzg
With Damaged Goods, their second EP, and the namesake single, Moonpools made quite a splash—their sound meanders between rough indie-rock and synth-driven, post-punk-like atmosphere, between melancholy and longing.
Tompaul
25.08.2023, 01:00, Bühne Nüünevierzg
Nothing sounds like Tompaul: The nostalgic singing of Tom Fischer, the anticipating beats, the brass infusion that elevates their techno-style sound into the stratosphere. With Tompaul, you can rave into a different galaxy.
Dennis Kiss
26.08.2023, 17:15, Bühne Achtevierzg
Before Dennis Kiss will release his debut album in October, the young artist will present his thoughtful and poetic songs on stage. Characterised by everyday dreariness, Dennis Kiss writes pieces in a nostalgic Britpop manner.
Negative WhiteStaff
Egopusher
26.08.2023, 00:00, Bühne Achtevierzg
Zurich’s duo Egopusher creates an incredible fusion of ambient electronica and neo-classic sounds that defies any labelling attempt. Sometimes surreal, sometimes ecstatic, Egopusher never fail to evoke wonder and astonishment.
Discover The Artists In Our Bespoke Playlist
Want to easily discover our recommendations? Check out our playlist with two tracks by every featured artist. Follow this link for Apple Music.
Exclusive: Ginger & The Alchemists feat. Yet To Find – dive in (remake)
Tomorrow, Ginger & The Alchemists release a remade version of their song «dive in», a collaboration with Yet To Find. Negative White is exclusively presenting the track's premiere.
Vulnerability is at the core of their music, transported through the intimate and heartfelt songwriting and poetry of frontwoman Carole Brunner.
The Swiss band Ginger & The Alchemist released their debut album, better now, last November. In a feature for «St. Galler Tagblatt», Emil Keller wrote about Brunner: «Her songs speak of inner fears and worries that have probably plagued every one of us at one time or another. She manages to find words for these feelings, capture them on paper and carry them out into the world.»
Among the album's twelve songs is dive in, an urging plea for honest relationships—powered by a well-balanced arrangement of optimistic folky indie pop.
Let's break through the surface
I'll show you my sincerity
Want no longer be afraid of losing face
Let's thaw out, to let love in
Break Through The Surface
In a way, the original dive in is perfect, and any attempt to alter the song seems unnecessary. But you might take the song's message literally and break through its surface and find what lies within.
And that is what Carole Brunner and Daniel Eugster, alias Yet To Find, have done.
Eugster usually sits behind a drumset—not only for Ginger & The Alchemists but also for artists like Nola Kin or Dino Brandão. However, with his solo project, Yet To Find, he dabbles with effect machines, an arsenal of instruments, in constant search for songs within songs.
Seemingly, dive in (remake) has little to do with the original. The lyrics are reduced to the pure essence of «Let's break through the surface». The piano plays as a reference to the origin. But then there is this reverberating guitar, which welcomes the steady beat and lets the track flow from its ambient beginnings into an atmospheric as well as danceable sound.
It's an astoundingly cathartic escalation representing the breakthrough demonstrating that it is possible to heavily transform a song without losing its meaning.
The song dive in (remake) will be released on Thursday, July 20.
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reLISTEN #14: Live Recordings
Let's discover five captivating live recordings.
While nothing comes close to the actual experience of live performed music, recordings—if done well—offer a glimpse of the magic and power.
In a long-gone era, amateur recordings of concerts, the so-called bootlegs, were a big thing—despite their abysmal quality. Today, however, people use social media and videos to satisfy their urge to create a lasting token of live music.
And not only the amateur's quality has significantly improved, but also professional endeavours have benefitted from technical advancements. Therefore, live recordings aren't as shoddy as they used to be.
While dusty pieces of live recordings may have a nostalgic value, modern attempts certainly better capture the feeling of live performances.
I Paid 200 Pounds to See The Rolling Stones and Remember Nothing
This is one part cautionary tale, part music appreciation, and part time-capsuled memory of a late-stage teenage mind. It all happened exactly a decade ago.
The year 2013. I, aged 22, was about to start my studies in journalism and decided to travel by train through Europe for a month. It was a surprising, sometimes strange, but inspiring trip that filled almost an entire notebook worth of recorded experiences, moments, and thoughts.
On July 3, the train left Zurich Main Station at 9:33 am for Paris for a journey that would end in London.
A day later, I picked up the most expensive concert ticket I'd ever bought (until then, at least). The Rolling Stones live at Hyde Park—Silver Circle access. 200 pounds I paid, and again 180 for two regular tickets I would later hand over to my aunt and uncle who travelled to London too.
My 10 Favourite Songs of 2023 So Far
So far, I have curated 90 new songs this year for Weekly5. Here are ten of my personal favourites.
Our playlist curation Weekly5 is currently in its summer break. So far, I have selected 90 tracks in 2023. So, it's the perfect opportunity to reflect and rewind.
While I still enjoy every song in the playlist, some stand out. Songs that I listened to a lot and became part of my personal heavy rotation.
Although I've tried to limit myself, I once again couldn't help it. That's why it became a top ten, which already was hard to pull off. And if you're curious about the other song recommendations, browse through Weekly5's archive here.
TOMPAUL – Porto
Launching full of anticipating brass waves carried throughout the verses by Tom Paul Fischer's longing voice, Porto switches into a different gear in its instrumental parts with a dark and mysterious synth hook and a deep beat.
J Mahon – Deadstar
Deadstar is a thought-provoking reflection on how musicians often romanticize self-destructive behaviour. Despite its intricate nature, this indie-rock track is skilfully crafted and will undoubtedly linger in your mind long after you've experienced it.
June Recap
Check out five of our favourite tracks in the last couple of Weekly5 editions with ANGER MGMT., Yet No Yokai, Luna Morgenstern, Bully, and Maria Basel.
Francesco Tancredi returns to Negative White
Photographer Francesco Tancredi is one of the most revered and long-time contributors to Negative White. Now, he has joined the team again.
In late 2009, the Swiss band Spencer played a small concert in Zurich. Francesco Tancredi captured the gig and provided the photos to the very first article ever published by Negative White.
Francesco joined Negative White in 2011 and became a dedicated core team member—someone who also covered concerts that weren't in his personal music taste. So, I'm thrilled to announce that Francesco Tancredi once again joins the platform as a resident photographer.
Francesco—or Franco, as everybody calls him—is a metalhead with every fibre. And like his favourite artists' music, his visual style is visceral and energetic. The photographs feel dynamic and full of movement, as if they are shot for an action movie poster.
I'm looking forward to collaborating with Franco again, and I'm especially excited about his contribution to Negative White ahead.
Here's a taste of Franco's previous work for Negative White with photos of Behemoth, Jennifer Rostock, System of a Down, Amon Amarth, The Prodigy, Arch Enemy, Eisbrecher, Alexisonfire, and Lamb of God.
