Helvetiarockt Wins Swiss Music Prize 2023
Helvetiarockt, the organisation fighting for diversity and equality in the music business, wins the Swiss Music Prize.
It's an important signal and a well-deserved acknowledgement of tireless effort for equality and diversity in Switzerland's music business. Awarded by the Federal Office of Culture, the Swiss Music Prizes showcase the country's musical creativity and reward aspirations for diverse and equal representation.
Helvetiarockt wins one of the three Special Music Prizes 2023. For already 14 years, the organisation has fought for the equality and visibility of women and inter, non-binary, trans, and agender people in popular music in Switzerland. On its website, the Federal Office of Culture writes:
[…] The dynamic Helvetiarockt team has not only raised awareness of the Swiss music scene, it has also moved it forward: databases such as the «Music Directory» or guides such as the «Diversity Roadmap» are constructive instruments that organisers can hardly do without in their daily work.
Furthermore, the laudatory text highlights the easy access to practical workshops and mentoring programs that span from songwriting and beat-making to DJing to inspire and encourage underrepresented groups.
With its campaigns and practical programs, Helvetiarockt emphasizes the importance of diverse concert programmes and fair working conditions both in front of and behind the stage. In this, it challenges all outdated structures and puts central issues that affect all music makers in Switzerland up for public debate.
The award further stresses the significance of Helvetiarockt's efforts and goal to «sensitise and raise awareness in the music industry». The organisation says in the official press release: «This recognition of our work sets an example for all women, inter, non-binary, trans, and agender people (FINTA) in music, as well as for feminism, for equal opportunity and the movements that go with it. We're staying tuned. And are very happy about this appreciation!»
Helvetiarockt's work is, unfortunately, still necessary, as the majority of last year's festival line-ups in Switzerland have shown.
Weltschmerz Can Be Fun
Where does this new-found fascination for dark music originate? A rainy search for answers with Walter Frosch and Betterov at the «Ante Konzerte» in Winterthur.
Rain starts pouring from the sky as soon as I leave the apartment. Not an unexpected event, yet almost a comical setting for my first concert review in over three years.
Shortly after, I find myself climbing the steep slopes to «Bäumli», a little park draped on the hillside. With the forest in the back, a panoramic view of Winterthur, Switzerland, opens up towards the West. But depressingly grey, low-hanging clouds cover all, and the gushing wind drives the rain into my face.
And in some corner of my head, I ask myself: Why am I doing this to myself?
The scenery at «Bäumli» looks all familiar: A small stage, a couple of food and beverage stands alongside the low stone wall. The only thing missing: rows of chairs. They were here when «Ante Konzerte», a small showcase festival, debuted in 2021 with Covid-19 measures still in place. This memory seems far away—almost like a trauma you're desperately trying to forget.
So I sit down on a bench, dried half-heartedly with my tote bag. A guy approaches me. Let's call him Steve. He drinks one bottle of Mate after the other like it's some kind of holy water. Steve usually listens to melodic techno.
But a day ago, his brother sent him a song by Betterov. «I've listened to Olympia three times in a row. It totally flashed me,» he goes on. Then, while looking for live dates, he discovered the «Ante Konzerte» and decided to come the same day.
Although the pandemic might now—also officially—be a thing of the past, it left a deep scar on the music business. While pre-sales have been a struggle before, they still haven't recovered. And with the outlook of walking up to a not very remote but not very central place for a concert in the rain: It's a hard sell… Not everybody is like Steve.
Praised Acts
Let's talk about the acts of the festival's opening night. Manuel Bittdorf, born in 1994 in what is pretty much the heart of Germany, as Betterov. His first single, Dynamit, was released in 2019, followed by an EP in 2020 and finally, last year's debut album Olympia.
Olympia was received relatively well. Benedikt Kendler writes in his review for «Musikexpress» about Betterov's sonic signature: «The furiously melancholic guitar riffs, placed in prominent places, help Betterov's multi-faceted, rough and occasionally pleasantly brittle voice to achieve the greatest emotional intensity.» Kendler concludes the sound as a mix between indie-rock and post-punk.
In October 2022, I featured Bis zum Ende, one of the album's songs, in a Weekly5 edition. I wrote:
Bis zum Ende is a perfect example of Betterov's qualities: A fast-paced track, exhilarating and breathlessly delivered, accompanied by lyrics that capture adolescents' doubts, fears, and self-reflection. Despite its depressive premise, Betterov always manages to transform negativity into sparks of optimism. Bis zum Ende is no different and remains deep down a hymn to hope.
The role of the opening act at the premier night of «Ante Konzerte» in Winterthur falls to Walter Frosch. It's a duo from Schaffhausen, Switzerland's most northern canton, and was named after a legendary German football player who smoked 60 cigarettes a day and called the pub «his biggest enemy».
In 2020, the band by Mike Saxer and Rune Dahl Hansen was hyped by Swiss national broadcaster SRF. And shortly, Tim Wirth wrote in «Züri Tipp» a piece full of praise:
The song Searching Hands, for example, is simply brilliant. A guitar strums, then comes a synthesiser melody, Dahl Hansen's voice far in the background, happy apocalypse, like a good film that portrays life as it is: ambivalent. A comic mix of happiness and tragedy.
Like Betterov, the band were previously featured in Weekly5 with their single Under A Spell. My takeaway from a bit more than a year ago: «Walter Frosch build an impressive wall of sound, drowning the already muffled voice even more, giving Under A Spell actually a feeling of being exactly that: not in possession of complete control, but being under a spell. As a result, the track has a borderline psychedelic, trance-like quality.»
So why am I doing this to myself?
Well, one part of the answer is that I get to see two acts I previously wrote about for the first time on stage. More on the second part in a moment. Now, the performances.
Update on the Platform
Follow up on the latest changes to the platform that was formerly just Weekly5.
As promised in Monday's announcement, I will keep you updated on the latest changes to this platform.
First and foremost, the most significant change is the URL where you can find Weekly5 and all future content: blog.negativewhite.com.
Additional Newsletter
Furthermore, I have set up a new newsletter for Negative White. Once you've activated your subscription here, you will receive our articles as soon as they are published.
The Weekly5 have a separate newsletter to which you're already subscribed. However, if you only keep subscribed to it, you will receive the song curation or the monthly free roundups depending on your subscription status.
Design Changes
Obviously, a couple of design adjustments have also been made to reflect Negative White's origins better. You'll notice the changes on the website or once you've subscribed to the Negative White newsletter.
New Contact Information
Also noteworthy—especially if you are a musician or music promoter—is the new contact information here. Make sure to send your emails to the correct address.
Further changes might still occur, especially around the paid subscriptions, but I will communicate them once they are ready.
If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, feel free to reach out via email or comment below. I plan a Q&A post to answer the most urgent questions in the upcoming days.
New Project Aims to Support Swiss Newcomer Artists
The project «riser» seeks to bring the spotlight onto up-and-coming artists and bands in Switzerland with a fresh approach.
Young musicians and bands trying to take their careers to the next level often struggle to find stages to play and grow their audience. Exacerbated by the pandemic, this situation leads too many artists to stop pursuing a professional music career.
With «riser», a new project seeks to counteract this trend. It uses already-established artists' spotlight and network effects to promote Swiss newcomers. The offer to the audience is simple: Come for the famous name, discover a new one.
It's hardly a revolutionary idea as supporting bands always profited from the main act's publicity. However, «riser» gives it a fresh spin, a focused and decisive approach to further newcomers' careers.
Two Formats Are Planned
The project is split into two different formats:
- riser.AMP (short for «Amplify»): Established artists and bands (Knöppel, KT Gorique, Nativ, Crème Solaire, I Used To Be Sam, Crimer, Marius Bear) choose two young, up-and-coming artists and create a show together with them. The rising artists are not overshadowed but are part of a joint performance. By working together with more established artists and bands, the attention of the rising artists is increased.
- riser.FAV (short for «Favourites»): The «Favourites» selected by more established artists and bands perform on their own. Shows are also organised in which several different rising artists perform together. This emphasises stylistic diversity and promotes exchange with each other and with concert organisers.
Although established artists usually approach participating newcomers, they can also apply on the project's website. Participation is—expectedly—free of charge, and bands will receive an appropriate fee for their performances.
A Non-Profit Association With Established Players
«riser» is a non-profit association based in Zurich and Fribourg. It's run by renowned names in Switzerland's music business like Pascal Vonlanthen, musician, co-leader and founder of La Gustav or Stipe Svalina, partner and managing director of EXIL Club, co-booker and communications manager of M4Music Festival.
As participation is free and the performance fees also need to be paid, the project is supported by sponsors.
Several Shows Are Lined Up
The project has already lined up many shows in both formats. They will work as proof of concept and inevitably decide on the project's sustainability and success.
The project's kickoff will be on May 25 at Exil Club in Zurich. In the format «riser.AMP», Swiss punk veteran Jack Stoiker and his band Knöppel will perform with Mamba Bites from Neuchâtel and Fluffy Machine from Valais.
More dates have been announced, but most artists still need to be communicated. An up-to-date list of all the concerts can be found on the project website.
Sunrise
Weekly5 will get a new name—but an already known one.
👉 This platform will be renamed. However, Weekly5 remains an essential part of it.
👉 The new brand will allow me to write more profoundly about the intersection between music, business, culture, and society.
👉 Some changes will happen, but I will keep you posted.
For almost two-and-a-half years, I've been curating a weekly selection of five tracks under the brand Weekly5. As you might know, it's not a fresh idea I came up with in 2021 but rather a tiny spin-off of Negative White, the online magazine I founded and ran for a decade, which folded in the summer of 2020.
Weekly5 has been part of the magazine's offering for some years and gained a small but loyal following; many of those people still are engaged with today's newsletter—a fact that fills me with great appreciation and pride.
Reasons
With that said, I feel ever more how limiting Weekly5 as a brand and promise is. There's an itch in the back of my head, a tingle in my fingers. There's an urge and desire to write more profoundly about music than a few sentences about a song, as I do now.
However, extended essays, interviews, or portraits that gain a deeper understanding of the intersection between music, culture, and society cannot be part of Weekly5—they contradict the name and expectations.
That is why I'm resurrecting a believed-dead name: Negative White.
Clarifications
Before I decided to close it down three years ago, Negative White was a staple in Switzerland's independent music journalism, fueled by many talented volunteers, supported and read by a large and engaged audience.
Breathing new life into the brand won't mean it will be a similar experience. In fact, it cannot be as for the moment. I'm still a solo creator and won't be able to deliver as much content as we did in Negative White's heydays.
However, I welcome anyone interested in contributing to the platform.
The revived Negative White acts as a more open vessel to different ideas and forms I want to follow, driven by curiosity and striving for the highest possible quality. Nevertheless, Weekly5 will remain the backbone and core offering for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, Negative White will—like Weekly5—continue to publish in English for a simple reason: to potentially reach people around the globe and introduce them to the diversity and sparkling creativity of Switzerland's musicians.
Changes
The old/new brand requires quite a few technical and conceptual changes. The most significant one will surely be a new domain. I haven't figured out all the intricate details for now, but the transition should go without major inconveniences on your end.
If you are a paying subscriber, the rebranding won't affect your current subscription. However, there might be changes to the offer, but not a downgrade.
I will update you in the coming weeks on the progress and with potential news about additional changes.
And last but not least, a big thanks to Frank, Alain, Nicolas, Adrian, Yvonne, and Evelyn for their feedback and insights.
Tender Warmth
Edition #83 is filled with tenderness, warmth, and goosebumps-provoking voices.
One week you struggle to find enough songs; the next one, you painfully have to choose. For today's curation, a couple of captivating tracks were left behind.
However, you'll find that the following selection is tied together through tenderness, goosebumps-provoking voices, and soothing melodies. And there's one ballad that stands above it all with its haunting beauty.
In Vain
Edition #82 dabbles with revived post-punk sound, heavy industrial beats, and feminist rap.
For once, more effort was needed to compile today's curation as remarkably few press releases hit my inbox.
While this initially made me feel somewhat anxious, it's always an opportunity to uncover new things, as simply relying on promo agencies who already pre-select what they send to Weekly5 already creates a bias.
March/April Recap
Check out some of the best songs released in March and April by Bayonne, Sofia Portanet, TOMPAUL, Soft Loft, and Shoot The Satellite.
