Focus 2023

Beyond the band’s extraordinary complicity with the public, Aliose relies above all on the rare osmosis between Alizé’s ethereal voice and Xavier’s poetic pen. Since the hits Loin and Me passer de toi, the Swiss duo has climbed to the top of the French-speaking music charts. Their songs combine folk-pop simplicity with moving sing-along melodies and inspired lyrics, filled with melancholy, irony and hope. Authenticity, sensitivity, sincerity: a sheer delight!

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Spain has Rosalía, Switzerland has Baby Volcano. From French to Spanish, the artist blows hot and cold, dishing out her rap, trap and electropop tracks with swagger. Ear-splitting whispers, hushed rage, her minimalist line merges opposites into a mesmerising whole. On stage, she transforms into a masked performer and delivers breathtaking shows with organic instinct that’ll take you by storm. Baby Volcano has quiet strength but watch out for the rumbling volcano beneath!

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Aboard a speedster whooshing along mountain roads, journey through the madcap soundscapes of Fribourg-based duo Crème solaire. Pannenstreifen ist ohne Pic-nic is an unlikely project. Featuring Nina Hagen’s drama, Philippe Katerine’s gait, Prodigy’s layers of sound, Sexy Sushi’s charisma, and Jpeg Mafia’s brutality, their electro punk pop is as absurd as it is enjoyable. Not the type to tread carefully. All of this in five languages! Spread it lavishly, it’s good for you!

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Brazilian-born and now based in Bern, singer Mariana Da Cruz has been making her mark on the international scene for more than ten years with her eclectic, colourful music, taking you on a journey through modern, urban Brazil, which oscillates between revolution and resignation, hope and despair. Her compositional talent is reflected in her latest project, the excellent Eco do Futuro, which mixes kwaito, baile funk, Afrobeat and dub sounds with punchy pop. Be ready to dance!

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The full beauty of the strings and the mighty splendour of the drums: Egopusher is a superb project that combines Tobias Preisig’s sublime violin with Alessandro Giannelli’s dynamic production and beats. The Zurich-based duo creates a perfect sensory organism, in which the instruments act as the nerve centre, enhanced by grandiose electronica. Their latest project, Ambient Mix Tape, will charm you with its soaring electronic soundscapes and its mesmerising, Nils Frahm- or Battles-like improvisations. You’ll love them!

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Formed by Algerian mandolinist Anouar Kaddour Chérif on his arrival in Switzerland, El Mizan offers, as he likes to call it, “blédard rock.” Enhanced with chaabi- and jazz-infused, swaying beats, the band draws ancestral and restorative sounds from Egypt to Algeria, Morocco and Europe. The lyrics are in Darija, a Maghreb dialect, and celebrate freedom, the dreams of the new generations, but also the melancholy of exile. All this with musical fervour that mix scales without regard for borders. Stunning!

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Be prepared, Fribourg’s brilliant electronic rap duo Femme Fatale is coming to shake up Paléo! Hailing from very different backgrounds, the two artists have learned to confront their worlds and influences to deliver a project as surprising as it is striking. Inspired by artists such as Stromae and Eddy de Pretto, the duo impresses with Seko’s powerful flow and Zeela’s solid production and drumming. It’s fresh. It’s innovative. We love it!

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The duo FlexFab & Ziller Bas consists of two intense artists in perfect osmosis. The former blurs the boundaries between genres with electronic layers that oscillate between hip-hop, bass, trap and grim. The second uses his microphone with dexterity, rapping with a unique, powerful flow in his own dialect, Sweng-flow, a combination of English, Swahili and his native language, Kigiriama. Theirs is a rich, genre-bending project that dishes out punchy electronic music and furious live shows whose infrabass sounds will knock your lights out! Wicked!

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Fomies is the story of five friends from Vevey who have embarked on a musical road trip of garage-fuzz and D.I.Y. punk, inspired by obscure bands and poorly recorded, hectic albums! Behind their cherubic faces lies a frantic band possessed by psychedelic rock and kraut frenzy. Their latest banger Sudden Lag features a maze of furious and rebellious sounds. Check out this rocking Swiss gem!

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KT Gorique is a world champion! The young Swiss-based MC from Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire shook up the New York hip-hop scene when she won the 2012 World Freestyle Rap Championships. Give her ten words, and with her powerful and agile flow, she’ll lay down an improvisation that will bring the world down. She’s known as the “Swiss Army knife” because of her many hats – rapper, actress, dancer, to name but a few – and is an intrepid entertainer with smart, scathing lyrics. Pure talent!

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Initially destined for a career in jazz or classical music, La Colère changed paths after discovering the Scandinavian electro band Röyksopp. The multi-talented artist composes, performs and produces her own electro-pop soundscapes with exhilarating layers of synthesisers. A true musical revelation, the crooner-voiced, Geneva-based artist explores spellbinding music, blending a seaside atmosphere and uneasy chills with relentless retro-futuristic hits. A wonderful talent!

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It’s like a breath of fresh air followed by a sudden urge to dance… This is the Naomi Lareine effect, one of the most promising voices in Switzerland. Her bittersweet tones perfectly blend into sophisticated hits, tinged with R’n’B and electronic touches. Her latest EP Girl Next Door reasserts her talent and perfect vocal control. Innovative, avant-garde and committed to human rights, remember the name Naomi Lareine: the Zurich-based singer’s on the rise!

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“I’m not a queen, I’m a goddess”: Nathalie Froehlich has landed with full force! Driven by a raging fire, the artist from Western Switzerland doesn’t mince her words. The angry rapper delivers scathing and direct lyrics with larger-than-life charisma. With her solid rap skills that borrow from techno and reggaeton, she delivers energy-filled live performances worthy of an after-party that you’ll never want to leave. Get ready to enter the fray!

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Up-and-coming Geneva artist Owelle is a proponent of soaring, colourful and eclectic soundscapes. The free-spirited DJ takes her turntables in search of a form of music without borders and without limits. Her experimentations waver between 70 and 170 bpm meticulously mixing techno, breakbeat and IDM. Craftily fusing electronic sounds, psychedelic rock inspirations, field recordings and mesmerising 3D projections, Owelle propels us into a journey through space and time. Get ready for take-off!

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Mullet with purple highlights, carefully combed moustache, retro sunglasses and flamboyant vintage outfits, there’s no way you’ll miss Valentino Vivace, an alien on board a meteorite who has come to impact the Swiss musical landscape with his ‘80s-style Italian disco. Influenced by French Touch and vaporwave pop, the Ticino singer launched his career in 2022 with Meteoriti, which he likes to compare to his favourite drink, the Campari Spritz. Aromatic, delicious, a true discharge of refreshing energy!

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A talented contemporary violinist, singer and composer, Yilian Cañizares dazzles with her unique aesthetic and immense charisma on stage. Born in Havana and living in Switzerland for the past 20 years, she’s been gaining success with her visionary Afro-Cuban style mixed with virtuoso violin and jazz sensibility. She now returns with an album recorded in Brazil – a true musical, spiritual and cultural alliance between this country and her native Cuba. Embark on an unforgettable journey!

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