Me and Oceans is the rather beautifully named solo project of musician Fabian Schuetze, whose day job is with electronic dance band, A Forest. Whilst keeping the digital beats from A Forest, Me and Oceans is a much more analogue affair, weaving piano and Fabian’s dark, melancholy voice into a warm minimal soundscape. With echoes of James Blake but without the crystalline perfection, it’s still like watching bruised clouds roll over a neon skyline. He plays at Bar Rossi tonight and entry is free.
Thursday 10 pm, Bar Rossi

Corner College is the equivalent of a pop-up university. Once a week they have what’s called Theory Tuesdays, where experts come along and discuss various topics usually around the subjects of art, design and architecture. Starting in 2013 they will also begin a Practical Fridays season where volunteers will teach a hands-on practical skill, ideas are still being collected for this. They also have interesting seminars. Tonight’s is called ‘Social Media Tools in Times of Transition’, an Egyptian activist will discuss how social media has impacted and is influencing the ongoing Arab Spring revolutions. Most events are in English.
Thursday 7.30 pm, Corner College, Kochstrasse 1, 8004 
Different themes and events ongoing throughout year

Happy anniversary Blickfang, the first design fair took place 15 years ago and since then it grew quite a bit. This weekend an entertaining mix of known designers and upcoming talents display their work at Blickfang: Furniture, lights, accessories, fashion and jewellery. 220 creative minds (and numerous visitors) meet at the Kongresshaus to present and sell their latest collections. If you are a design lover, send me an e-mail, I have 5x2 tickets to give away for free.
Friday 12 am to 10 pm, Saturday 11 am to 9 pm, Sunday 11 am to 7 pm, Kongresshaus

Two Chinese bands provide the background to Dadaglobal’s party for his latest release: Hier ist nicht da (here is not there). But sometimes, here is there and there is here. Dadaglobal toured through China last year and Pet Conspiracy (I still have fond memories of them from Streetparade) and Re-Tros have visited Switzerland before too. The night full of music – ranging from electro to rock - takes place this Saturday with 8 djs/bands waiting for their turn. And there is more, it’s taking place in pop-up venue at Höngerstrasse 51 – so if you’re in for a new experience, start polishing your dancing shoes.
Saturday 11 pm, Höngerstrasse 51

If you’re missing the sun and wish you were in Italy, then the Grande Festa del Vino Italia might be up your sleeve. On Monday you’ll find a selection of the best of Italian wine at Swissôtel, with a focus on “smart wines” (value for money) and “Vini Verdi” (ecological wineries). The public wine tasting event starts at 4, just in time for an early after-work-drink. It’s Monday after all.
Monday, 4-8 pm, Swissôtel

You know, I like moustaches. At my party last year men and women alike wore moustaches and also the male icon on my website features one. Therefore I have to take part in this year’s Movember movement this month (Movember, not November, but it happens in November). It’s the month of the mo’ – according to the moto: show your mo and save a bro! It’s a movement to raise awareness for prostate cancer. You have to hurry for some serious facial hair to show your support as the final gala party takes place already this Wednesday at Apartment 22.
Wednesday 11 pm, Apartment 22

When I walked from the main station to Langstrasse, I had to blink twice at Europaallee. Two mountain cabins sat there quietly, waiting for Friday to come. As from Friday, they’ll be open and offer fondue in all variations in the evening, menus over lunch and Glühwein all day long. The weather seems appropriate to give fondue and the other cheese dishes a go. And remember - only tourists believe that there are penalties if you lose your piece of bread in the pot.

Once again, the Swissies have to cast their vote. And why should this concern you? Well there are some topics which might affect you as well. The citizens of Zurich will decide about your rights as a tenant.  One initiative requests that legal protection should be free if it concerns settling disagreements between landlords and tenants. One side wants to strengthen the tenant’s position, the other believes that it will be too expensive. The second initiative concerns rent-transparency, meaning that a new tenant has the right to know how much the previous tenant paid. The parties don’t agree on this issue, one side believes that it will lead to too much paper work, the other believe that it’s a necessary step for fair rents. We’ll know on Sunday which side wins.

Second hand book-shops face difficult times. To bring customers to their store a bookshop in Toronto, The Monkey’s Paw, came up with an unusual concept: The Biblio-Mat. For two (Canadian) dollars you get a randomly chosen book. Here you see the machine in action. I love literary surprises and hope they’ll install one of them in Zurich soon.