If you were a 90’s hip-hop kid then the name J Dilla will certainly be familiar to you. He not only made his own groundbreaking albums but was also producer of choice for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, D’Angelo and Common. He died prematurely in 2006 of a blood disease. Tonight, Rote Fabrik welcomes you to Dillaville – A Tribute to J Dilla. They’ll have some fantastic hip-hop artists performing his songs live on stage; this will be followed by a documentary of his life, Still Shining, presented by his brother, Illa J. If you want to re-live your b-boying and b-girling pasts, I have 2 x 2 tickets to give away. Email me.
Thursday 8.30 pm, Rote Fabrik

The Filme für die Erde (Films for the Earth) Festival is on this Friday at Dynamo, showing six films in eleven cities across Switzerland. All the films deal with the environmental problems facing the world but more importantly, offer solutions and ways we can help. Of the six films, two are in English – Revolution and I Am. The event also features local sustainability projects, free DVD’s and an apero with, of course, organic cocktails. The English film screenings are free, so I would recommend saving your seats online, slightly before saving the planet.
Friday 12 pm, Dynamo (English films begin at 6 pm)

Kafi für Dich is a great café bar just off of the Langstrasse hustle and bustle, that gives it a slightly more relaxed feel than its main street brethren and this weekend they will be celebrating their 5th birthday with concerts, food and screen printing. Yes, you heard right – screen printing. Friday they have the electro beats of Rizzoknor; Saturday you’ll hear Mister and Mississippi playing their gently rolling country-rock and Sunday sees David Hope bring his acoustic roots music from Ireland. There’ll be a grill and paella to eat, and brunch on Sunday. And if you’re interested in the screen printing also on Sunday, bring your own shirt.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday, various times, Kafi für Dich

The Opern Haus (Opera House) is celebrating its season launch this Saturday by having an Opening Party throughout the day. From 10 am they’ve organised events that will let you into the corners of this venerable institution that usually remain out of sight to the public. You’ll be able to see rehearsals of the Zurich Ballet and Orchestra, live out your Pavarotti fantasies by walking the stage, delve into the depths of the opera house by visiting their costume and mask departments, watch a number of performances, both new and old, for kids and adults. All events and entry are free but for certain performances tickets will be issued one hour before.
Saturday 10 am, Opern Haus

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the closed doors of an artist’s studio as their mystical creative process begins to glow white-hot, this weekend you’ll be able to get an insight without the bother of stalking them or even breaking and entering. The Tage der offenen Ateliers (Day of the Open Studios) takes place this, and next, weekend. This weekend is dedicated to artists who reside on the right side of the Limmat; next weekend, the left. The artists themselves cover every conceivable aspect of the creative impulse and, despite their reputations for solitude, are happy to discuss and show their works and private spaces with us. Map
Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 7 pm, various locations

Mama marvels, 'not bad' when she discovered my homemade cake on the stylish cake stand by Englishwoman Orla Kiely. Based on graphics from the 50s, there is beautiful things for sale here.


Au Revoir Simone is a Brooklyn-based trio of ladies who create their music using only synthesisers, but this isn’t any hard electro-glitching ensemble, as their music seems to flutter along on a breeze of soft delights and land gently in your ear. They have a new album out this month and will be bringing their brand of retro sounding futuristic synth-pop to Stall 6 on Wednesday.
Wednesday 8.45 pm, Stall 6

I prefer self- cooked dinners at home to any restaurant visit. But often I find the preparations a hassle: Finding a new recipe and the ingredients, carrying everything home etc. Vidis Kochtüte (Vidis Cooking Bag) is my stress relief: Weekly it delivers three recipes and all the ingredients to my home. This ensures that my eating habits improved a lot and through all the practice I turned into quite a good chef. I have three trial bags to give away for free. Just send me an e-mail.

This weekend, the Swiss will once again vote on various topics. On national level the main topics are: Voluntary military service, new epidemic law and the range on offer in night-shops. On a communal level, there is one petition that has a possible influence on the expat community- Kanton Zurich votes on giving expats the right to vote on communal level, as long as they’ve been living in Switzerland for ten years and for three years within the community. Foreigners are already allowed to vote in the Kanton Geneva, Graubünden, Basel, Appenzell AR, Fribourg, Neuchatel and Waadt. So let’s see if Zurich follows suit. More information about the national poll you find on swissinfo.ch.

When speaking of a Swiss knife, most likely the handy pocket knife springs to mind. At least that’s how I felt until I came across the Panorama Knife. The blade of the bread knife is shaped like a mountain chain. And whenever you use it, it reminds you of a gorgeous view and a place that you visited and why it’s so beautiful to live in Switzerland. There are seven different knives available from different regions, as well as a chopping board. It’s a great souvenir as well as a cool gift. Starting from 69 francs.

Build your own car or computer with Lego? Most of us have played with Legos when we were children; some of us still play with Legos as adults. And then there are these people: check out some of the coolest Lego creations around the world that welldonestuff.com gathered on their website. Who would have thought you could do that with Legos? If Zurich isn’t in favour of the new football stadium at the upcoming election, the fans should just get the creator of display number 3 to come by and build them one… See more