It is a little over a week since we got together to celebrate 10 years of Ron Orp Zurich. I hope you had as great a time as i had. If you couldn’t be there or would just like to relive the experience, GDS.FM has recorded the whole party live - you can hear here. And if you’d like to see if you were snapped in one of your cool poses, you can check here. Many thanks to photographer Nadine Kaegi for the photos!
Give my love to the city, Ron

If your view of scientists is of chronically introverted men in white lab coats then the FameLab Science Slam, as it’s name suggests, could be a Eureka moment for you. The FameLab is a global competition that gives young scientists a chance to stand on stage and talk enthusiastically, educationally and entertainingly for three minutes about a science subject of their choice, à la the TED Talks. The Swiss Final takes place in Moods on Friday, with the winner going on to the International Final in the UK. All presentations are in English.
Friday 7 pm, Moods

Ben UFO has been instrumental in moving electronic music and especially dubstep forward in the UK, first as co-founder of label Hessle Audio, whose alumni include James Blake and Pangaea, but also with a growing reputation as one of the finest djs in the country. Unlike most djs, he hasn’t moved into the production side of music and has made a name for himself purely as a record selector and spinner. He’ll be playing at Zukunft on Friday night.
Friday 12 am, Zukunft

Are you looking for rock? Are you looking for rave? Are you needing them to be by a river? Right then, Ron reverts with revelation. Really, I’ll refrain from the R’s right now. The Rock am Fluss music festival at Planet5 has decided that genres don’t matter as they play host to three Swiss rock bands – the Hendrix-riffing Rozbub, the acid-tripping freevolution and the costumed-rocking Effie’s Beast. These are followed up with an afterparty of drum n bass supplied by Moonshaped. With the music, a terrace that overlooks the river and food stalls, you may have found all you’re looking for.
Saturday 8 pm, Planet5

Fancy a round of golf on Sunday? Now I know you became a Ronster because you’re hip, edgy and good looking and here I am recommending golf, but hear me out. The rascals at Hair of the Dog have constructed a mini-golf course at various locations around Zurich. This Sunday they invite you to putt, drink, eat and then make your way to the next hole. There will also be riddles for you to answer at each location. At the end of the day there will be a get together at Sport Bar with more drinks, some music and a victory ceremony. You must register by Saturday evening here.
Sunday 5 pm, Locations TBA

If you like your music to sound easy like a Sunday morning after a particularly fraught and debauched Saturday night, then Dean Wareham can be the one to sooth your aching heart. Although he’s been around for a while now, in lo-fi bands Galaxie 500 and Luna, his new album is a solo effort and is all the more personal for it, with songs sounding like day dreams set to a loose beat and shimmering electric guitar. He plays at El Lokal on Tuesday night.
Tuesday 8 pm, El Lokal

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author who, since her first novel was published in 2003, has received wide critical acclaim especially for the way she has voiced a feminist perspective within an African context. Her most recent book, Americanah, about the experiences of two lovers who leave Nigeria to try and make a new life for themselves in America, has been selected by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Books of the year. She will be reading from the book as well as answering questions at Kaufleuten on Wednesday.
Wednesday 8 pm, Kaufleuten

Somehow, my radar missed Café Chez Andy – but finally I discovered the lovely venue at Hofstrasse 19 in Altestten. It’s small but their coffee is grand and they offer breakfast all day, home-made cakes, croque monsieurs and salads. Next to nice staff it also spots a little shop and a pretty garden that also serves as a deposit for the vegetables from Pflanzplatz Dunkelhölzli.
Chez Andy, Hofstrasse 19, 8032. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 7 am to 6 pm, Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

The sea doesn’t seem far away when you’re standing underneath the «new» harbour crane at Limmatquai. I’m not sure if you've learned this about Zurich yet, but we all miss the ocean and wish our lake was manifold its size. The slogan «Free view to the Mediterranean» represented the dream for an open-minded society in the 1980s during the local youth riots. Thanks to which we have such a great club, art and design culture in the city nowadays. This Saturday, the formal inauguration of the «Hafenkran» (a word that you need to add to your local vocabulary) takes place and a «harbour party» will follow in July. On Friday historic Andreas Teuscher presents his book «Schweiz am Meer» at Helferei and silent movies as well as readings explain Switzerland’s aim to be connected to the sea with ship tunnels through the Alps. Amazing (and well, a little bit crazy). If you learn more about this matter, your knowledge of Swiss history will be more profound than that of your native colleagues. I have three books with wonderful images (and German text) to give away. Just send me an email.
Friday 6 pm, book vernissage and silent movies at Helferei
Saturday 2.30 pm, inauguration Hafenkran at Limmatquai

«We live it», explain surfers and shapers Renato and Killian during my visits at Visitor Store. And that’s true. If you enter their shop, you realize that you’re in good hands. In sea-, river- and travel-tested hands that know exactly which surf equipment suits your needs. Their fine collection of men’s clothing lets you dream of foreign countries and nature and you’ll get a cup of coffee while browsing.
Visitor Store, Badenerstrasse 123, 8004. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 7 om, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm

I have respect for all who own a large vinyl collections. I’d like to have one myself but where to start? Even when I add my dad’s Bob Marley collection, it’s not very impressive. But Vinyl Me, Please is. You file a subscription and in return you receive once a month their album of the month. So after a you’re a member your collection will look much cooler already.