I’m back from my holiday and ready for a beautiful autumn. It’s time to move indoors again, so I selected a few tips for you this week and compiled a list of concerts to see until the end of the year.
Give my love to the city, Ron   *

Now I know that all you Ronster’s are beautiful, beautiful people but as part of the closing event for Pius Portmann’s exhibition, Trace Gallery is giving you a chance to get an ‘ugly portrait’ of yourself done for 1 franc tonight. Trace is a great little gallery that specializes in lowbrow and contemporary art and will have one of the evening’s guest artists produce a one-off rough and ready portrait of you. With picture in hand you can then wander down to La Catrina (just around the corner) for the release party of Those Wicked Hours’ new cd. They’re an electro pop duo from Zurich who describe their sound as ‘new vintage’. If you want to freak them out a little, you can stand at the front of the stage and wave your portrait at them.
Thursday 6 pm, Trace Gallery
Thursday 9.30 pm, La Catrina

The Beastie Boys have always been the ultimate good time, damn the consequences hip-hop band, and even with the passing of founding member Adam Yauch aka MCA back in May, they still remain a vital life force in music. This Friday in Exil djs MadRock, Professor Ill and Mix Master Noise are putting on the ultimate Beasties Party. Playing tracks from across the whole musical spectrum as well as a choice selection of Beasties remixes, b-sides and sample sources. And if you dress as a character from one of their videos, they’ll let you in for less.
Friday 11 pm, Exil

It’s been a whole 5 years since Dubexmachina began their Wednesday night parties in Zukunft, and through that whole time they’ve remained at the forefront of bass-driven and dubstep music in Zurich. As with any birthday, a good party should not be too far behind and Dubexmachina haven’t disappointed. They’ll be at Cabaret this Friday in full celebration mode with dj headliner Addison Groove flying in specially from the UK, along with Zurich’s Nik! and DXM Soundsystem. And with a separate floor for house music led by Basel djs Timnah Sommerfeldt and Garçon it’s clear Dubexmachina have the energy for the next 5 years.
Friday 11 pm, Cabaret

Just for a while – the former Thai Thai Club becomes a club. The opening of übergang takes place this Friday with djs Rollo Tomasi and Guru Bambi "playing with charm and without concept" continuing on Saturday with five djs and sound from tropical to electro. So if you’re not on the way to Thailand or another exotic place, Thai Thai is certainly a sunny venue to be over the next two months. You’ll find their current programme on the facebook page of Gang Club.
Friday & Saturday, 11 pm, Limmatstrasse 195

Sound Development City is a project which lets artists of various backgrounds including music and performance get together and explore a given theme in the context of an urban setting. These artists are then given a chance to show their work via the travelling gallery that is Sound Development City. This summer they have already stopped in London and Berlin, and have now reached Zurich. The theme for this year is the ‘dernier cri’ or, the latest fashion, and the artists have explored what is all the rage in Zurich and how hype can affect us. The show is at Annex/Manesse this Saturday, with an after-party to take you through to the morning.
Saturday 7 pm, Annex/Manesse

At first glance Breton could be a run of the mill indie rock band, but take a closer look and you’ll find a band that are really a multimedia arts collective. They produce their own films and mix their soundtracks and music all from their London hq named BretonLABS. Their music, as you might expect, uses glitchy basslines and samples to compliment their standard guitar and drums setup. They play at Hafenkneipe next Tuesday and I have 1 x 2 tickets to give away. Email me.
Tuesday 8 pm, Hafenkneipe

In 2009, the Wohnzimmerbar opened its doors just next to cinema Riffraff. As the name suggests (Wohnzimmer means “living room”), it’s small and pleasant and the atmosphere familiar, filled with comfy chairs, small tables and a chaise longue. At the end of September we have to say goodbye. The building will be destroyed to make space for new flats. I’m sure those new living rooms won’t be as nice as the one that has to give way. So take this chance and visit before it’s too late.
Mon-Thu: 5.30 pm to 1 am, Fri & Sat: 7.30 pm to 2 am, Neugasse 75

I’m sure you’re aware of the huge construction site next to the main station. In 2015, the project Europaallee will be finished. Last weekend was the opening of the first section. But while the construction works go on, some of the old building will be used for cultural events. One of them is the Sihlpost. For one year, you’ll find there a gallery, fashion design, ceramic art and a pop-up-shop collaboration by Opia and Kinsfolk. This gives me hope that the Europaallee might become much livelier than expected.

Autumn is generally beautiful in Zurich, but you can already count the days until it gets chilly. Which means it’s time to move indoors. Therefore I compiled a list of concerts to see until the end of the year, so you can already start planning. Good music, good friends and good venues – winter you may arrive!