I’m sorry for last week (I didn’t send a newsletter), but it was too hot to work. Instead I decided to say hello to the Foo Fighters at Gampel Open Air and went swimming in several Cantons. But I didn’t forget you - see my Good to Know further down for a refreshing Tour de Suisse, as well as a musical discovery I found on my trip.
Give my love to the city, Ron

My lovely assistants from the German issue, made a wonderful and colourful guide for this weekend’s Zürich Openair. I wanted to translated it for you guys, but I thought it looks cool as it is, and it never hurts to practice a little bit of Züridütsch! Download my guide for the Zürich Openair
Thursday to Sunday 16 pm, Glattbrugg

Site of crime: Bad Bonn Kilbi. Basses are booming, the dancers become a living unit in the small room, sweat is dropping and the mood is boiling. That’s what I call a successful party. The praise for the music, which made this happening possible, belongs to Nguzunguzu. And now, dear friends, I have good news for you: The producing duo from LA is in town tonight. At Hive. And not to be missed!
Thursday 11 pm, Hive

Memoryhouse are an electro-pop duo from Canada whose music, as their name suggests, has a dreamy and ethereal quality to it but with enough drums and bass to not be blown away by a stiff breeze. If you like the kind of sound that a band like Beach House make then these could be your new favourite band. They play at Exil this Friday. 
Friday 8.30 pm, Exil

As if to taunt the weather gods, this weekend sees another open-air festival trying its best catch the summer sun in a party mood. Openair Oberrieden is outside the city limits but is only a short distance down the lake and, with this year’s line-up, is certainly worth the trip. Dabu Fantastic are a must see on Friday, with Animal Trainer and Junior Boys my highlights for Saturday. Unfortunately, there’s no overnight camping.
Friday 6 pm til 2 am and Saturday 3 pm til 4am,  Oberrieden Dorf

Sport Bar is the confusingly named bar tucked away on a Langstrasse side street. It’s a great place to hang out during the day or evening, and is perfect for an easy Sunday brunch when all you want is to relive the previous late night over some coffee, eggs and whatever relaxing music the bar staff are playing. The one thing it doesn’t do at all is sport. And this weekend it is celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary with dj’s a-plenty. So ladies, if your man hasn’t taken you out for a while, tell him you want to go to the Sport Bar this weekend and watch as he looks at you with renewed enthusiasm. 
Saturday and Sunday, 8am til 2am, Sport Bar, Kanzleistrasse 76, 8004

Les Digitales is a festival for electronic music that takes place simultaneously across Switzerland in various cities and parks. Last year it was held in Zurich for the first time, and I had such a great time they’ve decided to do it again. All the artists on offer come from both Switzerland and across Europe. Cloud Boat from London should be great and I can’t wait to see what Porn Sword Tobacco from Sweden have to offer. It's taking place at the Basislager, Aargauerstrasse where you can relax on the grass or, if you get there early enough, on one of the deck chairs supplied. They also have a bar and simple menu to ease you into the chilled electro mood. And entry is free!
Sunday 1 pm, Basislager, Aargauerstrasse

Even if you don’t immediately recognise their name, you will know Foster the People by their inescapable catchy hit of last summer, Pumped Up Kicks . The LA trio make music that is as pure pop as any boy-band out there but with enough quirk and dirt to make the cool kids love them. Pumped Up Kicks is all about a homicidal teenage, in case you were wondering as you hummed along. They play their only Swiss gig at Komplex 457 this Monday and I have 1 x 2 tickets to give away. Email me.
Monday 8 pm, Komplex 457

Too often, I stay in my neighbourhood, so I decided to make an excursion to Seefeld. And found a true highlight: Kafi Höfli. In the inner court yard of the N°2 Shop hides a pretty café. Lovely decorated tables are placed in the middle of plants. You can order all kind of refreshing drinks and for lunch they serve several light meals. Try for yourself.
Mo: 11 am to 6.30 pm, Tu-Fr: 9.30 am to 6.30 pm,
Sa: 9.30 am to 5 pm, Kafi Höfli, Brotgasse 3

The last few days we had proper summer weather and although the weather forecast predicts lower temperatures for the weekend, I’m sure that the sun power will be back. If the swimming areas in and around Zurich are too crowded for your liking, or if you fancy a change, here is a refreshing Tour de Suisse. The tour starts in Valais: I needed to cool down after the great concert of Foo Fighters at Gampel Open Air. Luckily I found Lac der Géronde close to Sierre, a pretty lake surrounded by grass and views into the mountains. The adjacent pool area is closed but who needs a pool if there is a lake and a kiosk? Next stop Murtensee: A scenic drive through vineyards along Lac de Neuchatel brings you to Salavaux within about two hours. Murtensee is beautiful all around but at Salavaux you find a sandy beach as well as a small café which often hosts bands in the evening. And this weekend, a music open air takes place at the shore. Schönenwerd on the way back: It was too hot to drive through to Zurich, so I stopped at Schönenwerd, a town close to Aarau, followed the signs to Bally Areal (the formers Swiss shoe brand) and parked my car there. A short walk through a majestic park brings you to the river. And to my surprise it wasn’t crowded at all: Perfect to relax, swim and bbq.
Stay cool, my friends!

During my little trip I came across a jam session in the middle of nowhere. One of the musicians gave me a cd with their protest song . The Music Monkeys, a band from Zofingen protest against the “club dying”.  In every city, people move into central areas to be close to what’s happening and then complain about the noise until the clubs have to close. Their original version is dedicated to the Goldener Ochsen in Zofingen, a place which I used to frequent regularly in my youth. But their adapted version applies to all cities in Switzerland. So I’m happy to share their song with you. You’ll find a translation of the lyrics on my website. Listen

I love trivia. I realized this once more, while watching Vsauce’s channel on Youtube. Vsauce is generally Michael who delivers interesting, funny and sometimes also trivial facts from all around the world. He knows which keys we use most on our keyboards, and how many calories each key burns, or explains logically how we’re all related to one another. Here one of my favourites from Vsacue: What if everybody jumped at once?