As the world seems to become a smaller place to live in, so my world grows and grows. Beginning this month, Lausanne is the newest member city of the Ron Orp community and I’m very happy to have them on board. If you know anyone around Lausanne who would like a little bit of Ron in their life, then please spread the word.
Give my love to the city, Ron

You probably know Hive as your electro party place but they also use the rooms for more cultural events as well. Tonight they have an exhibition showing 3 artists: a photographer from Switzerland, a painter living in California and a painter from Peru. Each artist brings their own aesthetic from photos full of colour and texture to abstract expressionism and mysterious fairy tale like paintings. Hive still has the electro beats for your feet later in the night but maybe your eyes could do with a party first.
Thursday 6 pm, Hive

Birthdays are important occasions to celebrate but when it’s your first one, then it seems something special should be done. Pfingstweide have taken this to heart and will be having their first birthday not over one night but spread across four. Of course, to have all this celebrating without the right music would be plain silly so a boatload of great djs including Guy Gerber, Sascha Braemer and Gel Abril are being shipped in to help. For birthday number two, the party may go on all week.
Thursday to Sunday 11 pm, Pfingstweide

In a culture dominated by mash-ups, remixes and sampling it really doesn’t seem strange to have a breakdance crew perform to the music of Bach. Ok, it does seem a little strange but what’s wrong with that? The breakdance world champions Flying Steps and opera director Christoph Hagel have got together to produce this high-art, street-smart show that was first shown in Berlin, is now touring throughout Europe and will be at Schiffbau this weekend.
Friday to Sunday 9 pm, Schiffbau

Chatroulette has had its moment in the sun, or should I say its moment in a dark shadowy bedroom and now the concept has jumped to the clubs. Plaza are having their Trackroulette night this Saturday. The idea is that 11 djs are primed and ready to go, as one record spins to an end, a number is randomly generated to pick the next dj, who then plays their track. Leaving the running order and style of tunes in the lap of the gods seems like a good idea to me, I just hope the Chatroulette curse of male naked bodies is greatly reduced. But that’s just me.
Saturday 11 pm, Plaza

I know people who’d miss their best friend’s birthday for that concert: Richie Hawtin comes to Komplex 457 this Saturday. And while that’s already a highlight on most electro lover’s agendas, there is even more: He’s coming as his alter ego Plastikman, which means he plays live. Saturday is circled in bright red in my diary!  I have 2x2 tickets to give away.
Contact me for tickets.
Saturday 11 pm, Komplex 457

I came across James Gruntz about four years ago, when he had a concert at Razzia in Zurich. He played in front of about 30 people, one of the most intimate gigs I’ve ever been to. And I was impressed. So I’m looking forward to see him play at Kaufleuten this Monday; curious to hear how his music has developed over the last years. And you wouldn’t guess when listening to his songs, but he’s just 24 years old. I have 2x2 tickets to give away.
Contact me for ticktes.
Monday 8 pm, Kaufleuten

You might have noticed all the faces on the advertising boards everywhere – Switzerland is electing their national council. This election takes place every four years and this year the choice of politicians is even more important than usual as there are a few seats in the Federal Council, for which the national council will have to elect new members this autumn. What’s our job? If you live in the Canton of Zurich you get to choose 34 politicians representing your region in the Nationalrat (similar to the congress in the US). The amount of seats depends on the size of the canton. For the Ständerat (similar to the senate in the US) you get to choose two names. Each canton has two representatives, independent of size and population. The difficult part in this election process is the overwhelming choice of about 1000 candidates. If you’d like to know, which Swiss party or which politicians actually represent your opinion you can fill in a questionnaire at Smartvote – in English – comparing your answers to those of the politicians.

Zurich has a new diner, Helvti Diner, specialising in Hamburger. One of my favourite dishes! So of course I went by and checked it out. I like the interior with purple booths and ketchup bottles in the windows, and the meat tasted great. But all in all the venue didn’t make it into my top 3 burger joints. Number 1 will remain Zur Nachtigall, though the portions are huge! But can there be too much of a good thing? Number 2 is X-tra which serves a great burger with coleslaw. And Number 3 goes to the classic at Silberkugel. Unfortunately, the Silberkugel in Kreis 5 was closed down in July but the branches at Bleicherweg and Franklinstrasse remain. Let me know if you know a great hamburger place!

The days are getting shorter and the weather makes it tempting to stay in bed. For those and other autumn days I compiled a play list. So, put on your thickest woollen sweater, boil a cup of tea and turn up the volume. Play