Tomorrow is my birthday!

...but I also have a gift for you, I will give away a trip for 2 people in a Ron Orp city of your choice! That's right: I'll take you there, organize an evening party for you and dive with you into the city life. To have a chance of winning all you need to do is wish me a Happy Birthday, either by postcard, Twitter or Facebook.
Twitter: Congratulate me on your Twitter account. Just tweet "Happy Birthday Ron Orp" using Hashtag # ronorp.
Facebook: if you congratualte me in your status, add a @ I * Ron Zurich and then it displays it on my wall.
And send  postcards to: Ron Orp, St. Jakob Strasse 54, CH-8004 Zurich.

Deadline for entries is Monday 2 May

Give my love to the city and good luck!

Ron

Hanami is the Japanese tradition of viewing the cherry blossoms that make the country so beautiful this time of the year. In part a celebration of this, as well as a remembrance of their recent disaster, Dee Cee Style is having a Hanami Party. As well as a Yakitori barbeque, sake and Japanese beer, you will also be able to buy limited edition T-shirts, with all money going to Glückskette, a disaster relief charity.

Thursday 5 pm, Dee Cee Style

If you thought knitting and needlework was only for your grandmother, then think again. If you want something to wear that is truly unique and handmade then knitting and sewing it yourself seems the way to go. A new exhibition at Museum Bellerive called ‘Re-Thinking Needlework’ starts this week, and is sure to inspire you.

They have an opening night event on Thursday with guest speakers and performance from frfr-international. And tell your grandma I’ll be expecting more than just a scarf from you this Christmas!

Thursday 7 pm, Museum Bellerive, Lusthäkelgarten

As I my have let slip last week, it’s my birthday this Friday, and what else could I do but have a big party with you as my special guest. The names behind the instruments will remain my secret for now. But I can already tell you that we’ll celebrate at two locations. The Artecotta and the Cigarettefactory just next door will be host to the bands and djs. Mark it in bold in your calendar! Facebook
Friday 9 pm, Artecotta & Cigarettenfabrik, Sihlquai 268/270

Try imagining standing outside of two doors; one is for a techno club and the other is a Balkan folk club, and you just can’t decide which one to go through. I’m sure we’ve all had this dilemma many times before. Well now this problem is fixed by Die Vögel, a band from Hamburg who play at Lambada, whose sound mixes the banging beats and glitches of techno with the Balkan and folk sounds of tuba, trombone and what ever else they can get their hands on it seems. It’s their first time in Zurich and should be an interesting clash of musical cultures.

Saturday 10 pm, Lambada Bar, Dienerstrasse 43

Folk music seems to have hit the big time recently in the UK, especially with acts like Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling becoming popular. Now come Erland and the Carnival, who take bits of poetry, lyrics, folk tales and songs and mix them into a dark swirl that sounds like the soundtrack to a creepy, dreamy circus. They play Exil on Tuesday, so make sure you take a friend and you won’t get scared on the way home.

Tuesday 20.30 pm, Exil

1st May in Zurich is the same as everywhere else – demonstrations, speeches and the odd battle. But there are a few things to do and see. On Sunday, the programme begins with the official demonstration starting at 10 am at Sihlpost and ending at 12.15 at Bürkliplatz. So if you don’t want to get into a crowd, just avoid this area. The 1st May party then takes place afterwards from 2 pm at Kaserne, where you’ll find beer and food from all around the world as well as music ranging from funk and jazz to rock. Bäckeranlage is usually the place to meet for a drink before joining the party or to remain all afternoon, depending on the weather (and the smoky barbeques). If you prefer to get away from it all, head to Exil, where classical music will calm your nerves.

It might be one of the smallest bars in town – especially when you consider the ration between guests and the actual floor space. Since the smoking ban, the bar spills into the streets which makes it a wonderful spot to meet up after work. The neighbours might not like that, but particularly on Thursday when Harry M spins the desks, it’s the ideal starting point into a night out. At Dani H. you find a friendly crowd, a large selection of drinks and a bite to eat.
Müllerstrasse 51

Murdoc Niccals, bass player of Gorillaz, airs his pirate radio show from Plastic Beach into the world. On the Gorillaz website you can listen to former shows and to Murdoc’s snarling voice recommending his favourite tracks.
Go to Gorillaz radio

I was listening to this song a lot while walking around an empty Zurich over Easter weekend.  It’s a simple song but it really ear-wormed me, especially when then bass line kicks in. The Look by Metronomy. Enjoy.

Back in the early 90’s, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were the funky but juvenile delinquents of hip-hop, then the Fresh Prince turned into Will Smith, the Hollywood god and Jazzy Jeff seemed to disappear. But all Jazzy did was return to being a hip-hop producer and continued working with some of the biggest names in rap. On Saturday he will be djing at Härterei, and we’ll see that while Big Willy Smith got the movies, Jazzy definitely got the beats. He’s also being supported by 3 local hip-hop dj’s.

Saturday 11 pm, Härterei