In October's Gimme a Beat, I reviewed the 20th edition of Zurich Film Festival.

As many of the listeners of Gimme a Beat know, I have been exploring the female factor of the Zurich Film Festival for several years now. In 2024, similar to 2023, I had a chance to get together with so many female filmmakers and actresses that I decided to (again) breakdown my review of the ZFF into several shows. Since I am adapting the timing of the shows to Swiss(-German) screenings of movies, and most of them are happening this year, more shows are coming.

I saw almost 35 movies, so I will not be able to review all of them, instead, I am focusing on the highlights only. To find them, you should follow the search with the following hashtags: #zff #zff2024 #highlight #gimmeabeat.

In tonight's Gimme A Beat, I will be focusing on Les Courageux / The Courageous, the movie directed and co-written by Jasmin Gordon. The movie is already playing in the Swiss-French cinemas, and it is coming to Swiss-German cinemas (RiffRaff/Houdini) on March 9th, with a special screening.

I had the pleasure of getting together with Jasmin a few months after I saw the movie. We talked about what compelled her to tell this story, its unexpected impact on audiences, and the challenges and rewards of bringing it to life. We also discussed what it means for an artist like Jasmin, who lives and breathes her craft, to receive awards as recognition.
Tune in to Gimme A Beat (17.02.2025) tonight to hear my impressions of Les Courageux / The Courageous, Zurich Film Festival, and my interview with Jasmin, combined with music by female artists selected by her and music from the powerful soundtrack, created by Mirjam Skal.

Check also the relevant ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Deezer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ playlist.

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for the info about old shows, please go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠previous entries

It's Xmas time 🎄🎄and I am back again with my favouriteNPR Tiny Desk concerts!

There were so many awesomeTiny Desk this year, that, afterObsessed with Tiny Desk 2024, I couldn't resist doing one more before the year wraps up - for my special Xmas Gimme a Beat.

This session will feel like you have been invited into my home to celebrate Xmas with me. Some moments will be cozy and warm, others bursting with energy, and some might inspire you to reflect on the year and the times we are living in.

Hopefully, you will enjoy these sessions as much as I do and maybe even discover some of your new favorite artists! I will be featuring several female artists I discovered withNPR Music's Tiny Desk.

Grab a warm drink, get cozy, and join me in celebrating Xmas with some incredible music 🎄🎄

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Tune in tonight to Gimme A Beat (16.12.2024) forObsessed with Tiny Desk - Xmas 2024 🎄🎄 and my selection ofNPR Tiny Desk Concerts featuring Doechii, Billie Eilish, Shaé Universe, Chelsea Wolfe, Cinder Well, Anita Tijoux, Carrtoons, Kelela, and Thandiswa Mazwai. For NPR, you can donatehere.

npr tiny desk on youtube with videos of the sessions.
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for the info about old shows please go to previous entries

It's 2024, and I am back again with a bunch of my favourite NPR Tiny Desk concerts.

NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts were always one of my favourite things to listen to, but with the pandemic, my interest turned into an obsession. In 2020, I did two shows dedicated to them: Obsessed with Tiny Desk 2020 Part I and Part II, in 2021 I did one more, in 2022 another one and last year one as well.

So what is it about NPR Tiny Desk Concert series that I love?

It is very simple, this series brings an intimate concert vibe through approx 20-minute video performances, recorded either live at the desk of All Songs Considered host and producer Bob Boilen or, during the pandemic, at someplace that feels like an artist's home. The latter unsurprisingly called Tiny Desk (home) concerts. Bob Boilen retired in the meantime, but he created music history with NPR Tiny Desk Concerts and his legacy continues.

During the pandemic, we couldn't attend gigs or music festivals, so, for me, NPR Tiny Desk Concerts were the closest thing I had to live gigs. Even today, this is still my favourite place when I need to do something at work that requires deep concentration. Also, when I am craving a live and more intimate experience.

Let's be honest, how often are you able to see your favourite (or newly discovered favourite) artist performing in a small, intimate venue? Unfortunately, not that frequently.

And this is why my yearly Obsessed with Tiny Desk is here to stay. Minimum once per year and sometimes even more than that.
Tune in tonight to Gimme A Beat (16.09.2024) to hear my selection of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts featuring Tems, Maro, Noname, Kehlani, Feist, Chaka Khan and Chappell Roan. For NPR, you can donate here.

Check out npr tiny desk selection on youtube with videos of the sessions.
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for the info about old shows please go to previous entries

Last month I did the first part of the review of m4music festival 2024.

This month I will continue with the review of m4music festival and share two more artists who were part of my exploration of the "female factor" of the festival.

In tonight's show, I will keep my focus on the Swiss music scene, covering the fascinatingly cool band and music label Sirens of Lesbos and über talented young singer-songwriter Mary Middlefield.

For impressions of their performances at m4music festival, check here, and here, respectively. You can also check overall impressions of the festival here.

Tune in to Gimme A Beat (17.06.2024) tonight to hear interviews with Jasmina and Nabyla of Sirens of Lesbos and Mary Middlefield combined with the music from their latest releases.

Check also the relevant ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠Deezer⁠⁠⁠⁠ playlist.

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for the info about old shows, please go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠previous entries

Since 1998, m4music festival takes place every March here in Switzerland: two days in Zurich and one day in Lausanne. This festival is a project from Migros Culture Percentage. This is a flawlessly organised festival at one of the coolest locations in Zürich: Schiffbau; with many concerts happening on the seven (+1) stages, at or close to the main building.

M4music festival is more of a cultural platform than a typical music festival. It is a place where artists and industry experts meet and exchange ideas, experiences and visions of the future. There are several ways this festival makes this happen. By offering interesting panel discussions and workshops on the latest hot issues in the music business; competition for the next generation of musicians (Demotape Clinic) and simply by providing the chance to mingle with many local, national and international people at the venue, talk, share opinions and knowledge.

I was visiting and reviewing this festival for many years until the pandemic. This year I realized that I missed m4music experience, so I decided to come back.

As usual, it was a very busy two days, but most importantly for Gimme A Beat, in my exploration of "female factor" of the festival I managed to get together with 4 very talented artists for interviews. In order to give all artists focus they deserve, I will break down the show in two.

In tonight show I will focus on one band: a fabulous, female-led band Say She She and one solo artist, young talented artist Hannah Jadagu. Both are based in NYC.

For impressions of their performances at m4music festival, check here, and here, respectively. You can also check overall impressions of the festival here.
Tune in to Gimme A Beat (20.05.2024) tonight to hear interviews with Say She She and Hannah Jadagu combined with the music from their latest releases.

Check also the relevant ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠Deezer⁠⁠⁠ playlist.————————————————————————–

for the info about old shows, please go to ⁠⁠⁠previous entries