“Bringing the town to life in the middle of winter” is the aim of the organisers of “Les Hivernales” a rock and beat festival which will take place in various venues in Nyon from the 10-13th February. The festival, which made its debut last year proved to be a great success with music lovers so it is back again in 2011.
Les Hivermales – Fake fur on the poster but real music
This year there is an extra day of programming and new venues will be participating in the event: those involved are the Usine a Gaz with 450 places, the Salle Communale (600 places), La Parenthèse (100 places), After Club (250 places), the bars Cactus Jack and the Quai 23, the Bains des 3 Jetées and even the ice rink!
There will be more news later on this initiative but in the meantime check out what Francesca (Living in Nyon’s new writer) says about three of the main acts due to play at the festival.
Yuksek – Saturday 12th February 2011 – Salle Communale
Headlining this year’s festival is Yuksek, a French DJ, producer, and remix artist from Reims, France. Similar to artists such as Daft Punk, Chromeo, Boys Noize, and MSTRKRFT, his varied style is characterized by house, disco, acid rock, and pop influences. At the age of seventeen he made the decision to quit school and focus on his music career. He has made quite a splash in the European electronic scene in the past decade. Yuksek relies heavily on the use of samples, synthetic sounds, beat machines, and mixers, which create catchy, upbeat crescendos perfect for dancing. I wouldn’t miss out on the chance to see him before the price of a ticket skyrockets when he breaks out in the underground music scenes of New York City and Los Angeles. Check out his official website for photos, sound bytes, and videos.
Ebony Bones! – Saturday 12the February – Usine à Gaz
Ebony Bones! (born Ebony Thomas) is a London-based singer-songwriter, music producer and actress. She has a provocative, anti-authoritarian attitude and often-outlandish style of dress, which creates a unique concert experience both aurally and visually. She is a self-taught musician with a strong, dynamic voice and a sound similar to performers like Santigold or Amanda Blank. She employs a variety of techniques including clapping, electro-synthesized beats, horns, choral fillers, discofunk bass lines, rock guitar riffs, audio distortion, Afrocentric drumming, and call-and-response, to create a fragmented yet bold sound and engaging live show. Her songs are uptempo, energetic, good for dancing, and promote an unapologetic, live-in-the-moment philosophy to music.
Round Table Knights – Friday 11th February 2011 – Usine à Gaz
Round Table Knights (known informally to fans as RTK) is a DJ/Producer duo comprised of DJ Questionmark and DJ Atomik from Bern, CH. Primarily known for their remixes, RTK’s original work has an ambient sound with unique bass lines. The duo have been spinning together since 2000 and have already played alongside acts including Beastie Boys, Spank Rock, Coco Rosie, Justice, Modeselektor, Simian Mobile Disco, and Soulwax among others. Diverse influences include disco, house, psychedelic rock, and pop. Their rise in popularity in the world music scene is evident with upcoming shows in Beijing, Singapore, Washington, DC, San Diego, and Montreal. Check out their recently released EP sampler.
GOLD Hangover – Saturday 12/2/2011 – Cactus Jack
GOLD Hangover is the name of duo act DJ Sancho and DJ Die Latté who hail from Lausanne. Their genre is dubstep, a relatively new electronic music movement, which is gaining popularity throughout Europe and the States. GOLD Hangover’s sound is characterized by a heavy reliance on bass and sub-bass, complex and syncopated beats, looped samples, rewinds, and unexpected bass drops. They have a dark, gritty sound similar to Bassnectar. If you’re a fan of dubstep or have always wondered what the hype is about I’d recommend seeing this free show live.