Extended Interviews
Some of our guests have more to say than can be accomodated in five minutes on-air. Below are links to mp3 files of those longer interviews.
February 2012
Jazz singer Alexia Gardner hails from Birmingham, has performed all over the world and is now living in Liestal, near Basel. She talked to us about the jazz scene in Switzerland and her new album A Little Closer, which was recorded live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club in Basel. Listen to the interview here.
January 2012
The Basel Region has its own English-speaking Boy and Cub Scout Troop. Modelled on the curriculum of the Boy Scouts of America, but with adaptations to give the local team a unique Dreiländereck flavour, the Basel cub pack has a full agenda, and some pretty impressive grown-ups to guide things along. Listen to what happened in The English Show studio when Rob Grantham, a few parents and just five of the pack visited the studio on the first really snowy night of the season!
DJ Proteus from Finland is one of the world’s best-known Hardstyle DJs. We met up with him on New Year’s Eve in Basel, just minutes after his midnight set. He told us about the Hardstyle music genre, how to deconstruct a track, and the perils of 6-hour DJ sets. You can listen to the report here.
On her website, Sarah Gillett, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, declares that her work and that of the Embassy is “...dedicated to enriching the substantial relationships which the United Kingdom has with Switzerland and Liechtenstein, [links which] go back many centuries.” She continues: “Maximising trade and investment flows will be paramount... Collaboration to safeguard the world’s environment has never been a higher priority.” The Ambassador concludes by saying that it is highly rewarding to “...represent the United Kingdom in two countries where the appetite for working creatively together is so strong.” On 11 January, she spoke to listeners of The English Show about her expectations for 2012 and beyond.
December 2011
London duo The Correspondents consists of Mr. Bruce, who sings, raps and scats at breakneck speed, dresses wonderfully nattily, and dances like nothing you've ever seen before; and Chucks, who's the man behind the decks laying down intoxicating beats from the worlds of jazz, swing, drum’n’bass, jungle and more. Their style is unique, eclectic, mad and eminently danceable. They came to Basel for a sold-out gig; The English Show's full-length interview with them is here.
Michael Jackson was loved and remains mourned by millions the world over. Long before his tragic death two and a half years ago, British fan and impressario Adrian Grant had the idea of staging a musical to celebrate the King of Pop's life and work. Thriller Live, which takes its name from the artist's most successful album, has played to packed houses throughout Europe and is visiting Basel in December. Listen to the full-length interview here.
Brighton-based The Miserable Rich were on irrepressibly sparkling form when they came to play in Basel. They talked to us about losing passports, ghostly goings-on and a strange card game called Weetabix... Listen to the full-length interview here.
October 2011
Swiss band Almaza Kings came into the studio to talk to us about their debut album and how they craft their music. Listen to the interview here.
Countertenor Alex Potter studied at New College, Oxford, and then went on to pursue further study in singing and baroque performance practice at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Alex is continuing his focus on 17th and 18th century music, working with conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, Roland Wilson, and Peter Neumann. He talked to the English Show about being a countertenor and the genius of 17th century composer Henry Purcell. For a taste of both Alex's voice and Purcell, listen to the beginning and end of the interview, where Alex is accompanied by Patrick Ayrton on harpsichord.
July 2011 - Gurten Festival. Anna and Gaynor chatted to some of the bands performing at this great music festival in Bern.
They use pots, pans, and trash cans in their spectacular shows: percussion duo Bubble Beatz on where they find their instruments and how they construct their beats.
Basel duo Das Pferd play wonderfully bonkers electro-techno-punk. Felix Hohler chats to us about dressing up on stage, what they want people do to after their gigs, and the exorbitant price of beer.
Pamela Méndez is a Swiss-Mexican singer-songwriter whose thoughtful lyrics stem from an international background. She talks about how teenage songwriting can still be relevant and about Switzerland’s influence on her song texts.
The Rambling Wheels are a quartet of musicians from Neuchatel who want to make their audience dance – and laugh - with their blend of pop and rock. They tell the story behind their exotic new album title and why they prefer to sing in English.
The gorgeous Caroline Chevin and Alain Clark chat about their backgrounds, how much they love playing music, and their favorite toothpaste!
77 Bombay Street are four brothers from Basel who’ve lived in Australia and now make their home in the mountains of Graubünden. Simri and Esra Buchli talk about Basel, their music, and confirm that, yes, they do love Lady Gaga.
Basel’s The Bianca Story won last year’s Basel Pop Prize with their artfully constructed melodies. Fabian Chiquet and Elia Rediger talk about their experience recording in London’s Abbey Road Studios and the joys and frustrations of being in a fully democratic band.
Mad, bad, and dangerous to know: Pendulum’s mix of drum&bass, metal and rock had the crowd at Gurten going mental. We talked to MC Ben Mount and and bassist Gareth McGrillen about the joys of playing live, why they’ve stopped stage diving, and what they’re up to next.
August 2010 Celtic Road, Stimmen Festival. Ciarán, Roy and Maria spoke with some performers between rehearsals. Kathleen Dineen gives the background of the event: download interview here. Nell Ní Chróinín tells us a bit about sean nós and her first trip outside Ireland to sing: download interview here. Julie Fowlis talks about the role of music in preserving and promoting Scots Gaelic: download interview here. Tim Eriksen gives us some back ground on traditional choral singing in the United States: download interview here. Tomás Ó Canainn tells us a bit about the uilleann pipes, among a great many other things: download interview here.
June 2010 WFMU Jersey City community radio station manager Ken Freedman chats with Maria about happenings on a conference in open media last month, the free music archive, happenings in Basel on the cutting edge of radio evolution, and the benefits of benign dictatorship. Download interview here.
Mark Morrison-Reed offers Matt an extended interview to compliment the on-air interview done by Maria on June 15. Mark is promoting his book In Between-Memoirs of an Integration Baby. His experience between cultures and between races is tempered by his experience at Ecole d'Humanite near Bern where our status as members of the human race is promoted over national and racial distinctions. Mark bares his soul and shares his vision for Switzerland in this candid interview about his relationship with the civil rights movement in the US and what it means for Switzerland as they struggle with issues of integration.
Mar 2010 Kieran Goss speaks with Maria about his upcoming concerts in Switzerland and Germany. He plays with Karan Casey at the Kammgarn in Schaffhausen Friday April 23rd. Download interview here.
Mar 2010 Maria and guest interviewer Claire Pearson chat with Imogen Heap at the Abart Club in Zürich on March 9th. Topics included why she loves touring in Switzerland, fave musical instruments and the pitfalls of attending a major award ceremony in an LED twitter dress. Heap recently won her first Grammy - for her engineering work on her latest album, Ellipse. Download interview here.
Dec 2009 - Ciarán interviews Basel's Regierungspräsident Guy Morin about his political background and the success of the Green Party in Basel politics. They also discussed the role of the English-speaking community in Basel and the importance of life sciences to the city. Download interview here.
Dec 2009 - Di Stuart interviews Felix White of Brighton rockers The Maccabees. Download interview here. That same afternoon we spoke with Ed Lay and Chris Urbanowicz of Editors and learned of the sacrifices they make for art the value of a practical education, and what the future holds for Editors.- download here Click here for a google-streetview treasure hunt of across London of songs from their album In this Light and on this Evening.
August 2009 - Lead singer Adrian Sieber and keyboardist Stefan Wagner of the Lovebugs closed the 2009 AVO sessions. Maria asked them about Basel in the days before Radio X, why Adrian sings in English, and what it means to reach across the Röstigraben.
Mar 2009 - Roving Reporter Roy Zuckerman interviews Donovan Leitch on the recent release of a DVD-- a musical and cultural history of the last 40 years, told through the life story of Donovan. Also find out what's to come on his next CD release and his work with kids and Transcendental Meditation. Download interview here.