The Moods team review - part 2

Last week, some Moods employees were already busy hitting the keys and presenting their concert highlights. But as we mentioned last week: tastes differ. That's why we've put together even more highlights for you. This time Adrian, Bigi, Dani, Simon, Graziella and Marian reveal their concert highlights.

Adrian

The season started with a bang for Adi: BaianaSystem in the action hall of the Rote Fabrik. According to our booker, the show the Brazilians put on from the very first second was second to none. He also thought the change of location was cool: "It was my first time in the newly renovated Aktionshalle and I have to say that the sound there is also very high quality (almost Moods level ;-)). And because the show wasn't at Moods, I wasn't responsible for anything and could just let myself go with the music."

His second highlight was one for the whole family: the family concert by Los Wemblers. He always finds the family concerts very touching: "So many people who have rarely experienced live music and stare at the stage with gigantic eyes, how could you not melt? With the Wemblers, many of the guests had a Peruvian background, some even grew up in Iquitos itself (where the band also comes from). Many are very grateful for being able to experience a part of their culture with their offspring, which is also communicated very emotionally. I am very happy that I can contribute to making this possible and I like to think back on it (when things don't go so smoothly...)."His third highlight is a little surprising, as it didn't actually start well. The concert of the Kalem Ensembles almost had to be canceled because the singer of this duo was turned away at the border and spent his evening in deportation detention instead of at Moods. "After an afternoon full of desperate calls to the police, the migration office, the Serbian consulate and various lawyers, we had to admit that there was nothing we could do about arbitrary government action," summarizes Adi and adds: "The guitarist decided to perform the concert alone and turned the club into a singing madhouse. The audience showed me that you can react to injustice with exuberant celebration. This reaction strengthened my faith in humanity."

Dani

In his highlights, our Managing Director focused on the events that gave him more than a smile last season, that made him forget the crazy world and gave him hope. One such event was the concert by Gansch & Roses. It was a wonderful day with the band and an even better concert with an incredible line-up and satisfied guests. But there was one thing he remembers in particular: "One highlight was meeting Florian Petermann, the manager of Gansch & Roses. We stood in the gallery and watched the hustle and bustle of the soundcheck while our bellies arched the railing. When asked about this, he said in the most beautiful Viennese dialect: 'That's when the Russians come', and patted his stomach. I've rarely laughed so much when I've been in charge in the evening." Thomas Gansch later said a sentence that accompanied Dani throughout the season: "In these crazy times, we artists have to give people hope."

Dani's second highlight was MonoBloco. Monobloco has always been a great celebration of love: friendships formed during rehearsals, marriages made to the sound of the tambourine and children growing up to the rhythm of the batucada. He also felt this feeling during the concert: "Celebrating life with 500 other people, singing and dancing together, even though you - or at least I - don't understand the lyrics. Music is a universal language that connects people. It was simply a wonderful evening in good company."

His last highlight for Dani was a little trip back in time to his youth on the dancefloor. This thanks to LTJ Bukem. "Up until LTJ Bukem's performance, I worked at the box office. So many guests thanked me for having him play with us. Some had been waiting 20 years for this opportunity. Almost all of them were my age and we danced until dawn - just like 30 years ago."

Bigi

Our booker Bigi is responsible for the carte blanche, which is also reflected in her highlights - with one exception. "Anyone who knows the Swiss jazz scene knows my first highlight Hildegard lernt fliegen. It was high time I saw the band and - yikes! - they blew me away! Sometimes their concert was introspective, sometimes full of energy, and their wit and joy put a smile on everyone's face," she writes. What's more, these great musicians show that you don't always have to take yourself so seriously.

The second Bigi highlight is the carte blanche evening by yuniya edi kwon & Holland Andrews. The two artists presented their opera-in-progress "How does it feel to look at nothing" - a delicate, continuous improvisation of voice, electronics, percussion and violin - and moved Bigi to tears. This picture by our member Michael (Insta: @vnv__stage) shows just how beautiful it was.

Her Bigi's last highlight is also a carte blanche: the first evening of Tillmann Ostendarpwhich was organized as a jam. Bigi sums it up as follows: "There were more Zurich music legends present that evening than at a concert by the Zurich Jazz Orchestra. Tillmann led the jam like an alchemist mixing tinctures, potions and herbs to create an explosive wonder potion. There were so many magical moments!"

Simon

Our marketing manager has long been a big fan of Muriel Grossmann and buys every record she puts out. And there are quite a few. He has done a lot for her: "I recommended her to our booking department over two years ago, 2025 finally worked out. At the sound check, I was suddenly a little unsettled, it all sounded very wild and free. That can certainly be the case with Muriel, but I hadn't expected it to be like this. And after all, I had never seen or heard anything like this live before. But the concert was great, with lots of quiet passages after solo flights of fancy." I will continue to buy every new Muriel record and support her in this way. She is simply fantastic!"

Simon's second highlight was Jaubi. "Somehow the name sounds familiar, I thought when I read the name in the program. And I actually found an LP in my collection. But I'd never really heard them before. They also play with a different line-up," he says. But the name says it all: "Jaubi (Ja-bi) is an Urdu word and loosely translated means "whatever/whoever". And that describes the band from Lahore pretty well. Their guiding principle is: whatever sounds good and feels good, that's what they do. They always involve other musicians in their creative process. This is exactly what characterizes the band: Inter-nationality, creativity and the ability to engage with others." This was also noticeable on this evening. Also thanks to the outstanding tabla player Kashif Ali Dhani and Zohaib Hassan Khan on the sarangi, a traditional string instrument from Pakistan, which moved Simon to tears. Simon's final highlight is his absolute favorite concert of the season, or as he calls it: "Simply great." We are talking about Chip Wickham. "He's another artist I've been following for a long time and have all his LPs in my collection. Here too, it took more than two years before it finally worked out with a performance at Moods. Many thanks to our booking team for their persistence." Our managing director Dani was also infected with the Wickham virus by Simon. He was the host at this concert and thanked Simon personally for the tip during his announcement of the concert and was also delighted that it finally worked out. Simon says: "Of course the whole of Moods knew me afterwards and Chip really wanted to meet me and thank me. So after the concert, I chatted with Chip and his fellow musicians until the early hours of the morning. Ah, I just remembered, he had pointed out one of his first songs to me, which was released on a single, and I'm still missing it in my collection!"

Graziella

Our HR manager was enthusiastic about Jowee Omicil. According to Graziella, he is the only artist who can say "Yolo" on stage so that it comes across as cool and not embarrassing. For her, his music means pure freedom on stage. The concert was a journey through the cosmos.She also has fond memories of the concert by Vincent PeiraniHe and his band, which had a very strong line-up, put on a great show. I work at bee-flat in Bern from time to time and, as luck would have it, I got to see them again the next day. This show was also good, but I noticed that there was a more intimate atmosphere at Moods, which I really appreciated."One particular highlight for Graziella was something that is not part of our program: the School concerts in collaboration with the city of Zurich. "Since this season, secondary school classes have been able to visit us during school hours for a concert organized especially for them, including a guided tour of Moods and a look behind the scenes," she explains. The concept is deliberately kept simple so that it is a real live music experience. It turns out that school classes are probably the toughest audience you can have: "You have to earn their enthusiasm. It's all the more rewarding for me to see how initial reticence suddenly turns into clapping along, singing along or genuine curiosity." Artists such as Alina Amuri and Knackeboul in particular have impressively shown how approachable and inspiring Swiss music can be. "When young people realize that the music they celebrate and listen to is made by people from their own lives, something special happens," she enthuses.

Marian

Last but not least, I'll also share my highlights with you. My first highlight was right at the beginning of the season, namely the concert by the living legend Bob James. The godfather of smooth jazz is not only great musically, but also as a person. The joy he took in making music with his young band was infectious. Everyone was enthusiastic, but perhaps he was the most enthusiastic. One quote from his speech stuck with me: "Music keeps you young." And when you see him play, you can only confirm that. What's more, his drummer, James Adkins, was an absolute revelation. He's going to be great, I'm telling you.

One concert that I was more than just looking forward to was that of Pongo. I've been listening to Pongo since I was a teenager. I discovered their song "Wegue Wegue" while playing football with my brother and it stuck with me. I didn't realize at the time that I would be able to see them live at my workplace years later. I was all the more excited - and rightly so. It was a concert where everything that could move, did move. What's more, her support band Fidiju Kitxora was a new discovery that convinced me so much that her album is now on my shelf.

And my last highlight also has something to do with nostalgia. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill inspired me early on, especially because of the name. I once stole a poster from one of their shows in Baden and proudly hung it up in my childhood bedroom. But I never made it to one of their concerts. When I heard that they were playing here, I immediately snapped up the evening slot so that I wouldn't miss them - and also so that I could meet them in person. As a dub fan, I was more than enthusiastic about their show, also because the concert was mixed live in surround sound by Umberto Echo (another great name).

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