gimme a beat with babymonster

Flow Festival (commonly known as Flow) is an urban music and arts festival in Helsinki, Finland.  It was created by the Finnish music producer Tuomas Kallio and his friends from the Helsinki-based music collective Nuspirit Helsinki. Since 2004, the festival has been organized annually. Over the years the festival grew from 4000 visitors to 90'000. In 2007 the festival moved to Suvilahti,...

My personal experience with music in the movies is that if chosen correctly, hearing the music when watching the scene will make it more intense and therefore memorable.  My rationale behind this is simple: there is an emotion that music triggers in us because of the music itself or/and the lyrics of the song. For me and I can imagine that this is the same for many people, the great songs tri...

I love this part of the year! That time of the year when we are almost in summer, but not fully there yet. The mornings are still cool and refreshing, days are warm and sunny and evenings are warm enough to hang outside but still with enough breeze to make the night cosy and pleasurable. This kind of weather reflects my mood, it makes me happy, hopeful and chilled at the same time. This also trans...

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, and in 2021 I did another one. So what is it about NPR Tiny Desk Concert series that I love? It is very simple, this series brings an intimate concert vibe throug...

Roadtrips are my favourite type of travelling. My favourite roadtrips are the ones where I travel alone. There is no better feeling than driving in the car by yourself for miles, on, if lucky, empty roads, enjoying your music or only your thoughts in your mind in silence, while soaking up the nature around you. Every year I do at least one road trip, to recharge my batteries and get back my (un)us...

Sónar CCCB 2021 is/was a 2 day festival of music, debate, experimentation and inspiration, with more than 60 activities spread over 5 spaces, with 40 concerts and DJ sets and an extensive program of lectures, debates, presentations, workshops and an exhibition space with local and international projects. This festival and its program was set in place to connect the world of art, science and techno...

First held in 2005, Zurich Film Festival established itself very quickly on the national and international film festival scene. The formula for its success it's probably a mix of an attractive location: international but small city of Zurich; great selection of movies and different programs/events like ZFF Masters, ZFF Talks, Zurich Summit, ZFF for Pupils, ZFF 72 and few others. The best way to ex...

NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts were always one of my favorite things to listen to, but with pandemic my interest turned into an obsession. Last year I did two shows dedicated to them: Obsessed with Tiny Desk 2020 Part I and Part II.  So what is it about Tiny Desk Concert series that I love? It is very simple, this series brings an intimate concert vibe through approx 20 minute video performances,...

Last weekend, I was reorganising my vinyl collection and reminiscing about the good times, before the pandemic. The time when nights were never ending and standing closer to the people meant that you were having good times. Frankly speaking, I already stopped going out to the clubs regularly long before the pandemic. As a matter of fact, I stopped DJ-ing because I didn't see the point in only goin...

As we entered the second year of Covid-19 pandemic, I am craving traveling, festivals, concerts.. live music in any form! Since it is obvious that this will not happen any time soon, I like to explore the next best thing: recordings of the live music. I've already covered my ultimate favorite: NPR's tiny desk concerts in April and May 2020. This time I will explore the female factor of Deezer Sess...

Women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in federal elections after a referendum in February 1971. Even though the fight for women’s suffrage in Switzerland started in 1863 (canton Zürich), women had to fight for more than 100 years to get it. And in some cantons it took a bit longer to get there.. last canton to grant women suffrage was Appenzell Innerrhoden (AI) and this only under an order...

Xmas is one of my favorite times of the year It is usually a time of the year when things start slowing down, everybody gets a bit friendlier and merrier, and everywhere you go it smells like xmas cookies and glühwein. But this is 2020, year of Covid19 pandemic and with everything happening around us, it feels like Xmas vibe has lost its charm and jolly, festive spirit. And we can either get into...

First held in 2005, Zurich Film Festival established itself very quickly on national and international film festival scene. The formula for it success it's probably mix of an attractive location: international but small city of Zurich; great selection of movies and different programs/events like ZFF Masters, ZFF Talks, Zurich Summit, ZFF for Pupils, ZFF 72 and few others. Few years ago I read the...

Last month I did this year's Obsessed with Tiny Desk edition. But two hours Gimme A Beat just wasn't enough for me to play all the music I wanted. Especially since due to Covid19 pandemic all summer festivals are already canceled and I can imagine that the same will happen for the ones planned in the second part of 2020 as well. At this point of time NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts are the closest we hav...

I've been obsessed with NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concerts for a while now. But I covered them for the first time only last year in Obsessed with Tiny Desk So what is it about Tiny Desk Concert series that I love? It is very simple, this series brings intimate concert vibe through approx 20 minute video performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. And when I am not...

Zürich Openair started in 2010, but I attended it and reviewed it for the first time only in 2016, because somehow I was always busy at that particular time with some other festivals across Europe. This year I've decided to keep it local, stay in Zürich and re-visit it.  Regardless of my attendance :-), this fairly young festival seems to attracts more and more people every year, not just from Swi...

Since 1998, m4music festival takes place every March here in Switzerland: two days in Zurich and one day in the chosen city in the French part. It is flawlessly organized at one of the coolest locations in town: Schiffbau; with many concerts happening on the seven (+1) stages, at or close the main building. M4music festival is more of the cultural platform than a typical music festival. It is a pl...

Insecure is HBO's original series, created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, starring Issa and Yvonne Orji as two young black women, best friends since university. Shot on location in the Los Angeles area, the show closely follows Molly (Orji) and Issa's friendship as they cope with their own flaws, insecurities relationship troubles, and the general difficulties of young adulthood, all packed in an...

First held in 2005, Zurich Film Festival established itself very quickly on national and international film festival scene. The formula for it success it's probably mix of an attractive location: international but small city of Zurich; great selection of movies and different programs/events like ZFF Masters, ZFF Talks, ZFF 72. Personally, I feel that logic behind Zurich Film Festival's success is...

I listened to Angel Haze already back in 2011/2012, but I really start paying attention to them (as Angel prefers to be referred to) with the release of their third (free) mixtape, Reservation. During the summer of 2012, I had this mixtape on the repeat. I also loved the videos that followed the release, for the songs New York and Werkin' Girls. The year after, I saw Angel Haze live for the first...

Visiting and reviewing Rock En Seine festival is becoming yearly tradition for Gimme A Beat. What is the reason that every year I keep on going back to this festival? I guess it is a perfect balance of phenomenal line-up, location very close to Paris town and lots of cool, stylish visitors that are not only taking care of the style and what to wear, but really know how to enjoy the music and give...

We had beautiful summer this year in Switzerland so reviewing the festival like Blue Balls that is partially set inside, partially outside and happening in the beautiful surrounding next to Lake Luzern, feels more like a blessing then an effort. This festival with slightly inappropriate name that is happening during two weeks of July, brings me back last few years, mostly because of it's awesome l...

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella) is an annual three-day music and arts festival, founded by Paul Tollett, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley. Due to popular demand, back in 2012, Coachella organisers "stretched" the festival over two weekends. Of course, first weekend is m...

Since 1998, m4music festival takes place every March here in Switzerland: two days in Zurich and one day in the chosen city in the French part. The festival is organized by Migros Pour-cent and even though it features many concerts on the four stages in impressive Schiffbau complex, it is not the typical music festival. M4music festival is more like the type of the cultural platform where artists,...

Several years ago, I remember watching Akua Naru's video: The World Is Listening. And writing her name down to check her out. But years passed and even with the note, regretfully, I forgot to do that. Then one day last year, on my way home from work, totally drained and exhausted, I was passing by the stand with the posters and one of them caught my eye and something about it demanded my immediate...