Despite being a multicultural nation, there is something uniquely Swiss about their music. Not much is known about super early folk music traditions in Switzerland, but it’s thought that they utilized the modes (scales) and instruments that were common of the time. Hammered dulcimers (which I want to own one day), hurdy-gurdies, castinets, alpine horns (yes, the same in the Ricola commercials), fifes, bagpipes, citterns (a type of string instrument), and shawms (a type of double-reed woodwind instrument) were used in much of Swiss folk music.
By the 19th century, we knew much more about Swiss music. Brass bands started to become a thing, and instruments were being built better to more of a standard. Not long after the accordion was invented in Vienna, it made its way to Switzerland where they embraced this instrument that would allow you to play both the melody and harmony at the same time, yet far more portable than a piano (to be honest, most instruments are). Oddly enough, the accordion wasn’t used in dance bands until the early 1900s. As we got into the 20th century, genres like jazz, swing, and the foxtrot began to infiltrate Swiss music, especially in the urban areas. Starting in the 1960s, rock took over and swept its way into homes and radio stations, bringing in different styles like psychedelic rock, blues, hard rock, and punk.
The Swiss would incorporate several different dance styles as part of their traditional dances, even ones that didn’t originate in Switzerland but popular throughout Europe. Some of these include the polka, mazurka, waltz, Scottish, and foxtrot. In the 1800s and into the 1900s, folk dancing took on a different motivation: to create a sense of home and belonging. These dances were often performed at weddings and public events. One dance that’s particular to the central part of the country is the Bödälä, a dance marked by a lot of stamping in intricate rhythmic beats.
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| Knut |
I listened to several bands from Switzerland. The first was Knut, a metal band that definitely sounds like something I’d play in my car. I would recommend them for releasing your inner rage a la Aggretsuko style.
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| Eluveitie |
Of course, I was excited that we finally got to one of my favorite metal bands, Eluveitie. They are more of a folk metal band, but I think they’re fantastic. My cousin introduced them to me, and now I have three of their albums. I also just realized they have a new one that came out this year I didn’t know about.
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| Yves Larocks |
Switching genres, I also sampled some tracks from Yves Larock. It’s more of a dance music style mixed with a little electronica, but I think they’re good. I like them. They do have vocals to them, but that’s ok. I took a brief listen to Christine Lauterburg. Her music is kind of soft pop mixed with some electronic-influenced ambient, and one song has an Arab-style folk music mixed in. If you need something slower, then this is it. Another one I listened to in this genre is DJ Bobo, with a little more dance-pop influence, I think. I also just giggle at his name (bobo means “fool” in Spanish).
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| Sens Unik |
And, I also listened to Sens Unik. It’s not what I originally thought this was. It’s hip-hop but it’s also got sung lyrics on occasion and uses a little bit of funk and rock mixed in there too. Plus, he raps/sings in French, not German. They remind me a little bit of the Croatian hip-hop duo Elemental.
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| Gotthard |
One band I listened to that I really like is a hard rock band called Gotthard. They remind me a little bit of the hard rock/metal bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s. I can get with this. I think I can detect a Metallica or Guns N Roses influence in there.
Up next: the food
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