Western Europe
The sound of Switzerland
Four language regions and correspondingly little national sound. The most distinctive thread is metal — folk and extreme, disproportionate to the country's size.
149 artists in the catalog.
What Switzerland does that nowhere else does
Genres far more common here than across the rest of the catalog. The multiplier is how much more common, weighted by how many artists carry it.
Five records to start with
Not a canon — a way in. Each one links to what it is, who it's for and where to go next.
Swiss artists worth walking into
Ordered by how much we can tell you, not just by how well-known they are.
Tina Turner
country music · funk
Where to start →Henri Dès
chanson · children's music
Where to start →Gotthard
hard rock
Where to start →David Zinman
classical music
Where to start →Matthias Bamert
classical music
Where to start →bbno$
contemporary R&B · electronic music
Where to start →Emmanuel Pahud
Baroque music · classical music
Where to start →Samael
industrial metal
Where to start →Eluveitie
Celtic metal · folk metal
Where to start →Lys Assia
pop music
Where to start →Andreas Vollenweider
new age music · world music
Where to start →Patrick Moraz
progressive rock
Where to start →