Art Basel, Art Rock

After a halting, post-pandemic reboot of the Art Basel art fair in Basel last year, the prestigious commercial art show is back in full force this year. Attracting over 100,000 visitors from around the globe, the show brings together contemporary and modern works with its admirers. Founded in 1970 as the first international art fair, the show has grown into a city-wide fair with multiple parallel shows focusing on various aspects of art. Art Basel attracts VIPs, artists, galleries, collectors and art enthusiasts and turns Basel into a global cultural mecca for a week each year. Be sure to also check out the Liste Art Fair, Design Miami/ and photo basel.

In tandem with the Art Basel art fair, this week's musical theme was Art Rock: A musical style known for avant-garde experimentation, musical and lyrical sophistication, and meticulous production. Although avant garde at some point, many of the songs in today's list are now probably better categorised as classic rock, having been released, in some cases, more than 40 years ago. Art Rock is perhaps best characterised for having put a careful focus on craft over pop success. We played:

Arcade Fire - Wake Up

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Peter Gunn

Talking Heads - Road To Nowhere

The Doors - Riders On The Storm (Offsuit Remix)

Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer

Tangerine Dream - Love On A Real Train

XTC - Dear God

Frank Zappa - Bobby Brown Goes Down