Belgian storyteller Milow has taken the listening public by storm, yet he remains down-to-earth. He tastefully captures the spirit of the times with fascinating lyrics and

ever since he came out with an acoustic pop version of the club hit «Ayo Technology», the Belgian singer has been at home on the charts worldwide. Milow goes deep into the core of pop with his evocative, airy sounds. It seems that there is no better place to proof his unerring instinct for good pop than in the unique club-style atmosphere of AVO SESSION Basel.

He has seen it all: the film business, the rock n’ roll scene, celebrity status and media hype. He played for hundreds of thousands of fans. He wrote songs that made German music history. German rock legend Marius Müller-Westernhagen made his mark on entire generations with hits like «Freiheit», «Willenlos» or «Johnny W.» and he knew how to play to huge stadium audiences in gargantuan rock shows, but he didn’t let that go to his head. He decided to quit his stadium tours and chose quality instead of quantity. He comes to Basel with his powerful, sweaty rock hits in tow, but also with a large portion of humour and honesty.

When front man Maurice White shakes his booty, it’s just as hip as it was back at the beginning of his career in 1969. He may not shake it as fast, but he still does it with the same elegance, flexibility and energy as always. His secret is the sound that he produces with the band he founded: Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s so hot, that you can’t sit still when they play eternal hits like ‘September’, ‘Let’s Groove’ or ‘Fantasy’. Funky beats, razor-sharp horns, grooving bass and a driving rhythm guitar are the elements, combined with a dazzling stage show and sensational choreography, that the band have brought to sheer perfection for more than 40 years. Often unfairly labelled a vile disco band by music purists, upon closer inspection, the band’s high musical quality and precision, which is exemplary in the genre, is unmistakeable.

A lost property office is a wondrous place. Objects are sometimes turned in, but never missed; sometimes sought, but never found. Rummaging about in music’s lost and found, Stephan Eicher stumbled upon musicians Heidi Happy, Hank Shizzoe and Olivier Koundouno, who now appear with the master himself to present their dusted off and reinvented treasures. We can expect a unique concert evening featuring some pieces that may be tarnished, however, with a bit of polish, they will shine.

The performance of the Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is no less artistically ambitious. Her song ‘Suddenly I See’ catapulted her onto the international charts. It’s a catchy song that does not completely reveal the fact that a superb musician is hiding behind the quirky initials KT, which stands for her full first name: Kate Victoria. She appeared in small student clubs in London as ‘Katie’ until she was invited to appear on the Late-Night-Show with Jools Holland – another familiar name at the AVO SESSION Basel. With only a guitar and a few stomp boxes like a loop station that allowed her to become her own live backup band, she sang the song ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’. It was her big break. She got a recording contract and a little later, her debut single, ‘Eye to the Telescope’ was released and made it up to number 3 on the British charts. She was awarded the prize for British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards in 2006. And now at the AVO SESSION Basel, we experience another great solo performance by this one of a kind artist.