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Electric Fishing crosses the Rubicon

Denis, Patrick and Yan from the Swiss French band. Electric Fishing

The Swiss band, Electric Fishing, has just released its first 10-track album, "Guilty", marking the group's first attempt to go beyond the confines of French-speaking Switzerland.

Electric Fishing is hoping that “Guilty” will help it break into the wider Swiss market and beyond. The band has signed a contract with a Fribourg-based distributor, Disques Office, and its CDs have hit the shelves around the country.

Despite their ambitions, the trio of Patrick Borgognon (guitar, vocals), Yan Rotzetter (guitar, vocals) and Denis Crottet (bass guitar, drums), stress that their goal is to enjoy themselves, and not to take things too seriously.

The band’s name is a case in point. Manager, Sylvie Huguet says it derives from their hobby: “Some members of the band are part of a local fishing society, and once a year, they catch fish using electricity. After that, they put the fish back in another river, but I don’t know why!”

Founded in 1994 in Domdidier in canton Fribourg, the indie rock band waited two years before performing in public. It came out with a first demo CD in 1995, and a second one in 1997, called “Dumb”.

The highlight of their careers came in 1998 when they played at Rock Oz’Arènes, the largest open air festival in canton Fribourg.

The “Guilty” CD ends with a court trial, but listeners would be advised not to try and discern any hidden meaning. Denis explains that “sometimes, we enjoy ourselves by putting a bottle of wine on trial. We then drink it to apply the sentence, and that’s why the album is called ‘Guilty’.”

by Jeff Nottage

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