2024 «Get Going!» Portrait series
Musician, singer and producer Sami Galbi, who was born in Lausanne, is no stranger to the Swiss scene: he started off as a singer, composer and bassist of the band El Mizan, before increasingly becoming a solo artist – including a highly acclaimed performance at the Paléo Festival in Nyon and winning M4Music’s Demo Tape Clinic. During a residency in Morocco made possible by Pro Helvetia, his project “Sami Galbi” took on concrete forms. Grar intends to leverage this to translate the music of his childhood – traditional Raï – into the sonic present of the 21st century with the help of analogue machines and his guitar. The «Get Going!» grant will enable him to develop the project in 2025. Geneva-based label Bongo Joe Records is set to release his first album this spring. At the same time, Sami Galbi will continue to advance his sonic visions with a trio on a concert tour.
instagram.com/sami.galbi
«Get Going!» has existed as a FONDATION SUISA funding offer since 2018. With this new form of a grant, creative and artistic processes that do not fall within established categories are given a financial jump-start.