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The Swiss’ Luke Godson Returns to Adelaide

By Gianni Borrelli

Luke Godson is a classically trained pianist. He fuses this formal background with modern techniques and high-end equipment to produce cutting edge innovative music.  He is also a successful session musician and has demonstrated his musical talent as a keyboardist and composer with international artists such as Pnau, Donnie Sloan and Empire of The Sun, and is a founding member of local dance act, The Swiss. Luke spoke with Glam Adelaide writer Gianni Borrelli last week.

GB: First thing’s first, I must ask… is it true that the band is named after Swiss cheese?

A:Well there is a school of thought that when we started playing music together, the sound was cheesy funk music… Tony and I prefer to think that the band name represents that we are neutral.

Q: The band’s Myspace once quoted “In a time when everyone who isn’t Crookers is claiming to be a disco act, there is an insurmountable wash of pretenders”. So what is that makes The Swiss so unique?

LG: In the disco/dance music scene there is a lot of computer-generated music. Pretty much anyone who has access to a computer and knows how to use a mouse or track pad cant put together a song. We differ in the fact that we are playing real instruments and record our own songs with real human emotions.

GB: Before The Swiss, what were you doing with yourself? Was music always a part of your life?

LG: Music has always been a big part of my life. My mother introduced me to the piano at an early age and I took lessons in classical music for 13 years. I have always felt a special connection with the piano. I find it the ultimate tool for expression. A few years back I set up a music composition business and dabbled in composing music for television and film whilst The Swiss was naturally evolving into what it is today.

GB: How did you find going from performing small gigs around Adelaide and Australia, to then traveling through Europe and America and performing there?

LG: We may have been on the other side of the world diving headfirst into a culture completely foreign to us. But one thing stays constant no matter what country you are in … “the dance floor”. Everyone in the world has the same emotions and people want to be happy and dance. The connection between us and the people on the dance floor is the same whether we are playing at the Rocket Bar in Adelaide or Libertine Supersport in Brussels!


GB: Where does The Swiss draw its musical inspirations from?

LG: Awkward situations in life and the need to have a good time all the time. Tony and I have grown up with all the classic music ingredients like Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, The Doors, Pink Floyd and Stevie Wonder and those influences will unconsciously sneak there way into the music.

GB: What can people expect when they come to see your live shows?

LG: Energy… and lots of it!

GB: Being an Adelaide boy, what is your take on the club scene in the City of Churches? How does it compare with other cities you’ve traveled to and performed in?

LG: Well I definitely think we have our own style here… and it is not necessarily a bad thing. Adelaide may be just a small spec in the grand scheme of things, but we do know how to have a good time.


GB: Who is up there on your dream collaborations list?

LG: Being a keyboard player, I would definitely like to team up with someone like Herbie Hancock, Vangelis or Giorgio Moroder.


GB: What is the one thing that you miss about dear ol’ Adelaide when you’re traveling?

LG: Café De Villis and free trolleys at the airport!


The Swiss perform at the Walker’s Arms on Monday, March 21. However, if you can’t wait until then, you can catch Luke playing at the InterContinental Adelaide between 3pm and 5pm on March 12 and 13 and April 9 and 10.

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