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TAKING AMATEURISM AND PROFESSIONALISM SERIOUS When Michael Hilton is playing solo or together with others we are often reminded of amateurism. Avoiding professional surroundings, Michael Hilton is taking amateurism very seriously as a creative source. When Michael Hiltbrunner – the other part of the same person – is writing critiques and studies in art and culture, serious and neglected positions are equally discussed. In both identities he seems to develop specific and professional positions. By Martin Tenese, Brussels (July 2006). In March 2006 Michael Hilton was playing at the Tonhalle Zürich, together with Seelenluft and soloists from the Tonhalle Orchester. Dance tunes moved the crowd. Some weeks later he was singing chansons accompanied by the pianist Martin Junghanns at an award ceremony in the Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich. During the same period he made a solo show in a private event with playback hardcore punk rock and another show singing and playing together with Miss Pistoletta over improvisations by Roger Turner, Conrad Schulze and James Chance. His work as DJ Nokia 3210 or his participation as a singer for The Beautiful Crew became «too much of serving the expected» as he says, therefore he stopped it. Michael Hilton prefers to serve the unexpected – and still remains an entertainer and crooner. Michael Hiltbrunner on the other side is editor of a book on critical public art works in Zurich and preparing his PhD on the fairy tale Bluebeard in different time and media. His writing in cultural critique includes also video clips, acoustic art, literature, mute film, telenovela or pop music. Both Michaels are active. There is no released record with music of Michael Hilton, the best way to experience his shows is to see him performing live on stage. Even if Michael Hiltbrunner is regularly publishing, he wants to emphasise, that it is always the best to participate directly in intellectual discussions. There should be no other word added but a heartily invitation to join a performance, talk or lecture and get in to the discussion. MICHAEL HILTON – THE SWEET VOICE In very good words I would like to describe this person, but I have to give you his real name: Michael Hiltbrunner. Born in Switzerland in the city of Lucerne with lake and mountain he talks professionally swiss german. Growing up between the canton Luzern and Aargau, he escaped to Zurich and started to learn talking the language of MTV, VIVA and CNN. By Francesca Gonni, Milano (October 2003). Many of his former friends had to see that things changed: He left the hardcorepunk bands VIDE PSYCHIQUE and HELLSQUATTERS, left the work for little shops like ROMP and PIPIFAX, gave up the underground magazine selling distribution PABLO GERUSA and also stopped to help running the little label MAGNETBANDFREUNDSCHAFT and the disc jockey team PLATTENLEGERKOLLEKTIV to get into even worse stories: The art group EUROKON took him to Siberia. He survived but immediately tried to fix his brain by working with the radio group RRADAR on monthly radioshows for many long nights. As many other people he started after the millenium with good intentions: Now should be the time he would make more music like he did as STUDIO M on the CD HIER ENTSTEHT EIN SUPERMARKT. He would start as the disc jockey NOKIA 3210 with strictly commercial music, hyping up the jeans house scene and the jiggy bandana army. And he made the weekly radioshow EUROHOUSE. Another good intention was to work on science and doing studies at the university. He went to Japan and Hungary to study the TV drama culture, to Frankfurt to study the horror literature, he worked on computer games, cartoons, novels and now the music video channel VIVA. He already has a good competence in popular culture science - but almost nobody from the show business even knows this. In 2001 he tried to release as MICHAEL HILTON feat. NOKIA 3210 the CD TONIGHT I GIVE YOU YEAH. He failed. It was the first time he was recording the songs he performed during his own music sets. So, the disc jockeys RIK ROK and SUPERSTYLER started with Michael in 2002 the BEAUTIFUL CREW to create a crazy performance disc jockey nightmare and to sing more. Also he got good echoes as a disc jockey and performer in many european cities. When Michael tried to read a poem during a disco performance the crowd was very happy and he decided to read his reduced poetry by playing the third son of Michael Jackson - PRINCE MICHAEL III. It is to express the feelings of OH, AH, YEAH and UH. Even if we don't believe he can be sweet, because we saw him playing with the inexisting trash band called TOURIST and making troubles in an art space we know that he has the sweet voice. He was surprised himself about this, but more and more explores the sugarhills of this instrument: «The first time I realized I have a voice was when I made radio in the early morning and people just called and said: You made my day.»