Mystery and secrecy shrouded the next chapter as Bowling Club members and their teams of 4 others were told little else but to be in a set location on the evening of September First, wearing black and to wait to be picked up. They were then collected by transporters, blindfolded for the next three hours, driven across Cape Town, taken into a building, up lifts, seated, treated to an amazing, intense soundscape performance by international sound artist Francisco Lopez and then led back home – still blindfolded.

This event was organised by Michael Streatfield, Nikki Olckers and James Webb with support from Redbull. James’ involvement was covert to maximise the unexpected by the participants. More details and documentation to follow…

THE BOWLING CLUB, VOLUME 1, CHAPTER 1

The Bowling Club, a new Cape Town-based cultural club launches this month with a series of international music collaborations, lectures and performances. Bosnian-born, Swiss-based accordionist Mario Batkovic, radical Swiss performance group VELMA, independent global soundscape initiative Norient and local musicians including Adamu, Kesivan Naidoo and Wesley Rustin will be performing in the club’s first meeting.

Solo Balkan Sounds
Date: Thursday 25 January 2007
Venue: St Georges Cathedral top end of St Georges Mall
Time: 17h30 – 18h30
Entrance: Free and open to the public
Acclaimed Bosnian-born, Swiss-based accordion player Mario Batkovic (www.batkovic.com) presents a solo concert featuring his trademark blend of gypsy jives, Balkans blasts, tender classical strains and some funky twists.

Sounds from the edges, radical performances & cross-cultural musical collabs
Date: 27 January 2007
Venue: Crusader Bowling Club (next to Sea Point Police station)
Time: 17h30 for 18h00 Sharp
Entrance: R50
Dress: Bowling
Programme:
18h00: Swiss-based Norient (www.norient.com) present Soundscapes From The Edges, a sound lecture focused on politics, propaganda, war and exoticism in the contemporary music.
20h00: Accordionist Mario Batkovic in collaboration with Angolan-born Afro-Latin-jazz fusion vocalist Adamu, jazz double bassist Wesley Rustin and firebrand jazz drummer Kesivan Naidoo.
22h00: Swiss experimental band, Velma (www.velma.ch) in an extravagant audio-visual assault that combines everything from neo-gothic dark theatricality to ultra-modern high-concepualism, 70s kitsch-camp shock-art schlock and post modern electro-art wit.