Every two years, EUROPALIA invites adventurous art-lovers to discover the history and culture of a new country. So it was that AB presented two absolutely fantastic projects in 2014, as a part of EUROPALIA TURKEY, of which especially the project involving the psychedelic funk of Mustafa Özkent made a lasting impression.

During the concert season’17-’18 it is Indonesia’s turn to appear in the spotlight. The country is currently flourishing economically and creatively, and has much more to offer than simply idyllic beaches and majestic temples. AB is focusing on two extremely exciting projects: Moondog For Gamelan and Senyawa feat. Patshiva Cie.

Moondog For Gamelan is a tribute to The Viking of 6th Avenue, an eccentric who inspired not only David Bowie, but also Anthony Hegarty and Elvis Costello. Moondog For Gamelan is a commissioned work in assignment to Europalia, where the work of Moondog is the focus point and the gamelan is taken out of its traditional context. By means of a two week residence, Iwan Gunawan (and his ensemble Kyai Fatahillah) and Stefan Lakatos reworked Moondog-compositions on gamelans, especially designed for this project. The fact that both Poland’s prestigious Unsound festival and London’s Barbican also support this project can be no coincidence.

Senyawa feat. Patshiva Cie is the surprising encounter between an explosive Javanese (noise/punk) duo and a 100% female polyphonic Brussels choir. Consequence Of Sound described Senyawa as ‘One of the most startlingly original acts of recent years.’ and Red Bull Academy as ‘One of the most intense live bands in the world.’ We saw them just last year at Poland’s Unsound festival as opener for Death Grips and were quite impressed.

Both projects are a collaboration /co-production with EUROPALIA INDONESIA and Les Ateliers Claus.