INTERLINIE #2: Old Adam on Turtle Island + Berlinde Deman (serpent + elec)

For the second edition (10 – 14 December 2025) the band Old Adam on Turtle Island will perform on 5 different stages both in Belgium and The Netherlands, joined by the collective G A B B R O – initiated by Hanne De Backer – in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Ostend.

During their tour they will be joined by Berlinde Deman (Eindhoven and Ghent) and Imane Guemssy (Antwerp).

Improvisational ensemble Old Adam on Turtle Island is a bold quartet led by John Dikeman, one of the most powerful tenors in free jazz. The band’s latest project – a song cycle released in 2025 on Relative Pitch Records – explores the legacies of colonization and the complex role of religion, offering a rich commentary on its dual power to uplift or oppress.
Dikeman’s mastery on saxophone is matched by his emergence as a captivating composer, as he guides his fellow improvisers through intense emotional soundscapes. The ensemble is rounded out by three equally formidable musicians: drummer Sun-Mi Hong, whose performances are a fixture at European festivals; pianist Marta Warelis, a versatile force in the European scene; and bassist Aaron Lumley, a Canadian who has made his mark in Amsterdam as both a performer and organizer.

Berlinde Deman - Serpent & Electronics

Berlinde Deman earned her stripes in jazz, contemporary, and classical music, as a regular tuba player in the Flat Earth Society Orchestra and as a versatile musician in projects with Dave Douglas, the BaarsBuisDeman trio, Graindelavoix, Razen, and Machinefabriek, among others. Her quest for new soundscapes led her to the serpent, a rare 16th-century wind instrument—the mysterious precursor to the tuba.

In her solo program, she combines the deep breath of this ancient instrument with the layering of loops and effects. She stretches time, interweaves textures, and plays with resonances to open up a universe that escapes the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Here, between breath and electricity, between tradition and experiment, a captivating world of sound emerges that is as disconcerting as it is familiar. Her debut solo album, released in the fall of 2025 on the New York label Relative Pitch Records, centers on serpent and live electronics in all their rawness and subtlety.

Organised with the main goal to connect musicians and organisations from the improv scene, Interlinie 2025 is made possible with the support of Space is the Place, BIMHUIS, Ha Concerts, POM, Sound in Motion, Rataplan and KAAP.