For most of Cape Town, electronic music is usually experienced vertically. But the city is slowly beginning to embrace electronica’s more abstract realms too. Ambient listening sessions, experimental performances, and immersive audiovisual experiences have started popping up more often and in increasingly creative ways, carving out their own niche in the city’s music scene. It’s probably a sign of the times. People simply need somewhere to sit down and breathe.
If that’s resonating with you right now, VERTIGO Live II has got you covered. Happening at The Labia Theatre (inspired venue choice, TBH) on 15 June, the audiovisual series transforms one of Cape Town’s most beloved cinemas and cultural landmarks into a space for deep listening and sensory immersion, asking that you surrender yourself to wherever the experience might take you.
At the centre of the programme are two artists who are no strangers to Cape Town’s movement-focussed dance-floors, but who operate equally on its fringes.
The first is Biodive, the latest project from veteran DJ, producer, and promoter Terrence Pearce. While Pearce has spent decades shaping the city’s dance music landscape through projects like Private Life and releases on respected international labels, VERTIGO Live II marks a notable departure. This will be Pearce’s third live performance under the Biodive alias, and his first to move away from dance music entirely.
Singlemotheroftwo, the project of Björn Thomas, shares the bill with Pearce. Their increasingly celebrated live sets occupy a fascinating space between ambient music, IDM, dub textures, and experimental electronics. Their music is less interested in tension and release than it is with the dynamics of undulation, using looped textures and abstraction to create something hypnotic and emotionally charged.
The pairing of these two artists is a fascinating case study on the potential of electronic music beyond the nightclub. If Biodive represents a step away from the dance floor, then Singlemotheroftwo is the deconstruction of it. But what makes VERTIGO particularly compelling is its broader ambition. Founded by a team with more than fifteen years of experience operating on the fringes of Cape Town’s cultural landscape, the project positions itself as a meeting point between underground music and new media art.
Biodive and Singlemotheroftwo are joined by visual artist Nicholai Thomas, who together with Björn make up the alternative design and creative duo NB (As In Really Important) Visuals. The duo have created A/V works, making the performances at VERTIGO Live II a convergence of sound and image that unfold in real time. Rather than treating visuals as an accessory to the music, VERTIGO understands both disciplines as equal participants in the same conversation. The result is an experience that feels less like an event and more like an experiment in perception.
The concept has evolved significantly from its pilot event last year, a two-day festival that occupied an entire warehouse. Since then, VERTIGO has found itself in increasingly more intimate venues. Not to say that it’s receding. Actually, it’s refining, and in a way that clearly resonates. The previous edition sold out, with attendees describing it as “transformative” and “captivating”. For a city often defined by its club culture, VERTIGO’s success suggests a growing appetite for electronic music experiences that prioritise immersion over intoxication (not that there’s anything wrong with the latter. Wink, wink).
VERTIGO, and the wave of similar events washing over Cape Town right now, are asking something quite radical of this city: to slow down, shut the fuck up, and just listen.
VERTIGO Live II happens at The Labia Theatre in Cape Town on June 15, 2026. Tickets are available here.
Photography: Khenzo Jökazi
