Drum Café Spain has faced challenges establishing itself in Barcelona during an economic recession and overcoming negative perceptions of drumming. Co-founders Madeleine and Julia persevered, and their clients who have experienced Drum Café performances have all been thrilled and returned. Drum Café Spain has performed for major clients including Nike, Volkswagen and Unilever, helping push boundaries and benefit the global Drum Café community. Though the path was bumpy, Madeleine and Julia's conviction and hard work are paying off for Drum Café Spain.

1.
ISSUE
2
JULY
2011
Editor’s
Note
Inside
This
Issue
It was clear to me when compiling the articles for this
newsletter that there is a common theme running Editor’s Note 1
through much of the work that has been undertaken News from around the globe 1-4
this quarter. That theme is ‘new beginnings’, and it Special Feature: Drum Café Spain 5-6
takes a plethora of different shapes and forms. More news and views 7-13
Testimonials 13-14
In some cases, the new beginnings are about
Community Column 15
rebuilding after a devastating loss – like the Nico Nico
smile project in Japan where Drum Café is bringing
fresh hope and renewed optimism into the lives of so a fresh and exciting element to the global Drum Café
many people who have literally lost everything. team.
New beginnings are also about exploring new avenues Our Special Feature focuses on the interesting journey
and fostering new business ties – as in the case of of Drum Café Spain, which demonstrates that new
Drum Café London, which has established a beginnings are not without their challenges, but that
partnership with a high profile African restaurant in these can be overcome with persistence and hard
Camden; or Drum Café New York, which is introducing work.
a new kind of cultural diversity into its work. Certainly,
when Drum Cafe performs for an audience of close to No matter which form it takes, there is no doubt that
2000 deaf people in July, this will be a new beginning innovation and new beginnings are a way of life for the
for both Drum Café and the deaf community. Drum Café community, and I for one cannot wait to
see what the next few months bring.
At its most basic level, new beginnings are about
embarking on a brand new venture or project. This Tammy Lieberman
quarter, we are delighted to announce the launch of a Editor
new Drum Café in Zimbabwe, which will certainly bring
Drumming
at
the
Café
in
Bucharest
Dan Popa sometimes gets asked if Drum Café sells
coffee. Well, when Second Cup, a Canadian coffee shop
chain opened a new store in Bucharest on 17 May,
that’s just what it did! Several high profile guests
including the Canadian and Lebanese ambassadors to
Romania were amongst the 80 people invited to the
opening. Drum Café Romania ran a 30-minute
drumming session with drums and shakers, and even
passers-by on the streets stopped to participate.
Second Cup sells coffee from three continents – Africa,
South America and Asia – so the drum set intentionally
included African and South American rhythms on Bali
drums as a metaphor for the store’s value proposition.
Right: The Lebanese and Canadian ambassador to
Romania at the Second Cup event

2. Page
2
Global
Beat
Drum
Café’s
Nico
Nico
Smile
project
reaches
out
in
Japan
On 11 March 2011 a devastating earthquake and
tsunami hit Japan. Mariko Hoshiyama, owner of Drum
Café in Japan was in her hometown, Sendai, when the
earthquake struck. With her were two South African
Drum Café performers – Nathi and Nomvula.
Mariko’s family owns a restaurant, and within days of
the disaster she became involved in providing food to
victims. Mariko saw clearly she could make a difference
in the lives of survivors who had lost so much, and she
intuitively knew that drumming would be a powerful
way to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
With the help of Larry Lok from Taiwan, who designed
a beautiful proposal, the Nico Nico project (which in When I was drumming I naturally became
Japanese means ‘to smile’) became a reality. smiling: After the earthquake I felt the kindness
of many people in Japan. I felt so warm that the
The initiative involves visiting schools, hospitals and Drum Café artists from a foreign country are
shelters and facilitating interactive drumming sessions caring so much about us as well and do such a
with small groups. The entire initiative is fully kind thing for us”
sponsored and has already reached thousands of
people in need in Japan. Mariko has run 30 events in
June and has over 18 events already scheduled for
July.
Every day Nico Nico is helping people to reconnect to
hope, to reconnect to life. Thank you Mariko for the
incredible work you are doing!
“To drum made me feel bright. We sang, we
danced and we felt the rhythm together. It was
so much fun. It made me forget about the
earthquake for some moments.”
My house is gone, I lost my job. But today I got a
smile and I could laugh again. I do appreciate a lot
what you have done today.”
If you haven’t already been moved to tears by the very
beautiful footage of the Nico Nico Smile project, take a
moment to check it out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBfYu27y3is (Short
video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SEqVp0z4Ho&feat
ure=player_embedded (Long video)
The theatrical production, ‘Drumstruck’ will be “I was moved. I felt again that I was living.”
touring Japan in August 2011 and will be doing a
charity show in Sendai on 30 July.

3. Page
3
Global
Beat
Drum
Café
New
York
introduces
a
Korean
twist
Drum Cafe New York recently performed for over a
thousand people at the closing session of the national
convention of the American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry.
The convention culminated in a signing ceremony with a
Korean delegation to create a partnership with the
Korean Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. In an effort to
incorporate the signing ceremony into the drumming
experience, Drum Café brought in a Korean
dancer/drummer for a surprise 3-minute performance
just before the signing. He was dressed in Korean
national attire and was a big hit with both the audience
and the Drum Cafe drummers, especially when he
returned for the grand finale and performed a Korean
dance to the beat of the African djembe drums.
This event typifies the type of multicultural experience
Drum Café New York is constantly striving to create - for Drum Café New York and the Korean performer who helped
their audiences and artists alike. to create a multi-cultural atmosphere
Making
magic
with
boomwhackers
and
water
drums
in
Germany
Drum Café Germany ran a unique, high-impact performance for 2500 people from Windmöller&Hölscher in
Lengerich Germany, where boomwhackers and water drums were the order of the day.
When guests arrived, they were unaware that the plastic tubes that formed part of the table décor would
become their instruments for the evening. The Drum Café team of 5 drummers, a keyboarder and a human
beatbox started the event with a drumming performance, before instructing participants to disassemble the
table decorations (taking care not to disturb the flowers!). Thus began the interactive boomwhacker set - to a
hip-hop groove brought to life by 8 enormous sub-woofers and a huge line-array.
Drum Café Germany runs a truly unique boomwhacker set – where the keyboarder adjusts his tune as
facilitator Matthias Jackel lifts a different boomwhacker. A big red boomwhacker means the band plays a C-
tune, a yellow boomwhacker tells the band to change to an E-chord. This creates beautiful tunes based on the
collaborative efforts of the audience and the band.
The event concluded with a magical, wet performance by Christoph Engels on a 2,5 metre drum filled with 7
litres of water, a human beatbox drum piece and an indoor pyro show.
When the catering company neglected to collect
the boomwhackers after the gig, Drum Café spent
a thrilling 90 minutes collecting instruments from
each of the 208 tables in the venue, and in doing
so connected with every participant, received
fantastic feedback, established new contacts and
ran a series of unplanned 20-second gigs at each
table. According to Matthias, this turned into “the
best professional 90 minutes since I opened the
Drum Café”.
Left: Boomwhackers form part of the table décor at the
Windmöller&Hölscher event in Germany

4. Page
4
Global
Beat
Drumming
from
Atlanta
to
Timbuktoo
Earlier this year, Imagine It! Children's Museum of
Atlanta launched an interactive exhibition for
children to introduce them to West African culture,
language and geography. Aptly called ‘From here to
Timbuktu’, the exhibition encouraged children to
explore the differences of cultures a world away,
while celebrating some of the similarities that cut
across culture.
Children took a journey through the different
regions of West Africa, experienced the sights and
smells of African markets, fished with nets and
trekked through a tropical rainforest on a canopy
walk. Along the way, they participated in
exploratory hands-on activities providing a taste of
West African life, concluding the journey on the
Savanna with a lesson in drumming and dancing.
Drum Café Southeast played an essential part in
bringing the whole immersion experience to life for
the children through the magic of the African
drumbeat.
Cool
iphone
App
for
Drum
Café
Benelux
Innovative designer Jop van Heesch has developed short description of Drum Café, photos and a link to the
an uber-cool iPhone App that is both an edgy website; and a Drum Café game. The game uses a
marketing tool and a fantastic game for people who concept similar to ‘Simon’ and ‘Bop It’, where the player
enjoy drumming. Currently the app is only available must replicate drum rhythms as they become
in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemborg but if increasingly long and complex.
there is adequate demand, the app can potentially
be made available more widely. Anyone who would like to test the app and
The app includes an interactive version of the Drum explore its marketing potential can contact Jop at
Café logo; a questionnaire and subscription option to
gametogethersoftware@gmail.com
the Drum Café newsletter; a ‘about’ screen, with a
Rocking
with
the
Mumbai
Indians
Between March and May 2011, Drum Café India
performed at 7 IPL matches featuring the Mumbai
Indians at the Wankhade Stadium in Mumbai. At
each match, Drum Café played before a live
audience of 40 000 fans as well as millions watching
on live television.
As Tendulkar and his team scored their fours and
sixes, Drum Café got fans into the spirit as they
cheered and drummed in support of the Mumbai
Indians.
Although Drum Café India facilitated an interactive
session for the Mumbai Indians at an Awards
function in 2010, it has always been their dream to
perform with them in the stadium. And although the
Aliya and Vinod Hasal and their team play in support of
team did not make it beyond the semi-finals, for
Drum Café this was indeed a dream achieved! the Mumbai Indians

5. Page
5
Global
Beat
Special
Feature:
Drum
Café
Spain
It is not a combination one would expect: two
young ladies, originally from Germany, running
an African drumming company in Barcelona,
Spain! But Madeleine Recknagel and Julia Grenz
are not your average young ladies, and Drum
Café Spain is not your run-of-the-mill business!
This is the story of their journey with Drum Café
and the challenges they have faced along the
way.
When Madeleine Recknagel’s fiancée Gabriel
encountered Brett Schlesinger at the EIBTM Trade
Fair in Barcelona in 2006 and took his flyer, he had
little idea that this would be the seed that would give
rise to Drum Café Spain. In the fall of 2007,
Madeleine discovered the flyer in Gabriel’s office, and
after doing some research on the Internet, the couple
agreed that this could be an interesting project for
the Spanish market.
When Madeleine and Julia Grenz met up in 2007 to Julia Grenz and Madeleine Recknagel (with Alejandro
discuss possible business ideas, they decided to join Galdona, Julia’s boyfriend who assists with Drum Café
forces and to establish a Drum Café office in business when required)
Barcelona.
With the support of Brett Schlesinger, the journey
began with a full load of motivation, energy and
goodwill. Both Julia and Madeleine wanted to show
Spain this new exciting corporate activity, but the
path has been a bumpy one.
The timing of Drum Café’s inception in Spain
coincided with the onset of the global recession,
which hit hardest in the southern parts of Europe,
including Spain. Madeleine and Julia ‘hung in there’
with the firm conviction that many companies in the
past had survived critical moments, and so would
they.
Another unexpected challenge was the negative
perception in Spain about the percussion industry.
Although Spain is well renowned for its love of music,
Madeleine and Julia encountered massive resistance
when approaching companies or government-run
institutions for support. Whenever they approached
companies or agencies about the Drum Café, their
eyes grew wide at the idea of a group participating in
drumming. It is unclear whether the negative
perception of drumming was derived from the steady
increase of African immigrants to Spain, or from the
association of drumming with hippies and
unprofessionalism.
Above: Drum Café Spain cheers on runners and gets
audiences grooving to the beat!

6. Page
6
Global
Beat
A huge chunk of their time over the past couple of
years has been spent trying to improve the image of
percussion in corporate events.
Yet in spite of these challenges, Drum Café Spain has
persisted and their perseverance is starting to pay
dividends. The companies that have been persuaded to
‘give drumming a chance’ have all been thrilled with
the events, and have always returned to Drum Café
with requests to perform again.
The success of Drum Café Spain is evident in the high
caliber of clients it has performed for since its
inception. These include the likes of Nike (“Cursa de
Bombers”) where 20 drummers supported the 18,000
runners during the last stretch of the marathon;
Volkswagen, where Drum Café entertained vendors
over four days; and Unilever, where the drumming
formed part of a safari experience for 120 people in
the W Hotel. Other gigs include a boomwhacker
performance and giveaway for Micropolix interactive
theme park for children and an interactive at the
Christmas function of Banco Santander.
Drum Café Spain are pushing barriers that will
ultimately benefit the entire Drum Café community.
You are doing an amazing job - and for that we are all
grateful!
Below: The Drum Café Spain performance team (in
bottom picture with Patrick Tromp, Netherlands)
ABOUT MADELEINE RECKNAGEL ABOUT JULIA GRENZ
Madeleine Recknegel was born in East Germany and Julia Grenz was born in the south of Germany in the
lived through the historic Unification of Germany in small city of Ravensburg; into a family of
1989. Madeleine was the first person in her family entrepreneurs. She completed a business degree in
to travel abroad to study English and to obtain her Business Administration & Tourism from the
degrees, as this was prohibited under the University of Corporate Education, while obtaining
Communist regime. marketing and event experience at the same time.
It was not easy for Madeleine to live abroad with no Although Julia had never had aspirations of leaving
support, but with hard work and persistence she her hometown, she realized that after university she
earned her MBA in Strategic Management and a wanted to live elsewhere to get a new perspective
B.A. in International Business in the USA. At the on life. In her last year of university, she joined a
same time, she worked for over 8 years in the friend and travelled to Barcelona where she had
catering industry and obtained experience in planned a 9-month internship with an event
international marketing working for a multinational company.
corporation.
Eight years later, Julia is still in Barcelona! During
Madeleine’s return to Germany after her studies was this time, she has worked as a project manager for
not what she expected. She felt like a foreigner in various event companies, as an assistant to the
her own country. After bidding a sad farewell to her Creative Director for an Interactive Park for children
best buddy, Indy (a yellow lab who had to be put “Micropolix”, and on a range of personal cultural
down), Madeleine went to the bus station and projects.
bought a one-way ticket to Valencia, Spain.
Then, four years ago, Julia met Madeleine for
After working for the South-African Team in the breakfast to discuss possible joint projects, and the
America’s Cup, Madeleine joined her fiancée in two subsequently started Drum Café and have seen
Barcelona… where she met Julia Grenz, and this is each other almost every day since!
where the story of their friendship and business
relationship started… along with Drum Café.

7. Page
7
Global
Beat
A
refreshing
performance
at
the
World
of
Coca-­‐Cola
RS&H (Reynolds, Smith and Hills), one of the leading facilities and infrastructure consulting firms in the USA,
invited Drum Café Southeast to perform at the closer for their annual client conference in May at the World of
Coca-Cola in Atlanta.
The World of Coca-Cola is a spectacular venue and one of Atlanta’s biggest tourist attractions, including interactive
exhibits on Coca-Cola’s history, advertising and pop culture. Guests also have the opportunity to sample over 60
different beverages from around the globe in the Taste IT! gallery.
Drum Cafe ran a refreshing drum interactive for 90 RS&H guests in the Taste IT ! gallery which was low on
messaging and high on effervescence and energy-spiking fun! Drum Café also collaborated with the Taste IT!
Event planning team to add a unique element to the evening, ending the session with an interactive rendition of
what Coca-Cola calls “The Hilltop Song” - the 1971 TV commercial considered by many as one of the most
memorable advertisements of all time… “I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)"
And this is just what Drum Café Southeast achieved with the clients of RS&H!
The Taste IT! Gallery at the World of Coca Cola where Drum Café performed, and the exterior of the building
Drum
Café
Romania
brings
a
breath
of
fresh
air
on
World
Asthma
Day
On World Asthma Day, Drum Café Romania
performed at an event sponsored by Glaxo at the
Bucharest-based Marius Nasta Institute for
Pulmonology.
The show took place in the hospital’s amphitheatre
for 100 doctors and patients. The 50-minute long
show was intended to inspire lust for life and to
convey the message of the event - that patients with
asthma can enjoy a normal life, full of energy and
positivity.
Right: Drum Café Romania plays at the Marius Nasta
Hospital on World Asthma Day. Picture © Mediafax

8. Page
8
Global
Beat
Hidden
drums
make
Big
10
event
for
Drum
Café
Benelux
At the end of March this year, Drum Café Benelux ran an
exceptional event for 150 international marketing and
sales personnel from Brady Corporate at the Crown Plaza
Hotel in Brussels. According to Patrick Tromp, this was a
‘Big 10’ event – one of the best sessions of his life!
After a very intensive first meeting day, a team of 4
drummers relaxed the crowd with an introductory
drumming performance. The audience was then
instructed to look under the buffet table where 150
drums were concealed. After the drums had been
retrieved, Drum Café Benelux led the group through a
fantastic one-hour interactive event.
The event management company, Limegreen, was
extremely complimentary about the professionalism of
Drum Café Benelux and raved about the event where
“goose bumps were guaranteed.” Drum Café Benelux perform for Brady Corporate at the Crown
Plaza Hotel in Brussels
Collabora'on
of
Drum
Café
teams
in
the
US
brings
Embassy
Suites
brand
vision
to
life
On May 11th. Drum Café teams in Georgia and Florida assembled a group of 5 performers in New Orleans to
deliver an explosive General Session opening for a biennial motivational event on behalf of the Hilton Worldwide
hotel brand group - Embassy Suites.
The hospitality industry in the United States has been badly hurt by the recession and so the senior management
of Embassy Suites wanted to refocus and re-energize its team, encourage them to innovate, and to protect, build
and have pride in the brand.
600 astonished people were picked up, taken to the Hilton Riverside and whipped into a frenzy of orchestrated
excitement with tightly facilitated messaging. Alain Eagles led the performance team, Dale Monin provided the
drums, and the event was spiked with interest by the talented dancer / straight bass player, Nicole. Within 30
minutes, a unified team of 600 brand ambassadors and sales executives were all ‘beating to the same brand
vision’.
There are several aspects of this event which are significant – it highlights the fantastic collaboration between two
Drum Café partners – Drum Café Southeast and Drum Café Texas; it marks another successful event for Behind
the Scenes, a DMC with whom Drum Café Southeast enjoys an excellent commercial partnership; and it is the 5th
successful delivery of an event for a repeat client of significant stature - Hilton Worldwide!

9. Page
9
Global
Beat
The
Global
Deaf
Renaissance
comes
to
Durban
The World Congress of the World Federation of the For Tim Furness from Drum Café Durban, who has
Deaf is held every four years at different locations been intimately involved in sound design and
around the world. In 2011, the conference, themed production for the last 20 years, this event is of
‘The Global Deaf Renaissance’ will be hosted by South particular interest and significance.
Africa. The World Congress is considered to be the
most significant gathering of the Deaf community in Drum Café will bring its unique interactive drumming
the professional calendar and is made up of people experience to a very unique group of people, in what
from many different countries, races, cultures and could be considered an historic event for the global
religions who all have a common unifying factor — Deaf community, and interactive drumming itself.
they are all Deaf, they all share the Deaf culture and Watch this space for feedback after the event!
experience.
On the 18 July 2011 Drum Cafe Durban, in
collaboration with Drum Café Joburg, will be opening
this conference at the ICC in Durban with an
interactive drumming experience for 2,000 people,
most of whom are Deaf.
Poli%cs
with
a
pulse
in
the
City
of
Cape
Town
During the first quarter of 2011, South Africans across On March 17th, on the eve of the local government
the country geared up for an exciting municipal elections, Drum Café Cape Town ran an interactive
election, scheduled to take place on the18th of March. event for officials of the IEC to bring everyone together
None worked harder than the Independent Electoral as they prepared for the days ahead. Nothing quite like
Commission (IEC), the body responsible for managing the sound of the African drum to usher in a
the entire election process. momentous event!
Drum
Café
UK
performs
at
the
exclusive
Shaka
Zulu
restaurant
In August 2010, Brett Schlesinger and his team were
approached by Robert Payne to run a series of events
during the launch of his new£10 million restaurant in
London, Shaka Zulu.
(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayL1VM6I5rk)
The client loved the combination of Drum Cafe and
their venue, which is African-themed and decorated in
a rich and interesting way that feels almost interactive.
It was jointly agreed that 10 dates would be fixed for
interactive performances at the restaurant over the
summer. Ticket sales would be split – with Drum Café
receiving £15 per guest and Shaka Zulu getting £25.
Shaka Zulu was also tasked with marketing to their
40,000-strong database and for all PR.
The evening is structured as follows: Guests arrive, The show will run until the end of September and
get a drink and canapé, and then participate in 40- Shaka Zulu has indicated that if the growth in numbers
minute interactive drumming piece, heavily focused on continues, the show might become a semi-permanent
performance. Drum Cafe concludes with a 30 second fixture (for example, every fortnight).
précis about the company and guests receive
pamphlets and follow-up emails. Key guests are given Its been hard work and the take-up has been gradual,
a copy of the Drum Café book. but the Drum Café team in the UK has enjoyed
working on new material and has found that the
Although it has taken some time for the numbers to collaboration with a venue with such a huge marketing
pick up, Drum Café has been getting massive exposure machine has the potential to create massive
in the press and through mailshots and event portals. penetration in to the market.

10. Page
10
Global
Beat
Make
music,
Win
Big!
in
Knysna’s
Recycled
Band
Compe::on
Knysna’s Recycled Band Competition, which was We all look forward to hearing the music and sounds
mentioned in our last issue, has just been officially of the instruments made by Knysna’s community
launched! On 1 July 2011, Drum Café Knysna groups out of recycled, waste and natural products!
facilitated a group of drummers and dancers walking
around Knysna town, handing out flyers and creating
fantastic energy. Visit and ‘like’ these facebook pages to stay updated:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uniquely-Naturally-
The competition, which focuses on community building, Knysna-Cultural-Carnival/157794660909488
celebrating diversity and loving nature, is sponsored by
Knysna Tourism and Drum Café Joburg and will http://www.facebook.com/pages/DC-Recycled-
culminate with the Naturally Knysna Festival in October BAND-Competition/185985331456330
2011.
Enosh
couldn’t
get
enough
of
Drum
Café
Israel
On April 4th, Drum Café Israel performed for Enosh, a
non-profit organization aimed at helping people with
mental disabilities. 550 employees and volunteers from
60 centres across Israel met in Tel Aviv for a one-day
event where Drum Café was a clear highlight.
The drumming programme was led by Tzachi Rechter,
and at the end of the 45-minute performance, the
crowd (comprising a majority of young women!) just
kept asking for more.
Ultimately Drum Café was asked to remain on stage to
assist with the delivery of awards to employees and
volunteers. A rocking event which received amazing
feedback! Tzachi Rechter rocks the crowd at the Enosh event in Israel
Flying
high
with
Drum
Café
Cape
Town
GE Capital Aviation Services, the global leader in aircraft financing and leasing, contacted Drum Café Cape Town
from Ireland with a request to perform at its three-day summit at the Lanzerac Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, Cape
Town. The conference, entitled “Shaping the Future of Aviation in Africa” was the first event of its kind in the
region.
Drum Café ran two performances for the high-profile group, including an interactive drumming session facilitated
by Themba Phondo, as well as a vibrant drumming performance and fire dancing routine. The group was
particularly reserved, and divided into small clusters – until they started drumming and then things really took off!

11. Page
11
Global
Beat
Drum
Café
launches
in
Zimbabwe
Allan plays both marimba and drums
and has assembled a fantastic team of
musicians including Gibson Sarari
(talented bass drummer, dancer and
choreographer and Allan’s r’ight-hand
man’), Rumbi Tapfuma, Livias
Chitsungo, Charle Biniwere, Sebede
Njikizana, Eric Tettey-ku, Poem Shoko,
Songwe Limbikani, and Courage
Chikowo. Karen Kennedy and Trixie
Delaney provide administrative support.
Drum Café Zimbabwe’s first event took
place on Friday 24 June for the ‘Skal
Club’ – a travel industry group
celebrating its 60th anniversary. The
following day, Drum Café held an official
launch for a select group of corporate
guests, event organizers, embassy
representatives and top businesspeople
in Zimbabwe.
For Allan Kennedy, African music has always been an influential
force. At age 9, he started learning to play Marimba and African Allan believes that Drum Café Zimbabwe
drums, and then at 16 he became a Marimba teacher. During his final should have a bright future – the
years at Senor School, he also took up the drum kit and the Mbira - a country is changing for the better and
traditional Zimbabwean instrument. people are looking for something new
and fresh to usher in this change. Allan
When Allan met Warren Lieberman in 2007 and spent some time – the Drum Café community is behind
working at Drum Café in Johannesburg, he was immediately drawn to you and we all wish you and your team
the business. In the following few years, Allan spent some time the best of luck!
working with Brett Schlesinger at Drum Café in London, studied Music
Production and Technology in Perth, Australia, and played with
various bands and groups in Zimbabwe and Australia.
When Allan graduated at the end of 2010, he knew he wanted a
successful, meaningful life at home in Zimbabwe, but that he wanted
to continue playing music and interacting with people from different
cultures. A few months later, with much help and direction from
Warren Lieberman, and his supportive parents, Drum Café Zimbabwe
is now officially open for business.
Above & above left: Drum Café Zimbabwe
performs at their first gig. Pictures © Hello
Harare magazine
Left: The launch of Drum Café Zimbabwe

12. Page
12
Global
Beat
Drum
Café
Joburg
performs
with
Mafikizolo
at
IFA
Mass
Rally
On Saturday 26 March, Drum Café Joburg performed for close to 5000 Independent Field Advertisers (IFAs) at the
2011 IFA Mass Rally at the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg. The annual event is a highlight in the insurance
industry, and includes a prestigious awards ceremony and exceptional entertainment.
After an intensive pitch process, Drum Café was selected to perform alongside South African super-star Theo
Kgosinkwe from Mafikizolo. Drum Café assembled a cast of 11 talented performers and ordered an additional 2000
drums prior to the event to make up the 4 500 required.
The show involved a complex series of short pieces, starting with a 10-minute interactive opening followed by a
Mafikizolo song accompanied by the drummers. Drum Café continued with a rendition of ‘Hamba Nawe’ and then
facilitated the awards ceremony with a number of facilitated rumbles, before closing with a superb version of the
renowned ‘Waka Waka’. An outstanding performance at a very high-profile event!
Unique
S)ck
Interac)ve
wows
Boehringer
Ingelheim
and
Lily
Café New York’s Stick Interactive seems to be the perfect offering for the short session / large event brief.
Drum
This was clear from the feedback after their high-energy performance for 3 500 people at the partnership drug
launch of Boehringer Ingelheim and Lily USA.
The Drum Stick program holds low equipment cartage but a big AV load from the stage. One of the secrets to the
success is the exceptional and powerful performance that opens the program, which on this occasion included a 3-
minute, 7 piece, Afro-Brazilian Funk fusion performance. The team used Brazilian marching drums; marching
snares; djembe; drum set; triple dun and various Brazilian/African shakers. This led straight into a Stick
Interactive culminating in a big finish!
Using
body
rhythms
to
celebrate
100
years
with
IBM
Drum Café India entertained 1000 IBM employees as they
celebrated the company’s 100-year anniversary. The IBM
Centennial conference took place at the same time and date in
various cities across India.
Drum Café ran an unusual and extremely successful interactive
event – without drums – where participants clapped, clicked,
sang and danced their way to the end of the conference!
Right: Aliya Hasal and her team before the IBM event

13. Page
13
Global
Beat
Rebuilding
the
neighborhood…beat
by
beat
Music and art underlined the celebration that
marked the start of the rebuilding of Olden
Tempel neighborhood in Beuningen, Holland.
The neighborhood was built only 20 years ago,
but the development was flawed and access and
parking was problematic. Recently, the Housing
Company decided to rebuild the entire
neighborhood and asked residents to create their
own sidewalk stones as an art feature.
On 21 May, the Heartbeat Drummers from Drum
Café Benelux coaxed neighbors out of their
houses with pots and pans to join their
orchestra, and then the mixed group gathered in
the square in the middle of the area to reveal
the artwork.
The 24 musicians from Drum Café entertained
residents with body and vocal percussion, and
call and response handclapping tricks as beat by
beat, the rebuilding process was initiated.
Right: A group of 24 musicians entertains neighborhood
residents of Olden Tempel neighbourhood
Tes%monials
We
received
so
many
great
tes1monials
from
clients
this
quarter,
we
decided
to
share
some
with
you!
Bristol Myers Squibb event, Brighton, England, 13th May 2011:
“That was the best thing I have ever done in my life “
(Drum Café UK)
Nedbank Strategic Session, Mount Grace, 8 April 2011:
Drum Café - the facilitation was out of this world! The spirit was truly alive and with
many individuals curing a serious hangover, everyone truly had an amazing time.
The most important thing is that people walked away with such a positive attitude
from the encouragement and enlightenment offered from the facilitating team of
Drum Café. Myself and the other 35 team members would certainly recommend
Drum Café as a future teambuilding event for other teams.
(Drum Café Joburg)
Lauren Andersen, Owner, Lauren Anderson Associates, Inc, on behalf of
Procter & Gamble, Prestige Products, Las Vegas, 5 April 2011:
"I want to thank you all so very much for all of your terrific help in the details,
planning and execution of another SPECTACULAR event by The Drum Cafe. ...You
make me and my team look good and I thank you so much for that…Attendees had
the time of their lives and did not stop talking about the experience for days after.
One comment I did hear several times was that they were very impressed about
how you knew so much about their business, goals and plans.... it was beyond
WONDERFUL."
(Drum Café Southeast)

14. Page
14
Global
Beat
Mr Yonesh Srinivasan (Tecknoin Shapes and Solutions) after a private party for his uncle’s 60th
birthday:
I wish to put on record the excellent performance by Drum Café team of Isaac, Amit, Vikrant and Audrey. My
uncle has received over 100 phone calls from all the guests present appreciating the fantastic performance of
Drum Café’. I was, more than their performance, overwhelmed by their commitment, punctuality, discipline and
their ability to adjust to ground conditions without making a fuss. You were very professional and efficient in
dealing with us and team underlined that characteristic too.
(Drum Café India)
School in New York that Drum Café performs for annually:
"Thank you for another great assembly! Wow, the energy felt in the room was unbelievable! The assembly seems
to be the talk during lunch hour right now. From the cafeteria to the faculty room, it's very apparent that
something special took place at our school this morning. "
(Drum Café New York)
Kirsten Brisard from Limegreen, on behalf of Brady Corporate, March 2011:
As organizer, we were called at the last minute by Brady to organize their Corporate
Marketing & International Sales Meeting in Brussels. In the evening, 150 colleagues
were treated to a drum session! Goose bumps were guaranteed as Drum Café
Benelux started their programme. The enthusiasm that they managed to generate in
the entire group was fantastic. I would also like to give my compliments on the
efficiency and professionalism of Drum Café Benelux.
(Drum Café Benelux)
Lion Sands 10th Year Anniversary, Lion Sands, 12 April 2011:
We are happy to report that the performance was EXCELLENT. Wow, what energy,
our directors and staff were blown away! Please pass on sincerest thanks to ALL the
guys!
(Drum Café Joburg)
Bombay Masters Print Association, after a gig for 400 associates:
We appreciate your personal supervision and involvement in the matter of our event
of Feb 24th. The entertainment offered via the Drum Cafe is refreshing and very
unique. None other till now have come this close in providing a multi-sensory
experience that so comprehensively absorbs the audience. The performance of the
troupe as a unit is theatrical and brings out any suppressed laughter. We
wholeheartedly endorse the format of Drum Cafe and look forward to having them
entertain at our events periodically.
(Drum Café India)
Blue Cross Blue Shield, USA, April 2011:
‎"I've been in the events industry for nearly 30 years and have organized a ton of
events for this particular group. I have never seen them so engaged and having so
much fun. Even the top-level executives joined in. The [Drum Cafe] team was a joy to
work [with]. They were fun, professional and went well beyond what I expected. Not
to mention [that] Alain [Eagles] is one of the most caring and charming entertainers
I've met throughout my career. Love him! GREAT JOB; JUST BRILLIANT!!!!"
(Drum Café Southeast)
Drum Café Germany Showcase Book
Drum Café Germany has just released the second issue of its high-end book which showcases the work being
done by Drum Café. Although the book is in German, the new pictures are amazing, and according to
Matthias Jackel, has become one of their most valuable marketing tools. You can download the book at:
files.me.com/dcmatthias/q83x0m (PDF 112 MB)

15. Page
15
Global
Beat
Community
Column
BIRTHDAYS
We
would
like
to
wish
a
very
happy
birthday
to
our
Drum
Café
friends
who
celebrated
their
birthdays
in
the
first
quarter
of
this
year:
APRIL MAY JUNE
1st: Jennifer Liu – Taiwan 7th: Richelle Kohn – Knysna 1st: Laurence Nash – New York
3rd: Matthias Jackel – Germany 10th: Natalie Spiro – DC West 6th: Dan Popa – Romania
22nd: Chris o’ Neill – DC West 14th: Janine Kroser – DC West 11th: Lisa Millard – South East
27th: Margie Adams – Cape Town 18th: Aliya Hasal - India 16th: Sarah Ncapayi – Vancouver
27th: Kristina Kilbourne – DC West 21st: Brett Schlesinger – London 29th: Amit Dhuri – India
30th: Nicky Lakay - Joburg
PERSONAL
NEWS
Ma#hias
and
Alexandra
Jackel
were
married
by
law
in
Venice
in
2007,
but
celebrated
their
spiritual
marriage
in
Church
on
28
May
2011!
Congratula/ons
to
both
of
you!
On
June
16th,
Warren
and
Tammy
Lieberman
celebrated
their
9th
wedding
Anniversary
in
Pisa,
Italy.
With
100
000
candles
ligh%ng
up
the
River
Arno
and
a
street
fes%val
that
brought
the
en&re
town
to
life,
it
was
a
day
to
remember.
Bre$
and
Sue
Schlesinger
will
be
moving
from
London
back
to
Cape
Town,
South
Africa
for
16
months.
Bre3
will
con6nue
to
run
the
London
office
from
South
Africa
and
is
ini'a'ng
processes
to
facilitate
this
change
(such
as
weekly
Skype
mee'ngs
and
using
Google
documents).
Bre$
Schlesinger
will
be
running
the
London
Triathlon
on
31
July.
Those
wishing
to
sponsor
Bre)’s
race
to
assist
him
in
raising
money
for
the
One
to
One
Children’s
Fund
can
use
the
following
link:
h"p://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-­‐
web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.ac4on?userUrl=Bre:Schlesinger&pageUrl=2