FLUID FORM CLUB #9: Kamilya Jubran & Werner Hasler x Witch 'n' Monk

FLUID FORM CLUB presents passionately unpredictable music that escapes classification, for a community of curious minds.

Hosted by WITCH 'N' MONK

WITCH 'N' MONK

Radically manipulated flutes, anarchic soprano vocals and analogue electronics

Defiantly original duo Witch 'n' Monk combine Mauricio Velasierra’s radically electrified Latin American flutes, with Heidi Heidelberg’s jazz-punk guitar/bass and anarchic soprano vocals.

The music travels seamlesly from structured arrangements to wild improvisations, using a myriad of control pedals and labyrinthine signal paths to orchestrate live. The essence of their collaboration is encapsulated in the name; dark/light, feminine/masculine, punk/Romantic. Creating contrast is fundamental to their work and thus they tread upon the edges of genres. Celebrated in jazz, contemporary classical and DIY music scenes they have played prestigious venues and festivals such as the Royal Festival Hall, Berlin, London and Umea Jazz Festivals and Paris' La Cigale.

On May 9th they celebrate the release of their new album OUTFOX on limited edition blue vinyl.

Their eponymous album from 2020 was released on John Zorn's legendary Tzadik Records to critical acclaim. It was named Contemporary Album of the Month by The Guardian and received the prestigious Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

"Blending Latin American flutes, electronics, complex vocal lines with a touch of Frank Zappa lyricism and a radical punk aesthetic, the duo of Heidi Heidelberg and Mauricio Velasierra crafts a dramatically bizarre vocal music from another dimension! Intertwining dark/light, feminine/masculine, composed/improvised and punk/romantic, dreamlike improvisations are sampled, manipulated and reinvented through the lens of contemporary music and pop. You have never heard anything quite like Witch ’n’ Monk!" - John Zorn

http://www.witchnmonk.com

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KAMILYA JUBRAN & WERNER HASLER

A radical and telepathic duo. Geniuses of shape-shifting traditions. Transforming vocals, oud and trumpet with quadraphonic electronics.

Musician, composer and one of the most revered figures for today’s younger generation of experimental and alternative Arabic music-scenes, Kamilya Jubran (text, oud & vocals, collaborates with long standing musical partner, composer, accomplished trumpet player and seasoned electronic musician Werner Hasler (trumpet & electronics).

In Wa (Arabic for and), their third album together as a duo, Kamilya Jubran and Werner Hasler continue to interrogate their listening and their expression, their research and their desires, to unravel a musical universe of possibilities; “a unison of timbres, cultures complementing, the complicity of verses, and modes and languages confronting each other ” in the duo’s own way of communicating respective origins and contemporaneity.

Lyrical, within a sound full of contrast and ornamentation, they pursue an expansion of their repertoire with imaginative interpretation and improvisation. For this release via Swiss label Everest Records, Jubran and Hasler seek new sonic and phonetic territory, based on the wasla compound form found in the classical repertoire of Near Eastern music and in Western modern and improvised music; a suite of musical explorations within one composition. In the 45-minutes-long piece that makes up the full length album, they gradually unveil to us the tenants of this artistic dialogue, as they deepen a longstanding musical pact nurtured since 2002 based on the probing and opening up of musical modes and traditions. The chemistry between Jubran and Hasler’s exchange gives birth to a singular, original and extratemporal sound.

Kamilya Jubran (singer, oud) and Werner Hasler (trumpet, electronics) have been collaborating since 2002. Their first collaboration Mahattaat was their earliest experiment into bringing together disparate cultural and artistic roots. Their next collaboration, Wameedd, released in 2004, combined Jubran’s vocal skill and limitless imagination with Hasler’s melodies and his original aesthetics in electronic music. The duo then released Wanabni in 2010 followed by W asl in 2016, featuring French double bass player Sarah Murcia.

https://akuphone.bandcamp.com/album/wa

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SANJA STAR

Multi-surface live animation: Live, improvised video art inspired by quantum physics, foxes, fishes and David Lynch

Sanja Star's artistic practice is heavily influenced by the concept of frequencies – the building blocks of the universe according to quantum physics. By delving into the mysterious realm of these vibrations, she seeks to visually represent the hidden workings of the universe and shed light on the enigmatic laws that govern it. Through her work, she aims to encourage viewers to question their understanding of the world around them. By breaking through conventional constraints of traditional media, she hopes to ignite a sense of curiosity in her audience, inviting them to delve deeper into the complexities of our existence. Through her art she also hopes to bridge the gap between science, art and technology, showcasing the beauty and interconnectedness of these seemingly disparate fields.