P R E S S . P A C K

1) BIOGRAPHY

2) MUSICIANS

3) PHOTOS

4) PRESS

5) CONTACT

Intriguing Anglo-Colombian duo Bitch 'n' Monk have been described as "hardcore Kate Bush meets rebellious Andean Jethro Tull", creating what they call 'feral ethnopunk'. They first met in a yurt and began composing together within a few hours. Their intense collaboration has produced compositions which fuse traditional Colombian music with the eccentricity of the British DIY sound, rooted in the creative spirit of jazz with the theatrical power of opera.

Their instrumentation is a unique combination of; virtuosic Mauricio Velasierra on traditional flutes from the Andes, and pioneering soprano Heidi Heidelberg on vocals and electric guitar, producing music which The Guardian called "ingenious...you'll spend a while trying to classify them but they know how to write melodies".

They have performed across Europe and UK, including the London Jazz Festival, La Cigale (Paris) Sweden's Umea Jazz Festival and live on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction. Their debut album 'We Are Peering Over' was released on Lotus Arts Box Records in September to critical acclaim. "Exquisite. A kaleidescope of musical forms" - BBC Radio 3.

Bitch 'n' Monk gratefully receive funding from PRS for Music Foundation

BIOGRAPHY

Heidi Heidelberg - Vocals/guitar/loops Mauricio Velasierra - Flutes/effects

Heidelberg’s vocals can be both thrilling and intimate, moving between operatic and rock, looping chest-pumping screams or angelic chorales, or simply becoming one with the flute timbres, She has performed with jazz and experimental musicians and composers, such as Jason Yarde, Peter Ehwald, Jarvis Cocker, Gary Crosby OBE and Lina Lapelyte. One of the UK’s young jazz musicians to watch, she was a participant in the prestigious Serious Take Five p r o g r a m m e a n d h a s b e e n nominated for the Jazzl ines Fel lowship Award and Help Musicians UK Emerging Artists Fund.

Velasierra has created both his own musical style as well as m a k i n g h i s o w n m o d i f i e d traditional flutes. He has recorded with Mercury Music Award-w i n n i n g Z o e R a h m a n a n d col laborated wi th Mercury Nominees Dave Okoumu and Tom Herbert (The Invisible). He has played with guitarist John Williams, and opened for Van Morrison and Angelique Kidjo. His work with the Velasierra Quintet has been showcased at The Royal Festival Hall, Rudolstadt Festival and WOMAD Festival, among others. The debut album ‘Rodar’ received cr i t ical acclaim including 4 stars from Songlines Magazine.

MUSICIANS

PHOTOS

The Guardian

The Quietus

http://thequietus.com/articles/15599-complete-communion-jazz-reviews-june

“Special mention to the support act, the intriguing Anglo-Colombian duo Bitch ’n’ Monk. Mauricio Velasierra plays assorted flutes, Heidi Heidelberg plays guitar, sings and beatboxes, while the two transform their sound into junkyard electronica through the ingenious use of looping pedals. You’ll spend a while pondering how to classify them – prog folk? Operatic post-punk? Gothic reggae?”

“…they know how to write melodies.”

“The poison apple sound of jazz, folk and classical is in bitter proximity to West Country trip-hop miserablists Port i shead, especial ly on the ragged, haunting 'The Eagle'. Like P o r t i s h e a d ' s B e t h G i b b o n s , Heidelberg dishes out dark-hued affairs of the heart with stinging, deadpan poise, like on single 'Did He?', but in this case leavens the heartbreak with a west African-charged middle eight that vibrates with the sort of wacky, joie de vivre tUnE-yArDs is prone to - and that ain't a bad thing.

One bite of this will send you into a lovesick coma and give you an electrifying kiss of life all at once.”

PRESS

The Arts Desk (album review)

http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/cd-bitch-n-monk-we-are-peering-over

Jazzism (album review)

Work of uncompromising novelty - dense but exhilarating collages…an unmistakable sound-world of their own, but in many ways, their own g e n r e . A n d e a n p u n k o p e r a ? Existentialist hip-hop?”

“…Their musical finesse enables them to charm as well as batter an audience. Although their literary heft r e q u i r e s e x t e n s i v e n a r r a t i v e passages in songs of five or six minutes, Heidelberg’s quas i -operatic vocals are entrancing, and her control of volume and tone, especially at the delicate end of her range, is breathtaking…”

“…It’s angry, and in places bitter, and musically the sound bristles as much as it seduces…”

“the overriding impression is of wonder , and a beaut i fu l c o m m i t m e n t t o experimentation and novelty.”

“De musici zijn expressief en speels, d e t e k s t e n k r a c h t i g e n onvoorspelbaar, elegante en grove k l a n k e n w o r d e n a f g e w i s s e l d . Heidelberg heeft een heldere, deels klassiek klinkende sopraan die de stukken extra dramatisch gewicht mee kan geven. Er wordt ook flink geëxperimenteerd met klanken, nog het meest door Velasierra die een g r o o t a r s e n a a l a a n f l u i t e n hanteert.”

“Bitch ’n' Monk klinkt als geen andere groep en alleen al door de muzikale kwaliteit is het duo een mooie verrijking van het muzikale landschap.”

Jazz Standard (feature + album preview)

Bitch ‘n’ Monk; perplexing Music Journalists everywhere.

We Are Peering Over is a collection of nine unclassifiable rhapsodies. In a pairing that’s half Colombian and half British, the influences poured into Bitch ‘n’ Monk‘s new album provide a meeting point for crunchy electric guitar riffs and gymnastic flute melodies.

The human brain likes to categorise things; it’s in our nature. But with Bitch ‘n’ Monk we’re met with a conundrum; hippy afro punk? Ven sound art? Or perhaps simply post progressive? Trying to describe their sound is an acrobatic mind game. Good to know that Guardian Music, BBC, The Arts Desk and The Quietus have all had a stab at it.

“Every now and then, an act who dances on the per imeters of experimental music has the charm to lure in new, wider audiences. That’s especially the case for Bitch ‘n’ Monk.”

“…Heidi’s soaring, sometimes predatory vocals combined with her alluring beatboxing come together to mark a singer that isn’t afraid to express herself on this record. Alongside Mauricio, a Columbian f l a u t i s t w i t h a p e n c h a n t f o r c o m p l i m e n t a r y y e t memorable melodies”

“…one of the most diverse and exciting acts to come out of the UK’s experimental scene in recent years.”

All About Jazz (album review)

Bristol Post

“Bitch 'n' Monk is clearly willing and able to take a few risks. It's a strategy that succeeds”

“Velasierra adapts his flute playing to suit the varying moods and attitudes of the songs with skill.

Heidelberg is a fine vocalist: aggressive one moment, tender the next — attitude in spades, a Slits for the new jazz age.”

“…Bitch 'n' Monk establishes its credentials: emotionally raw, heart-on-its-sleeve, music from a duo full of ideas and the talent to see them fulfilled—inspired and inspiring.”

“Starting with tunes, words – plus a f l u t e a n d g u i t a r – t h e Bitch’n’Monk duo somehow manage to go off somewhere completely unexpected at the s l i g h t e s t p r o v o c a t i o n . H e i d i Heidelberg’s remarkable voice and Maur ic io Velas ier ra’s pedal-processed Colombian flutes are equally versatile instruments, well-matched to Heidi’s jazz-punk

BBC Radio 3 - Late Junction

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04d4r92

NPO (Dutch National Radio) - Vrije Geluiden

http://www.nposoulenjazz.nl/vrijegeluiden/uitzending/326886

“It's very dif ferent, a bizarre c o m b i n a t i o n o f t r a d i t i o n a l Colombian music with a typical British girl with a Fender and a loop station. Sounded a bit like folk music and like Kate Bush and like the folky stuff by Sinead O Connor. And I heard this live at the Jazzdag at North Sea Round town there are 'show cases' and this was the English submission. And I was totally blown off my socks. If you have the chance to see them live, really do so”

“Exquisite! A kaleidoscope of musical forms.”

Djolo

La Tundra Magazine (album review)

http://www.latundra.com/bitchn-monk

“ B i t c h ’ n ’ M o n k c ’ e s t l a rencontre en territoire sonore trouble et troublant de la voix de soprano de la guitariste britannique Heidi H e i d e l b e r g , e t d e s f l u t e s décomplexées du co lombien Mauricio Velasierra ; c’est étrange, expérimental, et vraiment cool !”

“Bitch’n’ Monk habla con un lenguaje propio. Su sonido se caracteriza por una flauta que descubre nuevas sonoridades e invita a que otros instrumentos tradicionales como la quena o la zampoña adquieran también dimensiones diferentes.

I m a g í n e n s e a u n a m u s a d e s l i z á n d o s e e n t r e l a experimentación y la amplitud de formas, así suena este dúo que no deja de sorprender en cada presentación.

Tanto su música como sus videos tienen una enorme producción que h a b l a d e l t a l e n t o d e ambos músicos y de su obsesión por

La Tundra Magazine (feature)

Latinos in London Magazine

http://www.latinosinlondon.com/magazine_view.php?id=179

"Bitch 'n' Monk es un dúo de sonidos casi impredecibles que despierta a una nueva dimensión donde lo etéreo convive con lo experimental, el jazz y lo folk. Recomendado por artistas de la talla de Yoko Ono o Ray Davies resulta imposible no s u c u m b i r a n t e s u e n e r g í a desbordante.”

"This daring new duo - Bitch 'n' Monk - has been hitting London with a new kind of sensuality and musicality, that has been missing from London's music scene since the 70s. Their sound is both raw and intensely modern, with an inspiring and courageous originality rarely seen these days.”

The Orchestra of writing http://rittisoncco.wordpress.com/tag/bitch-n-monk/

Ham & High (feature)

Southbank Centre

"Their record is positively bipolar, with deep grooves and angular melodies underpinning lyrics that are obscure yet familiar."

"Their music draws on jazz, rock and folk, and even dub and classical music. Dark basslines and deep groove combine with thrilling vocals and innovative use of pedals, which can take orchestral proportions."

"I don't really have any other way of putting this: strangely, their music felt like a consolation.”

“I was relieved to know this kind of music was still being made - innovatively. Not re-mixed or re-dreamt from the 60s, but genuine in our days.”

“The lyrics had me closing my eyes, smiling in shame / surprise at being caught. Feeling understood by an artist is a wonderful thing."

Amazing Radio UK (Dom Servini, Wah Wah 45s)

http://www.wahwah45s.com/artists/dom-servini/

Email info@bitchnmonk.com

"Subversively tropical avant-garde flute & Nut"

CONTACT