“Pagamento” is a single from the experimental Berlin-based duo Witch ‘n’ Monk. This track is from their latest release, OUTFOX, a collection of new music based on the theme of radical creativity.

The duo consists of nonconformist artists Mauricio Velasierra, who plays various flutes, and Heidi Heidelberg, a soprano singer who plays prog-punk-infused riffs on guitar. Velasierra thrives in the constant rediscovery of his musical language, utilizing both acoustic and electronic effects. This allows him to seamlessly blend and switch between contemporary harmony, modern jazz, and quintessential traditional music. On the other hand, Heidelberg has an inventory of immaculate vocal techniques, from operatic to percussive. She incorporates beatboxing and live looping in her music.

“Pagamento” is a “GPS-guided audio experience” that is supposed to be experienced in natural spaces and cities around the world. The whole “OUTFOX” album is designed so that with the help of an app, Echo (link below), listeners have to follow a specific route and reach a certain place with their headphones on. The tracks from this album will be embedded in their little journey.

“Pagamento” is a highly groove-driven track that allows such wild and atonal layers to make perfect sense. It opens with syncopated pulsating guitar chugs, fast drums, and a synth-like ostinato. Both artists have a knack for outrageous tone, texture, and timbre experimentation. They mould and manipulate the natural sound of an instrument, which distinguishes one instrument from another in a very dynamic way.

Velasierra’s flute work on the upper register is flawlessly matched by Heidelberg’s firm reign over her vocal range throughout this track. The atonal quality of “Pagamento” is primarily due to the juxtaposition of opposing ideas. In contrast with a more soaring flute and crunchy guitar that supersede, exquisitely melodic flute and vocal duets have a jarring effect. Listeners will be on their tiptoe in anticipation of unpredictable and chaotic twists and turns. Overall honesty, Witch ‘n’ Monk’s music has always been an expedition beyond the superficial boundaries of genres.