Mona Mur & En Esch
Berlin, Berlin, Germany | INDIE
Music
Press
“While the performance has an air of cool restraint throughout, there's also a distinct feeling of seething passions just under the surface. Mona Mur gives us a performance of Brechtian torch songs and slow-burning cabaret-influenced chansons, meticulously delivered with a chilled composure that at once establishes a distance between performer and audience, even as it entices you in. The amiable tension between the two performers - the supercool vocalist and her rock guitarist, straining at the leash to amp it all up - adds another neat bit of tension to the proceedings. The audience is held, rapt and attentive, from first song to last. “ Uncle NEMESIS UK
- UNCLE NEMESIS
"...her weapons are a passionately bloody voice, a sharp tongue and a gift for multiligual puns she applies to acerbic commentaries..." - New Musical Express London
Discography
MONA MUR Discography:
Albums & 12”
- „120 Tage – The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence“
CD with En ESCH (2009, Pale Music Int.)
- Into Your Eye, CD - Compilation 1982 – 2004, DARK DIMENSIONS 2004
- WARSAW, CD, Solid Pleasure 1992
- Mona Mur, CD/LP, RCA 1988
- Jeszcze Polska, 12", Supermax 1982
Releases on Compilations (Choice):
- Berlin SUPER 80, DVD/CD/Buch Set, Monitorpop 2005
- Head On (Gegen die Wand), Soundtrack DCD, Normal Records 2005
- Gegen die Wand, Soundtrack CD, Normal-Records 2004
- New Wave - German Class X, CD Play it again, Sam! Belgien 1994
- Berlin Underground 1979 - 83, CD ZENSOR Records 1991
EN ESCH Discopragphy:
- numerous CD & DVD releases with KMFDM as author, producer, performer
(WaxTrax, Metropolis Records etc. 1986 – 2008)
- „Dicknity“, „Exscrewatiing“, „Ridickulous” CDs with SLICK IDIOT
- “Cheesy” Solo Album 1993
- “Free for all “DVD with PIGFACE 2008
Photos
Bio
120 Tage – The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence
MONA MUR, extravagant vocalist and composer, has gained her reputation in the international music scene collaborating with artists such as "Einstürzende Neubauten", "The Stranglers", "Yello" and and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Featuring a violently orchestral sound of darkest shades, her concerts in manic intensity and morbid slowbeat-chic were foundation stones for her cult image until today.
Mur, also a successful martial artist and composer for video games, (BALLANCE; VELVET ASSASSIN, CULPA INNATA II) is one of the few german singers creating her own dark, mysterious, aggressive but beautiful musical world exploring the fields of electronic industrial, wave, postpunk and a hefty german chanson "cabaret" tradition à la Brecht/Weill.
Director Fatih Akin chose three of her tracks for his worldwide awarded movie "Head On/Gegen die Wand" (Berlin Golden Bear 2004)
On the upcoming CD “120 Days – The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence” (PALE MUSIC Int. 2/2009) Mona Mur is collaborating with EN ESCH, the striking front man and talented guitarist who once formed the basis of the german/US electro-industrial outfit KMFDM and now enjoys a cult-hero status in his larger-than-life stage persona. The accomplished multiinstrumentalist and producer has drastically transformed Mur's most intense 80s Songs into a unique blend of electronic drum loops, bass, dirty organ and wreckless feedback guitars. Live they are accompanied by drummer Johann Bley (Juno Reactor, Killing Joke, Holger Hiller)
BIO MONA MUR
Hamburg-born vocalist, composer and sound designer MONA MUR first graced the music scene in the '82 punk explosion. She hooked up with FM Einheit, Marc Chung and Alexander Hacke (“Einstürzende Neubauten”), straight away conquering London NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS's Single of the Week slot with the 12" "Jeszcze Polska".
At the time Mur lived a wild life in Hamburg, Paris and Berlin which shaped her uncompromising musical style with its harsh personal edge. Featuring a violently orchestral sound of darkest shades, their 80s concerts in manic intensity and morbid slowbeat-chic were were foundation stones for her cult image until today. 1989 sees the release of her first full Album “Mona Mur” procuced by JJ Brunel and Dave Greenfield (“The Stranglers”) for RCA.
In 1990 Mona Mur and her producer, Yello's Dieter Meier, hired the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Polish rockstar/ producer Grzegorz Ciechowski for the Album WARSAW. The concept album was unreleased at the time, but four of the songs were later covered by polish singer Katarzyna Groniec. Her album “Mesczysny” (SONY Poland 2000) entered the national charts, the Mona Mur song “Paintings” became a hit single selling more than 70 000 copies.
During the 90s until today, Mona Mur has also a successful carreer as martial artist, achieving the 3rd DAN Taekwondo.
She entered the German National Team for two years and became German Vice Champion twice.
In 1999 Mona Mur joined the Computer Games Industry as Audio Artist and composer for software developer TERRATOLS, Potsdam-Babelsberg. Her unique style of eerie, haunting and phantastic electronic music and Sound FX can be found in Games such as BALLANCE (ATARI USA/Japan 2006,) VELVET ASSASSIN (Replaystudios/SouthPeak 2009) or CULPA INNATA II (Momentum 2009). GamersHell called her music “Emotional Industrial” and reviewed her tracks as
„Pieces of relentless brutality and insidious beauty.“
Director Fatih Akin chose three of her tracks for his worldwide awarded movie "Head On/Gegen die Wand" (Berlin Golden Bear 2004, European Film Award 2004 followed by the release of a comprehensive BestOf –Mona Mur - CD,
“Into Your Eye” (DARK DIMENSIONS 2004)
Since 2007 Mona Mur is collaborating with EN ESCH. The Release of their Album “120 Tage – The Fine Art of Beauty and Violence” (PALE MUSIC Int. ) and tour are expected in Februar/March 2009.
BIO EN ESCH
Born near Frankfurt / Main, ESCH has lived and worked in Hamburg, Chicago, New Orleans, NYC, Los Angeles and currently Berlin. The classically trained percussionist is best known for his distinctive vocals and charismatic and intense stage performances.
He is a skilled multi-instrumentalist, programmer and composer. He has enjoyed success with KMFDM and the diverse ensemble PIGFACE since the early 90s.
End of the 80s, the core member and co-founder of the electro-industrial outfit KMFDM moved, together with his band mates,to the US. A tour supporting the band MINISTRY was the starting point for their stunning carreer. Featuring bands like RAMMSTEIN as opening acts, KMFDM pioneered the crossover between techno/dance and heavy metal with their signature industrial sound.ESCH composed, recorded and co-produced on 14 albums and 20 singles of KMFDM including hits like:
More’n’Faster, Godlike and Juke Joint Jezebel.
En Esch & KMFDM also appear on various sound
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