“Her weapons are a passionately bloody voice, a sharp tongue and a gift for multilingual puns she applies to acerbic commentaries.”
– Chris Bohn, NME –
In summer 1987 Mona Mur met legendary “Stranglers” musicians J.J. Burnel and Dave Greenfield on their compound in beautiful and enchanted East-Anglia to create her first full album “MONA MUR”. The synth pop gem with Dave Greenfield’s signature and unique keyboard arpeggios and Burnel’s brutal and elegant bass lines strongly influencing the production sound was released 1988 by RCA and was celebrated by filmmakers Monika Treut and Elfi Mikesch in their movie “Die Jungfrauenmaschine” – which contains a MM live performance of the song”Ritz”. The Official “Ritz” video was shot by Edward Oleschak in Vienna on Heldenplatz and Hofburg and in Palais Saurau in the City of Graz, Austria. The album also features a special re-recording of “Surabaya Johnny” using tracks by FM Einheit, Alex Hacke, Nikko Weidemann, Thomas Stern and Siewert Johannsen (the 2nd Mona Mur Band line up) with additional drum tracks by Dave Larcombe (“The Bible”).The 2021 re-reissue is remastered by Mona Mur’s long time collegue EN ESCH (KMFDM, Pigface), comes in a new running order with a special version of “Jealous” and a bonus track, “Venus 2020”, featured as credits’s song of Monika Treut movie “Genderation” (2021).
BIOGRAPHY
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MONA MUR is known for her unique voice and intense live performance as well as for her soundtracks for games and movies. In the 80s punk explosion, she hooked up with FM Einheit, Mark Chung, Alexander Hacke (“Einstürzende Neubauten”) and Gode B. (“Front”) to release the seminal 12 “Single “Jeszcze Polska” immediately claiming the “Single of the Week” slot of NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS. In a second MONA MUR BAND line-up, Gode B. and Chung dropped out, organist and keyboarder Nikko Weidemann (“Moka Efti Orchestra”), Thomas Stern (“Crime & The City Solution” ) and Siewert Johannsen (“Stricher”) joined the group.
In the 90s, Mona Mur travels frequently to India, deeply attracted by its unique culture and music. In Berlin, she meets up with keyboardist, drummer and medaevist Christian St. Claire, creating a bunch of spheric electronic art songs like the acclaimed “EDEN”. She starts studying the Martial Art of Taekwon Do which she practises until today, achieving the 3rd DAN grade. Since 2007, Mona Mur has frequently toured the US, Canada and Europe together with multiinstrumentalist, performer and producer EN ESCH of “KMFDM” fame with whom she released three albums. Another strong bond exists with lifelong artistic friend photographer Ilse Ruppert who captured and helped create her iconic image. Featuring a violent electronic-orchestral sound of darkest shades, Mona Mur songs are to be found in movies such as Fatih Akin’s drama “Head On/Gegen die Wand”.
In 1999 Mona joined the Computer Games industry as audio artist. In her Berlin KATANA STUDIO, she creates unique, eerie and haunting electronic music and sound FX for game titles such as “Kane & Lynch2: Dog Days” (EIDOS/SQUARE ENIX), “Velvet Assassin” (SoftPeak/UbiSoft Japan) or “Ballance” (ATARI USA/Japan). For her groundbreaking work on KL2, she was invited to GDC San Francisco 2012, EA DICE, Stockholm, MIGS Montreal, HTW University of Applied Sciences Berlin and many more.
Recent works include her solo album “DELINQUENT” (2019) written and produced together with Ralf GOLDKIND (Lucilectric, Fantastische 4) featuring an illustrous host of guest musicians such as Anja Huwe (“Xmal Deutschland”), Bettina Koster (“Malaria!”), Annika Line Trost (“Cobra Killer”), guitarists Rudy Nielson (“Nena”, “Alphaville”), Gary Schmalzl (“Jingo de Lunch”, Cora Frost), Kristof Hahn (“Swans”) and En Esch. Another core release: “THOSE DAYS ARE OVER” (2018), a collection of 15 Music Poems written by “Radical Eye” photographer and author Miron Zownir for Mona Mur who produced the soundscapes and her spoken word performance. “THOSE DAYS…” have so far been performed in London, Glasgow and Berlin.
In fall 2019, Mona was part of the successfull concert show “Znikajace miasto – The Vanishing City” at the festival “Łódź Czterech Kultur”. The show will go on tour in Poland in 2022. MONA MUR is also composer and producer of “HENKER AND JÄGER – On Hate as Collective Obsession”. Funded by German Ministry of Culture and Media, it features FM Einheit, star soprano Simone Kermes, En Esch and Mona Mur in a song recital evening which premiered at Muffatwerk München in December 2019, its fulminant artwork being provided by Berlin-based art directors FIRMA FREIMAUER.
2020, MOKA EFTI ORCHESTRA from Babylon Berlin TV series has covered the MONA MUR song “Snake” with singer Severija.
In 2021, Mona Mur engages in writing and producing music for films such as director Monika Treut’s upcoming “Genderation” as well as for the narrative Sci-Fi game “FERMI PARADOX”. She has also started a collaboration with Berlin-based arthouse label Playloud! for a series of Vinyl reissues.
2022, Mur signed with US-based boutique record label GIVE/TAKE for the release of her 3rd solo album “SNAKE ISLAND” (tba)
