Meeting Brad Pitt while on tour with Nils Frahm, becoming a resident at Berlin’s legendary architectural landmark Funkhaus Studios, and releasing his second EP; it’s been an eventful few years for Liam Mour, who is a very exciting addition to the electronic music scene. Headliner caught up with the Berlin-based producer and composer about life in the German capital, the incredible community at Funkhaus, and his gorgeous new collection of songs, Dreaming Of A Better Place.
“I was born in Asia in Kyrgyzstan,” Mour says. “It has the Tian Shan mountain range and it’s just next to China. Then my family came to Germany when I was six to a city near Cologne. Then I moved to Berlin about 11 years ago.”
His German accent evidences his many years in the country, and his analogue-based electronic music with its subdued beats fits the Berlin aesthetic wonderfully — although one could perhaps argue it’s still lovely and melodic despite coming out of the city of techno. His songs range from beguiling ambience to very danceable and uplifting.
Plus the odd curveball, such as the title-track of Dreaming Of A Better Place – a trip-hop masterpiece with live drums, strings and vocals.
“I’ve been making music since I was a kid,” Mour says. “And I really got into electronic music when I was 16. I was listening to some music from Warp Records; we would play them when we were skating. When I moved to Berlin, it was quite easy to get into the electronic music scene, because Berlin is – I think – one of the most exciting cities for the scene worldwide.”
Mour has been a resident at Funkhaus for many years now. The GDR built Funkhaus in 1951 after they lost access to radios in West Germany. Its jaw-dropping design is by the famed Bauhaus architect Franz Ehrilich, and it’s been known for its excellent acoustics ever since.
“It's a stunning place,” Mour says. “It has a lot of studios; many of them have been refurbished during the last couple of years. I’m really happy to own one of them. I first came here to record nine years ago. It became really famous worldwide because of all the artists who are working there.
"And because of the concerts, we had the album release of Depeche Mode, and there have been many big concerts like Aphex Twin. So I would definitely recommend everyone visiting when they’re in Berlin – there’s a tour, and you can grab a coffee or lunch.”