We've spent some time with an old friend who has played for us in Brighton before, which left us all with fond memories from a spectacular night.
Next up is British-German DJ and producer Lars Moston from Berlin who has released on some of the world's most influential House Music labels such as Katermukke, Kittball Records and Nervous Records. He has collaborated with Boris Dlugosch, Teenage Mutants, Juliet Sikora, and Dirty Doering among others and remixed the likes of grammy winner Purple Disco Machine, Claptone, Mike Mago, Si Begg and Moonbootica to name just a few. As a DJ Lars has raised roofs at world famous venues such as Watergate Berlin, Pacha Ibiza, Printworks London and festivals like Fusion and Tomorrowland with his trademark positive sound. Crafting a highly energetic mix full of little suprises and nods to his personal musical history, taking crowds on a journey full of twists and turns that he himself discovers in the moment, these are sources of tangible enjoyment for him. And it shows. Lars Moston is currently also delving into genre-bending Electronic Pop with New Zealand’s Leah Hinton aka Murmur Tooth. Leah and Lars are exploring how their polar opposite musical backgrounds clash and combine and are about to release a full-length album that combines Leah’s composition skills and vocal hooks with Lars’s production magic. The songs are dripping with layered harmonies and bursting with the weird and wonderful sounds of half broken instruments, salvaged childhood toys and repurposed household appliances. We caught up with Lars to find out more.
Hi Lars, how are you and what have you been up to this week?
Not too bad at all, thanks! I just played a DJ set at Sisyphos in Berlin over the weekend which was really good fun, a real pleasure to play there every time, such a great club. And it’s super close to where I live as well, lucky me!
How long have you been in Berlin and what made you make the move?
Quite a long time, going on 15 years now! I came here for the music scene and the cheap rent haha, back then at least, now it’s catching up to other European Capitals I suppose. Back then I felt like Berlin was a scene that was still developing, London (which I was also considering) felt really closed off, less accessible. Berlin wasn’t that easy either as it turned out but I managed to find my place here in terms of clubs, labels and tons of like minded people, I do love Berlin.
You are half British, do you still get to visit Blighty much?
Yes regularly I would say. When I was a kid there was lots of family visits of course, that was mostly around Southampton and London. These days it’s mostly for DJ gigs, my last one was at Amazonico in London in winter. I always love coming over because of the people and also because of the food. My German friends wouldn’t understand but I just love British food. You just can’t really get it over here.
Where are some of your favourite spots in the UK?
Brighton is definitely amongst my favourites! And there’s many bits of London that I really like a lot. One place I really want to visit again is a curry restaurant in Forest Hill. It’s called Babur and apparently it’s like super fancy now with Michelin stars but I know it from years ago when it was just an excellent local curry place. I must go and see if they still make that great lamb tikka.
What do you miss most about Berlin when you're not there?
What do I miss about Berlin? Weirdly, the scruffiness. It can be a bit much in Berlin, yes, a bit on the nasty side sometimes actually, but somehow I miss it when I’m away for longer. Not that I particularly like the actual squalor of it, but I suppose what I like is that Berlin hasn’t yet been entirely optimised for commercial interests, because in a way that is much nastier than the rubbish lying around here…?
You have released a fabulous number of tracks on some of our favourite labels. Are there any releases that are your stand-out favourites or that have special memories or resonance with you?
Yes! I’m going to pick out three:
Congratulations on your grammy, Tino, well deserved!
A collab with Dirty Doering and Sascha Cawa, 3 people collabing is not ideal according to some. But this one was magic.
Boris is such a legend, a real honour to have made tracks with him.
What else can you tell us about future releases, anything exciting in the pipeline? Definitely! The biggest thing right now for me is my album with Murmur Tooth which is coming out in May. Leah (aka Murmur Tooth) is actually a heavy metal guitarist and classical pianist who pretty much hated house music before we met. She’s also a musical genius though I reckon and now we’ve made this genre-bending alt-pop album together which I’m really excited about.
You played for us before COVID times at the Green Door Store, what was your favourite memory of the night?
That was an amazing night! I just remember being completely drenched in sweat at the end. It was really intense, Captain Hindsight would have brought a towel and a spare shirt.
What's your favourite thing about Brighton and when you were here what else did you do?
Well, one memorable moment was getting an ice cream at the pier and having it nicked by one of your freakishly large seagulls. But what I liked best about that weekend (apart from the party) was the family time! My cousin Kit lives in Brighton and we got to hang out, which I enjoyed a lot.
Where was your first gig in Berlin?
Oh, um.. that was way before I moved here, some club in Mitte that doesn’t exist anymore. Not sure what it was called but I do remember being a bit nervous about playing in big bad Berlin haha, I was quite young.
You have been in Berlin for a good few years now, where's your favourite place to just kick back and chill?
Langer See… in summer, that’s the perfect place to hang out for me. It’s a beautiful lake that the tourists don’t really go to. I’m looking forward to spending a few afternoons there over the next couple of months.
And equally, where's your favourite place to let loose?
I would say Sisyphos. I used to also like Heideglühen a lot, but I haven’t been there since Corona, so can’t really say. Must check out what they’re up to.
Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now? In no particular order: C’mon, Biscits, Claus Casper, DerAlinea, David Keno, Ivory, Paons, Emanuel Satie, Flashmob, Alan Braxe & Fred Falke, James Curd, Mat.Joe, Dompe, Baustaff, Cascandy, Catz n Dogz.
What are your go-to labels?
I don’t really have “go to” labels but some that pop up regularly are Innervisions, Dirtybird, Prima, Pets, Club Sweat, True Romance, Keinemusik, Exploited, Monaberry, Snatch! and Slothacid.
You have compiled our latest Berlin Mixtapes Series Episode 043 - Tell us more about your mix.
“What’s Your Poison?” is the DJ mix that’s supposed to showcase the weird and wonderful cover version that Murmur Tooth and I made of Alice Cooper’s “Poison” - well actually my club remix of it. Our original version is quite slow and trippy. I always try to go on a bit of a journey in these mixes, even if it’s only that one hour to make it fit into radio shows like yours. That’s what I aim for in my club sets as well, try to unify various sub-genres into something that’s a bit more than a super-specific pigeon hole. I like character. I like music!
What else can we expect from you soon? What's next on the horizon for DJ gigs wise or productions? Where can people see you next?
Big album release in May for Murmur Tooth & Lars Moston, it’s called “No Time to Explain”, exploring some new territories there. I’ve also got a remix for DerAlinea coming out on Meeronauten Musik out of Germany, which I’m quite excited about, and a new original track of mine called “Where We Breathe” on SNOE, coming out in June.
There are two stand-out gigs happening in May: I’m playing at Claptone’s Masquerade night at Pacha Ibiza on the 13th and then on the 27th it’s our album release party at Birgit, Berlin where I will not only be DJing but also playing a concert - Murmur Tooth & Lars Moston LIVE!
Thanks for spending some time with us, is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
Be good to each other, try and make the world better, not worse. And look beyond what they put in front of you.
Exciting stuff! It's been an absolute pleasure talking with you Lars. Next up here's the Quickfire Round:
Genre: House
Favourite Colour: Yellow
Where in Berlin are you: Friedrichshain
What do you put on your chips? Ketchup & Mayo
First record ever bought: MC Hammer - You Can’t Touch This
Apple or Android: Apple
Pioneer or Denon: Pioneer
Ableton or Logic: Ableton
Can you juggle?: A bit
Weirdest/Coolest item of clothing: KLF T-shirt
Do you collect anything? KLF t-shirts!
Favourite place to hang out in Berlin: My place
Best club: Sisyphos
Favourite Bar/Pub: Velvet Bar
Best Beer: Jever
Favourite place to eat: Imren
View on Sauerkraut: Yes!
Favourite Wurst: Bratwurst
Weirdest food you have eaten? A buffet type place in Bangkok where all the information was only in Thai - who knows what exactly I ate.
How do you like your eggs? Fried with beans on toast.
Coffee or Tea: Mostly coffee, but I do love a nice cup of tea.
Spring, summer, autumn or winter? Summer
Favourite Footy Team: Borussia Dortmund
Favourite Track right now: Biscits - House All The Time
3 words to describe your mix: Turn it up!
Tracklist:
01. A.D.O.R., Big Miz - Renegade (Original Mix) - [Weapons]
02. Ede - Polycat (Original Mix) - [Future Disco]
03. Kraak & Smaak - Let's Go Back ft. Romanthony (Joe Goddard Extended Remix) - [Boogie Angst]
04. Marc Werner - Mthatha (Original Mix) - [Monaberry]
05. Murmur Tooth & Lars Moston - Poison (Lars Moston Extended Club Mix) - [Motor Music] 06. Emanuel Satie & Maga - Flores (Original Mix) - [Scenarios]
07. Ursula Rucker, Simon Doty - Soulflow feat. Ursula Rucker (Extended Mix) - [Anjunadeep] 08. Gorgon City - Rumblah (Extended Mix) - [Realm]
09. Eldeanyo - Badman (Local Singles Remix) - [Adesso]
10. Vintage Culture, Bhaskar & Meca ft. The Vic - Tina (Extended Mix) - [Higher Ground]
11. Damien N-Drix - Pump It (Extended Mix) - [Tomorrowland]
12. GetCosy - Hercules (Original Mix) - [Dirtybird]
13. Catz 'n Dogz - Shine (Original Mix) - [Pets]
14. Kölsch - Environ (Original Mix) - [Speicher]
15. Christian Nielsen - Broken Mirror (Extended Mix) - [Realm]