F.M. Einheit
Birth nameFrank Martin Strauß
Also known asMufti
Born (1958-12-18) 18 December 1958
OriginDortmund, West Germany
Occupation(s)Composer, musician, percussionist, actor
Instrument(s)Percussion
Years active1980s–present
Websitefmeinheit.org

Frank-Martin Strauß, better known as F.M. Einheit and also known as Mufti, (born 18 December 1958, in Dortmund) is an industrial and electronic musician and actor from Germany.

While primarily known for his percussion work with the influential group Einstürzende Neubauten, he has also collaborated with KMFDM, Goethes Erben and recorded several albums in collaboration with other musicians (such as Diamanda Galás, Mona Mur, Andreas Ammer, Ulrike Haage) and solo. Einheit was also involved in the projects Stein and Gry.

Early years

In the late 1970s and early 1980s he was also a member of the punk bands Abwärts from Hamburg and Palais Schaumburg

In the early 1980s he joined Einstürzende Neubauten as a percussionist and became a long-time band member. Most of the percussions which FM Einheit played on were custom-made metal instruments or such tools as a hammer drill. FM Einheit was instrumental to the development of the sound of the group.

Live performances of Einstürzende Neubauten with FM Einheit included much metal banging, destruction on the stage and even fire. These shows became legendary and influenced the band image.

He played the lead role in the 1984 feature film Klaus Maeck's Decoder, a cyberpunk critique of muzak. In 1988–9 he was part of Alfred 23 Harth's group Vladimir Estragon.

1990s–2000s

In the 1990s he was also a member of a band Stein, also featuring Ulrike Haage and Katharina Franck from the band Rainbirds.

FM Einheit left Einstürzende Neubauten in the mid-1990s during work on the album Ende Neu, due to a lack of creative interest.[1]

One of his major projects after Einstürzende Neubauten was the band Gry with a female singer Gry Bagøien from Denmark. They released two albums: The Touch Of E! (1998) and Public Recording (2000, featuring Pan Sonic and Neubauten's Alexander Hacke).

FM Einheit is also involved in theater and radio plays. On several occasions he reunited on stage with Alexander Hacke of Einstürzende Neubauten for an experimental performance.[2][3]

Discography

Film soundtracks

  • 1984 Decoder, directed by Jürgen Muschalek
  • 1997 Der Platz, directed by Uli M Schueppel
  • 1997 Im Platz, directed by Uli M Schueppel
  • 2008 Der Tag, directed by Uli M Schueppel
  • 2009 Die Narbe, Westberlin (West), directed by Burkhard von Harder

References

  1. ↑ Interview: F.M. Einheit –3/2/98
  2. ↑ Detailed information about a live concert of FM Einheit with Alexander Hacke in Frankfurt / Germany, 2010 "Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-10-03. and video of this performance on YouTube
  3. ↑ Information about Alexander Hacke's EP "Doomed", in which a concert of Hacke with FM Einheit in 2009 in Berlin is mentioned
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