Comparisons between musicians and painters can be tricky. But historical parallels are not unusual. And just as some paintings place their creators in a particular period in their creative lives, there are also musicians who can look back on distinct creative phases. F.S.Blumm is one such musician.
At the end of the 90s there were alot of murmurs about the living room scene in Berlin; magical concerts on improvised stages in temporary event spaces. Back then it was about music without fat beats and bass. It was a counter-reaction against rockstars with all their posing and egomania. You made music with acoustic instruments and kitchen appliances. Concerts were listened to attentively and with deep concentration. One of the protagonists of this scene was F.S.Blumm. His background knowledge as a trained classical guitarist combined with his love for untempered, often self-made instruments predestined him for this.
At the turn of the century virtually any kind of music which used acoustic instruments was branded „Free Folk“ or „Alternative Folk“. But other than a few ironic comments in interviews Blumm didnt try to monopolize on this supposed movement, rather he kept a poised distance from it. It was during this time that his album „Mondkuchen“ (trans. Moon Cake) was released on Morr Music. The bristly detailedness of the living room scene met serious and powerful reductionism. F.S.Blumms music worked as a link between indietronic and a new type of minimal music.
F.S.Blumm has many faces. He does film-music, radio-play, sound-installations and oil-paintings. The musical styles he engages range from neoclassic to dub, from delicate arrangements to bold basslines. Working your way through his vast discography would be a research project all in its own right. He has collaborated with the likes of David Grubbs, Lee „Scratch“ Perry, Lady Ann, Andi Otto, Harald „Sack“ Ziegler or Nils Frahm. He found his passion for jamaican music with the Quasi Dub Development. With the band KINN he played dynamic postrock. Blumm has a faible for odd beats and could write an a-z on minimal musics pattern matching. Quite where his personal musical signature lies remains something of a mystery. Nevertheless only a few bars are enough to recognize it. „Blumm is instantly recognizable “ (pitchfork) This may by down to his preference for open harmonies, his poingnent arrangements or perhaps the general easiness of his musical touch.
Around 2008 F.S.Blumm entered a new phase of his creativity which one could call his nonchalant songwriting phase. With the swedish singer Ella Blixt he wrote some smooth and silky bedroom producers pop under the moniker „Bobby And Blumm“. With Berlin based singer Jana Plewa he had a full acoustic duo called „Old Splendifolia“. With swedish Madeleine Jonsson Gille he established a third vocal duo whose album debut came out in 2015.
F.S.Blumm repeatedly toured Japan but also Canada, USA, Mexiko, India, Bangladesh and Europe. For his solo album „Welcome“ he decided to sing his own songs himself. For him that felt like a journey back to his youth – sitting in his bedroom with a songbook and his first guitar. With „Sounds of Silence“ and „Sister Ray“ day in day out.
On Sept. 3. 2021 the forth collaborative duo album with Nils Frahm is being released („2×1=4“). “I love ending up somewhere where I’m surprised by myself or the machine or the person with whom I’m making music,” Schültge concludes, while Frahm emphasises that, “None of this is too serious. The record is only as much of a dub record as the ones before are jazz records…”
Maybe this finally brings F.S.Blumm back to his origin: instrumental music with that touch of sweet melancholia. Back in the harbour, ready to go back to the sea, ready for another journey of discovery, searching for the uncertain, hunting for the essence of a musical idea, checking the cracks, leaving spaces for the thought to travel.
F.S.BLUMM
In Sight (sonicpieces 2020, CD/LP)
Nice To Have You (bandcamp 2019, digital LP)
Welcome (karaoke kalk 2017, CD/LP)
F.S.BLUMMBASTIC (pingipung 2015, 7“ EP and album on bandcamp)
Up Up And Astray (pingipung 2013, CD)
Food (bandcamp 2012, digital EP)
Up Up Treasures (Poprebop 2010, Split-Tape with Bradien)
drawings (Ahornfeld 2006, 7“ plus 36-pages booklet with drawings)
Summer Kling (morr music 2006, CD/LP)
Zweite Meer (morr music 2005, CD/LP)
Italian Short Story (autumn rec. 2004, CDR)
Lichten (audio dregs 2003, CD/LP)
Ankern (Staubgold / Tokuma 2002, CD/LP)
Mondkuchen (morr music 2001, CD/LP)
Bettvanille Weiter (Tomlab 2000, 10“)
6 Mbiras (emphase 2000) Split 7“ with Miniklon
Esst Obst (Stetzer 1998, EP)
SACK & BLUMM
Die fuenfte Dengelophonie (Dhyana 1998, 7“)
Sylvester Orchester 2000 (Staubgold 1999, 7“)
Sack & Blumm (Tomlab 1999, CD)
Shy Noon (Gefriem 2000, CD)
2×5 (Staubgold 2000, 10“)
Zack Bumm (Tokuma / Sonig Japan 2001, CD)
Kind Kind (Staubgold 2003, CD/LP)
Returns (Staubgold 2009, CD)
BOBBY AND BLUMMe
verybody loves .. (morr music 2008, CD/LP)
a little big (morr music 2010, CD)
six slightly sexy songs (teto 2015, tape)
F.S.BLUMM & NILS FRAHM
music for lovers, music versus time (sonicpieces 2010, CD)
music for wobbling, music versus gravity (sonicpieces 2012, CD/LP)
music for lovers .. music for wobbling… (sonicpieces 2012, 2LP)
tag eins tag zwei (sonicpieces 2015, CD/LP)
OTHER BANDS & PROJECTS
DIE AUCH – „Im Ernst“ LP on n.Ur-Kult-releases (Hannover 1994)
STRÖM – “Honigtier / Fensterkreuz“ 7inch on n.Ur-Kult/ Dhyana (Hannover/Augsburg 1999)
STRÖM – „Wellenbrecher“ LP on Klangkrieg Produktionen (Berlin 2000)
Rebresch & Blumm – „Hoercomics“ CD on Plattenmeister (Jübeck 2000)
Blumm & Möbius – „20 Lock Grooves“ 7inch on Happy Zloty Records (Bremen 2002)
KINN – „KINN“ CD on Tête-à-Tête (Berlin 2003)
F.S.Blumm & Friends – „sesamsamen“ CD on Plop / Inpartmaint (Tokyo 2004)
KINN – „KARLSHORST“ CD on audio dregs (Portland 2006) licensed by sinnbus (Berlin 2006)
David Grubbs & F.S.BLumm – “music for drawings” 7inch on ahornfelder (Leipzig 2006)
Anne Laplantine & F.S.Blumm – „FA“ – 10inch on alien transistor (Munich 2007)
F.S.Blumm meets Luca Fadda – s.t. – CD on Ahornfelder (Leipzig 2007)
OLD SPLENDIFOLIA – „swaying boldly afar ..“ CD on Plop (Tokyo 2008)
F.S.Blumm / Lucrecia Dalt – “Cuatro Covers” mp3-EP on La bèl netlabel (Rome 2011)
QUASI DUB DEVELOPMENT – „Limousine to the Guillotine“ – LP on RumpRecordings (Copenhagen 2011)
licensed by Lantern / Nature Bliss (Tokyo 2011)
OLD SPLENDIFOLIA – „Utterly Heartbreaking“ CD on La bèl netlabel (Rome 2013)
QUASI DUB DEVELOPMENT – „Little Twister vs Stiff Neck“ – CD/LP on Pingipung (Hamburg 2014)
Springintgut & F.S. Blumm – „The Bird And White Noise“ CD/LP on night cruising & Pingipung (Kyoto & Hamburg 2014)
Jonsson Gille & Blumm digital-album on bandcamp (2015)
Andi Otto & F.S.Blumm – “Entangleland“ LP on Pingipung (Hamburg 2020)