FM Einheit & Band
Live@Ku.Bo, Bolzano, 25.07.04

THE REVIEW

Ten years after the memorable concert by Einstürzende Neubauten, the member who more than others was able to give "physicality" to the Berlin cult band has returned to Bolzano with his new band.
The concert was part of the program of the exhibition "Il rullo del tamburo" and was supposed to take place at midnight on Saturday in the picturesque courtyard of Castel Roncolo in Bolzano. Unfortunately, the relentless rain prompted the organizers (Radio Tandem and the namesake association) to move the concert to Ku.Bo, a former fruit and vegetable warehouse taken over by the municipality and made available for musical events.

Half an hour before the start, a satisfied FM Einheit says he is pleasantly surprised by the venue, very "industrial," although he would have preferred to play at the castle. In an interview granted to me a few days earlier, he assured me that his playing would be quite physical. The instrumentation proves it: two amplified springs hang from the truss: he had them custom-built for this project, they are ready to be hit with hammers, screwdrivers, and drills. A beginning to say the least noisy. Accompanying him are four guys at the drums, electric guitar, electronics, and visualizations.

In front of about 200 people (quite a lot, considering the change of location and that we are in Bolzano - as well as at one in the morning), the band starts playing. Electronic rhythms provide the basis for Einheit's percussion. A start with sure impact that struggles, however, to make the concert take off. The first sensation is that of facing an FM Einheit that has decided to live off his laurels, relying on the scenic effect of his performances. A feeling soon to disappear. As the minutes pass, the great capabilities of the band become evident, of which Einheit is the conductor. Heavy electronic beats accompanied by an astonishing performance from drummer Saskia von Klitzing (not just a scenic presence, but an instrumentalist who combines precision and strength like few others). The pieces - very long - do not remotely touch the concept of "song." Rather, they are rhythmic bases (productions of the latest Test Dept., certain gut punches of Nine Inch Nails, or the sounds of Laibach's electronic phase come to mind) on which FM Einheit places accents by offering solos on his instrumentation or playing the theremin, one of the first fully electronic musical instruments, used in the past by many artists (remember "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys?), perhaps the only "voice" of the entire concert.

What can I say? Everyone (so to speak) left satisfied. A concert that will remain in the memory of many.