F.M. Einheit

• Name — F.M. Einheit • Birth Name — Frank Martin Strauß • Alias — Mufti • Born — 18 December 1958 • Origin — Dortmund, West Germany • Instrument — Percussion • Occupation — Composer, musician, percussionist, actor • Years Active — 1980s–present • Associated Acts — Einstürzende Neubauten Abwärts Palais Schaumburg Mona Mur Gry Alexander Hacke Decorder • Website — fmeinheit.org

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.

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. 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.