Anders Bertram Tatsuki Oshima Scott Martingell Frederik Hantho Daisuke Kiyasu Kirstine Teglbjærg Hans Landgreen Mathias Hantho Lasse Herbst Sune Martin Anders Wallin Nikolaj Bundvig Emil Bernild Ferslev
Danish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Tobias Wilner founded the group in 2000, inspired by Mark E. Smith's approach to forming a band (the Fall), recruiting a rotating cast of traditional musicians throughout the band's history to inspire creativity. Since 2010 the core of the band has been Tobias Wilner and Bo Rande, based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Copenhagen, Denmark.[1]
Blue Foundation released their fifth album Blood Moon worldwide on 2 September 2016. The album featured appearances from Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon / Red House Painters), Erika Spring (Au Revoir Simone / Nice As Fuck), Jonas Bjerre (Mew), Sonya Kitchell, Sara Savery (aka Drop the Gun) and Findlay Brown.
Blue Foundation lead singer Tobias Wilner under concert
Blue Foundation is known for being part of many other musical projects. Tobias Wilner is active recording and touring with his side project New York United,[2] an experimental band featuring Daniel Carter, Federico Ughi, and Djibril Toure. The dream pop electronic project Tachys, with the lead singer of Mew, Jonas Bjerre, is also noteworthy.[3] He has released music under the alias Bichi and with his shoegaze band Ghost Society. Additionally, he composes music for films and TV, both under his own name and as Blue Foundation. Bo Rande is active with projects like Mames Babegenush, Choir of Young Believers and CTM .
History
Blue Foundation was founded in 2000 in Copenhagen and grew out of the musical collaboration between Tobias Wilner, aka Bichi, his brother Anders Mannov Bertram, and Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg. Tobias Wilner, the band's primary driving force and captain, came up with the name Blue Foundation in 1999.
The early sound was partially shaped around Tobias Wilner's sonic universe, compositions, and productions, as well as Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg's ethereal vocals and songwriting. From the beginning, Blue Foundation included members from various countries, including Denmark, Japan, England, Italy, Brazil, and the USA. MC Jabber, aka Scott Martingell, left his mark on Blue Foundation's first three albums with his cryptic and fragmented poetry.
Blue Foundation released their first 7" via Moshi Moshi Records,[4] and their first, self-titled, album was released shortly thereafter. Three years later, in 2003, the band signed with EMI/Warner Music releasing 2 critically acclaimed albums, released in the US through Astralwerks Records.
In 2007, Blue Foundation released their third studio album, Life of a Ghost. The album was recorded in Copenhagen, with Tobias Wilner as producer and engineer, and Bo Rande as co-producer. The album was released in 2007 on EMI Records in Denmark and on Astralwerks in the USA in 2009.
Life of a Ghost features the group's biggest hit, "Eyes on Fire," written by Tobias Wilner and Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg.
In 2008, Blue Foundation established their own imprint, Dead Peoples Choice, that so far has released two albums and one remix album. Today they release under the imprint KON Records. [5] Blue Foundation gained major recognition with a remix by Zeds Dead of their song "Eyes On Fire", reaching a no. 3 ranking on iTunes Electronic Music Chart (2014). Today "Eyes On Fire" has more than 35 million YouTube plays, while the "Zeds Dead"-remix has exceeded 170 million YouTube plays. During the years Blue Foundation have expanded their audience, embracing today both the underground and the alternative mainstream.
Blue Foundation founder and lead singer Tobias Wilner and Bo Rande. Photo By Jesse Ball
Blue Foundation has been featured in major films such as Twilight,[6]Miami Vice[7] and on TV shows including CSI: Miami and The Vampire Diaries. Their music is sampled by ex Lil Durk feat. French Montana on "Fly High", Young Thug on "She Noticed" and on Curren$y's "Hustler".
Blue Foundation have toured extensively around Europe, Asia and the US through the years, performing alongside bands like Efterklang, Faithless, Mew and DJ Krush.
Blue Foundation lead singer Tobias Wilner captured under a concert.
Bo Rande is an accomplished musician, songwriter and producer, as well as a trumpet-player known for his tone and style. His style encompasses jazz, world music, pop music and ambient. He is also a member of the Danish band The William Blakes (two-time winner of the Danish Music Awards) and the sought after klezmer orchestra Mames Babegenush. He has toured the world with Mames Babegenush,[8] playing both Carnegie Hall, Argentina and around Europe. Besides that he has been a sought after musician, playing with Mew, Apparatjik, Efterklang and many many others, both live and on recording.
In October 2005, Tobias Wilner released an album with his side project, Bichi. The title of the album is Notwithstanding, and is released by Thomas Knak on his label, Hobby Industries. Some of the Bichi work would later turn into Blue Foundation songs. The Blue Foundation song, This is Goodbye, from the movie Manslaughter, was originally the instrumental songRevolve In The Sun/My Footfalls Are Superfluous, from the albumNotwithstanding.[9] Also, the Bichi song It Begins, featured in the movie Waking Madison, by Katherine Brooks, was re-recorded and later released as a Blue Foundation version.
Blue Foundation live in Copenhagen 2018. Photo by Jesse Ball
On 1 February 2009 Tobias Wilner established DPC Records, mainly to release Blue Foundation, Bichi and his band Ghost Society. Later that year Blue Foundation went double platinum in USA for the Twilight Soundtrack. The album was certified double platinum on 16 April 2009.[10] The Blue Foundation song Watch you Sleeping, with singer songwriter Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon), and former member Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg was released as a single on DPC.[11]
Blue Foundation contributed with two songs for the soundtrack of the award-winning documentary film Tankograd, by director Boris Benjamin Bertram.[12] One of the songs signals a change in female vocalists. The lead vocals are done by Sara Savery (Ghost Society and People Press Play). Blue Foundation also did the soundtrack for the short film Go All Day, featuring professional skateboarder Chaz Ortiz, Colin Kennedy. The score was later released as the Blue Foundation single Red Hook.
Tobias Wilner started the project Tachys with Mew's lead singer, Jonas Bjerre, in 2019. They released their debut album in 2023. [13]
In 2018, Bo Rande and Tobias Wilner recorded and produced the album "Silent Dream (Instrumentals and Beats)", which was released in 2019. The album features guest appearances by Sun Glitters, Federico Ughi, and Sara Savery, also known as Drop The Gun. "Silent Dream" was produced by Tobias Wilner and Bo Rande, mixed and recorded by Tobias Wilner, and mastered by Mark Bihler at Calyx in Berlin. Blue Foundation premiered "Silent Dream" at the Radar festival in Aarhus.
In 2022, Danish singer Helena Gao performed with Blue Foundation for the first time.
Tobias Wilner announced in an interview with the danish music magazine Gaffa, that the band is working on a new album in their Brooklyn studio. It was meant for release in 2024. [14]
The O.C. - Season 2, Episode 7: The Family Ties, feat. Save This Town by Blue Foundation (Warner Bros. Television/Fox Network) 6 January 2005
CSI: Miami - feat. End of the Day by Blue Foundation (CBS) 2008
Anna Pihl - feat. Crosshair by Blue Foundation (Cosmo Film/Danish National TV) 2008
So You Think You Can Dance - 1 episode, Top 14 Perform feat. Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation (19 Television/20th Century Fox Television) 1 July 2009
The Cleveland Show - feat. Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation (20th Century Fox) 30 October 2011
The Vampire Diaries - Season 4, Episode 8: Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation 6 December 2012
Music for contemporary dance
Overloadlady by Sara Gebran. Musical scores by Tobias Wilner (pre-Blue Foundation). Premiered August 1999[16]
Hurtdetail by Tim Feldmann. Musical scores by Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation). Premiered at "Plovdiv Center of Contemporary Art" in Bulgaria, on 13 May 2000.[17]
Hendrix House by Tim Feldmann. Musical scores by Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation) and David Linton. Premiered at Pakhus 11 April 22nd 2003
eXPLORnography by Tim Feldmann. Musical scores by Tobias Wilner (Blue Foundation). May 2005
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