Blue Foundation
Background information
Genres	Electronica shoegaze dream pop
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Moshi Moshi, Astralwerks, EMI, Virgin, DPC
Members	Tobias Wilner Bo Rande
Past members	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
Website	bluefoundationofficial.com

Blue Foundation is a Danish band. Their cinematic dream pop, shoegaze and electronics inspired compositions are known for being featured in films such as Twilight, Miami Vice and on TV shows including CSI: Miami and The Vampire Diaries.

Danish Tobias Wilner founded the group in 2000 recruiting a rotating cast of traditional musicians throughout the band's history to inspire creativity. Since 2003 the core of the band has been Tobias Wilner and Bo Rande, based in Prospect 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.

History

Blue Foundation released their first 7" via Moshi Moshi Records,^[2] 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 2008, Blue Foundation established their own imprint, Dead Peoples Choice, that so far has released two albums and one remix album. 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 110 million YouTube plays. During the years Blue Foundation have expanded their audience, embracing today both the underground and the alternative mainstream.

Blue Foundation has been featured in major films such as Twilight,^[3] Miami Vice^[4] 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".

Today's live line-up includes Italian Federico Ughi on drums (The Cinematic Orchestra) and American Sonya Kitchell. Despite her only 28-years, US Grammy-winner Sonya Kitchell already released three solo albums plus appearances on Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell albums to her name. Blue Foundation have toured extensively around Europe, Asia and the US through the years, performing alongside bands like Faithless, Mew, The Killers and DJ Krush.

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,^[5] 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.

Blue Foundation's founder Tobias Wilner in his home in NYC May 2011

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 song Revolve In The Sun/My Footfalls Are Superfluous, from the album Notwithstanding.^[6] 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.

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.^[7] 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.^[8]

Blue Foundation contributed with two songs for the soundtrack of the award-winning documentary film Tankograd, by director Boris Benjamin Bertram.^[9] 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, Directed by Steve Berra and Colin Kennedy, and Produced by Gatorade and The Berrics. The score was later released as the Blue Foundation single Red Hook, in a cooperation between The Berrics and DPC Records.^[10]

DPC Records announced that the band is working on a new album in their Brooklyn studio. It is meant to be released in 2016.^[11]

Influences

When Blue Foundation started out they were influenced by bands like My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, Broadcast, Faust, DJ Krush, Friction and Can.^[12]

Discography

Members

Current members

• Tobias Wilner – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, programming, synthesizer, percussion, production, engineering
• Bo Rande – trumpet, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, production

Past members

• Daisuke Kiyasu – vj (2003–2006)
• Anders Bertram – guitar (2000–2002)
• Tatsuki Oshima – vinyl manipulation (2003–2007)
• Scott Martingell – spoken words (2003–2008)
• Kirstine Stubbe Teglbjærg – vocals (2000–2009)
• Frederik Hantho – spoken words (2000–2002)
• Hans Landgreen – guitar, bass (2009–2010)
• Mathias Hantho – violin, banjo (2009–2010)
• Christoffer Ohlsson – cello (2003–2006)
• Sune Martin – bass (2003–2007)
• Anders Wallin – bass (2007–2008)
• Nikolaj Bundvig – drums (2006–2007)
• Emil Bernild Ferslev – drums (2000–2001)
• Lasse Herbst – drums (2007–2008)

Side projects

• Ghost Society
• Bichi
• The William Blakes
• Mames Babegenush

See also

• List of ambient music artists

References

External links

• Official website