Limpe Fuchs is a german musician and instrument builder whose vibrant performances develop from a real time engagement with the ecology of the space at hand. Using wood and granite stone rows, ringing bronze within pendulum string instruments and employing the percussion, viola and voice she studied at the Munich Conservatory she sensitises the process of hearing through an exploration of music-making as a part of everyday life. An original member of ’70s Krautrock duo Anima Sound, Limpe and then husband sculptor Paul Fuchs embodied a radical form of free living, farming and building instruments like the Fuchshorn, Fuchszither and Fuchsbass.
Whether improvising solo or with other players, Limpe unfailingly coaxes an otherworldly atmosphere from the sounds and silence of her surroundings with a childlike wonder, always open to surprise. Her engaging performances require attention from the audience as she moves freely in space evoking her natural sound-scapes while playing her viola woodhorn, bamboo flute, pendulumstring, a four-meter- steel constructed lithophone, sheet metal, pieces of wood and singing in her unique ephemeral bird-like style.
Making music while listening to the streaming of time. Simplicity and emotion. While listening to the resonance of the performance space, developing musical ideas and a directing concept.
My sound material – wood and granite stone rows, ringing bronze within the ballast string instruments – and the variety of my other instruments - drums with skin or bronze drumhead, violin, piano,, wood horn, bamboo flute – gives me many possibilities to choose the right material for every performance.
When improvising with other musicians new ways of playing are found, created through new emotions, which are stored in the musical memory It is a treasure that is growing with every performance - in contrary to the interpreting musician, who has to provide his imaginary musical paper basket on his way to perfection.
When a performance is planned, a concept for the concert is worked outwhen rehearsing with the invited musicians, which arranges the possible combinations. In the performance this structure is filled with the skill and intuition of the players.
A sentence of the composer Helmut Lachenmann: „I am trying to find the sound - Limpe Fuchs has found already“, shows how convincing she presents her instruments and sound installations.
Playlist :
Limpe Fuchs: Der Marsch - March (Vogel Musik - Robot Records - 2007)
Anima-Sound : The Weather (Stürmischer Himmel - Ohr - 1971)
Limpe Fuchs : concert at the Friedenskirche - 2020-09-06 Meakusma Weekend - recorded Christophe Albertijn
Limpe Fuchs : Mooh (Muusiccia (Metal/Stones) - Streamline - 1993)
Limpe Fuchs : Mixtape - Meakusma Weekend 2020
Picture (c) Laurent Orseau