FMP/Free Music Production
Free Music Production (FMP) is a German record label founded by Jost Gebers, Peter Brötzmann, Peter Kowald, and Alexander von Schlippenbach in 1969, specializing in free improvisation and free jazz, usually by European, often German musicians.
For most of its history, Jost Gebers was the principal figure at FMP. Starting in 2000, he was just the producer. In 2007 he became the owner of its legal successor, FMP-Publishing.
The first release was European Echoes by Manfred Schoof. Among the best known European musicians who have made records for FMP are Brötzmann, Kowald, Schlippenbach, Hans Reichel, Irene Schweizer, Han Bennink, Alfred Harth and Wolfgang Fuchs. Prominent American musicians such as Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Steve Lacy, Bill Dixon, and Charles Gayle have also recorded for the label.
FMP has a large back catalog of LP's, all of which have been unavailable since 1992. Only a small fraction of these have ever been reissued on CD, though more and more are now coming out on CD through Atavistic Records' FMP Archive Edition subseries of the Unheard Music Series, curated by John Corbett.