Forms Of Things Unknown is an acoustic/electronic musical project dedicated to pan-idiomatic explorations beyond the pale of sectarian orthodoxies, being the work of San Francisco composer/multi-instrumentalist Ferrara Brain Pan.

Ferrara Brain Pan is a windplayer whose instrumental abilities range from more familiar woodwinds such as flutes, saxophones, bass clarinet and recorders to such non-Western wind instruments as the yidaki (Australian aboriginal didjeridu), shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), and kangling or Tibetan thighbone trumpet. The addition of harmonium, bowed psaltery, percussion, and digital/analog electronic elements further enriches the instrumental palette of Forms Of Things Unknown.

Ferrara Brain Pan's checkered musical career includes early collaborations with noise music pioneer Boyd Rice a/k/a NON (1970s), the mercifully short-lived goth-damage fiasco Bad Alchemy (80s), ambient dub project 23 Degrees (early 90s), and a fortuitous uncredited appearance on 1994's Rien by Krautrock legends Faust (produced by Jim O'Rourke). In 1998, Ferrara Brain Pan was co-founder of dark ambient duo Darmstadt Pharmacy, and more recently has again joined forces with Ure Thrall (and local SF Bay Area DJ/musician Mr Hate) in a new project called Death Of The West.

Forms Of Things Unknown was launched as an evolving, essentially one-man project in 2002 and made its recording debut the following year with the mini-CD Cross Purposes. This first release was mixed and produced from material played entirely by Ferrara Brain Pan, excepting guest vocal performances by local talents Bob Ayres and Shannon Wolfe. A study in contradictions, the album features a 16-minute original instrumental doomscape entitled "Black Candles & Pentagrams 'n Shit", paired off against a 14th Century devotional Christian song and a cover of the morally ambiguous "Stupid Blood", penned by UK punk legend Howard Devoto.

After a several-year hiatus, FOTU returned to the scene in 2008 with a remixed Nurse With Wound track (released on the Two Shaves and a Shine Remix Project CD). The present year promises to be a period of intensified activity for Ferrara Brain Pan, with new material from FOTU as well as collaborative ventures including the above-mentioned Death Of The West trio and an emergent recording project with UK artist Patrick Leagas (founding member of Death In June and leader of his own darkwave/experimental project 6 Comm since 1985). Ferrara will be performing at IAMINDUST solo as Forms Of Things Unknown and as a member of Death Of The West.