The new ULRICH SCHNAUSS album marks a departure for the established German synthesist in that it is the first that he has created primarily “in the box”, ie it was produced mainly using software synths rather than the enviable collection of hardware equipment which resides in his London studio.
In spite of a different work ethic, all of the Schnauss trademarks are present and correct here; from the skippy / swung drum programming through to the euphoric/uplifting synth parts and the wall of sound Shoegaze elements.
First track ‘Melts Into Air’ doesn’t mess around and soon hits the ground running in optimistic “up” mode; full of major chords and detuned / wavering synths. At two minutes in, the track takes an unexpected diversion into slightly darker territory and continues in full-pelt wall of sound mode before reaching a more chilled out conclusion. ‘The Magic in You’ betrays a little of Schnauss’ Drum ‘n’ Bass roots, with its raised tempo and offbeat drum pattern. Also featuring a male vocal buried deep in the mix, the track recalls an electronic MY BLOODY VALENTINE.
‘Thoughtless Motion’ has an instrumental DEPECHE MODE vibe to it with some ‘Violator’-esque synth bass, analogue percussion sounds and a short burst of squelchy Roland TB303. The title track initially hinges around a selection of motorik analogue drum machine samples before lifting into an “up” bridge chord sequence. The track finally bursts joyfully into beautiful synthetic waves of sound after being joined by another distant male vocal low in the background.
With their fast interlocking synth parts and 32nd beat Christopher Franke-inspired sequencer work, the consecutive trio of ‘Wait for Me’, ‘New Day Starts at Dawn’ and ‘Negative Sunrise’ are the most TANGERINE DREAM-influenced tracks here; all give ample evidence as to why EDGAR FROESE introduced Schnauss into the band shortly before his passing in 2013. Musically, the former track’s main riff distantly recalls BRONSKI BEAT’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ whilst ‘New Day Starts at Dawn’ shifts between bell-like synthesis and ambient pad washes.
‘Negative Sunrise’ is not dissimilar to TANGERINE DREAM’s ‘Love On A Real Train’ with melodic musical shifts cycling around a central unchanging sequencer part; three minutes in and an uplifting synth part joins the mix. Closing track ‘Illusory Sun’ has pseudo military-style drum rolls to accompany its shifting synth pads; the last three minutes of the track are super hypnotic with melody parts swamped in reverb to produce another “epic” piece.
At approximately 50 minutes in overall length, ‘No Further Ahead Than Today’ doesn’t outstay its welcome, each of the tracks are pretty direct in nature and avoid the temptation with some ambient electronica to drift aimlessly, taking ages to actually progress anywhere.
As with much of Schnauss’ work, the emphasis here is on textural synthesis rather than the more direct melodic nature of (say) JEAN-MICHEL JARRE. If there is a criticism, some of the tracks sound a little ‘samey’ in places, but repeated listens are needed to reveal the contrasting elements between the pieces.
With ULRICH SCHNAUSS’ position in TANGERINE DREAM now secured, it will be interesting to see how a) he will influence them and b) how being part of this legendary band will impact upon his own music. Whatever happens, there is no denying that ‘No Further Ahead Than Today’ is the work of a musician who is at the top of his game and will provide nearly an hour’s worth of quality listening for fans of primarily instrumental electronica.
Ulrich Schnauss has over several years gained the utmost respect in the circles of quality electronic music.
After starting out within the drum ‘n’ bass genre, his work evolved into that of instrumental electronica, remixing major artists including PET SHOP BOYS and DEPECHE MODE along the way.
The consistent quality of Schnauss’ output culminated in what could be seen as one of THE ultimate accolades in electronica with him being asked to join the legendary TANGERINE DREAM.
Ulrich kindly took time out from his busy schedule to speak openly to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about his musical history, involvement with TANGERINE DREAM and his forthcoming album ‘No Further Ahead Than Today’.
Your Allmusic Biog states that Ulrich Schnauss is, and I quote, a “Slightly mysterious Berlin producer who merges the textural layering of shoegaze with rhythm-savvy UK techno beat mining”, do you feel this is an accurate character summation?
I’m never too keen on associating myself with particular genres – like most musicians I guess! However, undeniably the early 90s Shoegazing sound had a big influence on my music – and the same applies to UK techno and electronica. If someone would ask me, I’d just say that while I’m using electronic instrumentation, I’m trying to make music that tries to avoid fetishizing technology and communicates emotion instead.
You grew up in a small town called Kiel which is on the Baltic Sea, how much of an influence did this have on your music?
I’m sure it had some kind of impact – I remember talking to Andy Sherriff from CHAPTERHOUSE and he said that they tried to create beautiful music as a counterpoint to the ugliness of the place they grew up in (Reading in Berkshire).
It’s an approach I can relate to very much. if I’d grown up in a nice environment, I probably would’ve started a death metal band!
What prompted your move away from early dabblings with drum ‘n’ bass and your eventual transition into electronica?
As much as I loved D ‘n’ B throughout the 90s – towards the end of the decade, I had the feeling less and less forms of musical expression were tolerated. It was increasingly just about delivering fodder for the DJs so that they could fill the dancefloor. I’ve got no issues with dance music per se – on the contrary, however as a musician, it’s not particularly fulfilling if you’re being forced to work in a very restrictive framework.
Were you surprised by the amount of attention that your debut album ‘Far Away Trains Passing By’ gained?
Oh, yes – very much so; in fact even today I’m still surprised that many people seem to like my music. Particularly as I perceive it as quite out of sync with any sound that could be considered hip or trendy at the moment – and deliberately so!
What were the factors that made you relocate your studio set-up to London?
I just always wanted to live in one of those cities that give you the feeling of being in a place where the whole world is gathering in one spot – and that is certainly something that applies to London.
Where many producers of instrumental electronic music are happy to go the software route, your studio is jam-packed with a jaw-droppingly enviable collection of analogue synths – does this speed up or slow down the process of writing?
This has changed quite a bit in the last three years actually – for a very long time I insisted on sticking to hardware as I didn’t have the impression that software was able to match the depth and warmth hardware could provide. However, things have changed a lot recently – my new album is almost exclusively done using software which gave me the freedom to take my set up to a friend’s place in the countryside – which is where I recorded most of the album.
THE PRODIGY’s Liam Howlett was once quoted as saying that he became intimidated by having a big studio with tons of gear in it and the associated pressure to write successful songs using it, is that something that you’ve ever experienced?
To a degree – yes. For instance, I had an Oberheim 8 voice system – wonderful instrument, but it was a bit of pain always having to wait until it had warmed up and then tuning all 16 oscillators individually.
However, in those days when software simply didn’t match the sonic quality of hardware, I was always happy to pay that price… quite literally!
Is there a still a synth that is on your wish list that you feel would make your musical life complete?
There are interesting new instruments coming out on a monthly basis these days – I can’t say I’m missing anything particular. It’s actually more about finding the time to investigate the existing possibilities – currently learning to program Tone2’s new Icarus Wavetable synth for instance.
The influence of Shoegaze artists such as MY BLOODY VALENTINE and SLOWDIVE on your music is an interesting one as none of the original bands from this era were especially known for their use of synthesizers, what made you integrate elements of their sound into your work?
I’ve always had a particular interest in music that uses instruments in a way that disguises their heritage. One could say that shoegazing was about making guitars sound like synths – this approach (almost accidentally) created a new sound. It just seemed logical to see what happens if one would apply this the other way round – making synths sound like guitars.
Your solo live set-up seems very minimal in comparison to your mainly analogue studio one, are you reticent to take your synths out on the road?
It just wouldn’t make sense as well – my live sets are about re-arranging and re-mixing existing songs – I wouldn’t gain much from playing one line on a synth but being tied to a fixed structure from a backing track otherwise.
Over the last few years, electronic-based solo artists such as JON HOPKINS and NILS FRAHM have had good success with their music, how do you rate their work?
They are both people who totally deserve the status they’ve achieved and I’m generally very happy that the cultural climate is changing again in a direction that allows electronic music to be perceived in a way that’s exceeding the limitations of ‘DJ culture’.
How important is it for producers of instrumental synthesizer music to get their work marketed / featured in alternative ways eg sync / TV / advertising work?
It’s imperative I’d say. I couldn’t make a living just based on record sales and gigs – without syncs, it’d be over immediately.
You have remixed several high profile artists from COLDPLAY through to PET SHOP BOYS and DEPECHE MODE, do you have a favourite remix and why?
It’s always changing – at the moment I’d say my favourite would be a remix of a traditional Italian song ‘La Pagliarella’. I had nothing to work with besides an acappella – but somehow this provided an inspiration for a piece I’m still very happy with.
The world and its wife is going crazy for the ‘Stranger Things’ Netflix TV series and its soundtrack by S.U.R.V.I.V.E. – why do you think the sound and influence of acts such as TANGERINE DREAM and JOHN CARPENTER in the series has suddenly hit the mainstream public’s interest now?
I think the ‘Stranger Things’ soundtrack was very well done – secondly, it’s always good to see stuff you enjoy personally getting a wider exposure.
You have always cited TANGERINE DREAM as an influence, how did it feel to be asked to join the band in 2014?
Oh, that was probably the happiest moment in my musical life – and a complete surprise. Edgar invited me to Austria – I thought it would just be a friendly visit. But then he asked me to sit down at the piano and improvise – suddenly it dawned on me that this may be a little more serious than I had anticipated! Luckily he liked what I was playing and said “welcome to the club” once I had finished.
With the passing of Edgar Froese, were there any doubts as to whether it was the right thing to do in carrying on the band’s name without him?
Definitely – and from my perspective those doubts still do exist.
However, I believe it’d be a crying shame if the music Edgar, Thorsten and I had started working on for a new album would just disappear – and secondly, Edgar had expressed towards his wife Bianca that he’d appreciate if his vision for the ‘Quantum Years’ would be fulfilled.
How does the band go about choosing which songs to play from TANGERINE DREAM’s back catalogue?
I’d say it primarily requires an emotional connection between a song and the person who’s doing the major work on the respective backing track. To give you an example: I’m not sure if I’d be capable of coming up with a good enough version of ‘Streethawk’, but I recently worked on ‘Dolphin Dance’ and had a most wonderful time doing so.
The ‘Live at the Philharmony Szczecin – Poland 2016’ album has some superb re-interpretations of several TD classics. Between yourself, Thorsten and Hoshiko, how did you go about this process and how did you decided who played what parts?
It’s not that difficult to decide really – Thorsten is the better player so he’ll of course do the solos. I’m much more comfortable with pads and chords. Hoshiko’s contributions again are simply determined by her instrument, it’s range and colour.
How much of the rehearsal / preparation process is done in a room all together?
All of it – we usually meet in Thorsten’s rehearsal space in East Berlin and play there.
Are there plans for many more TANGERINE DREAM live dates?
Yes, quite a few things being worked on at the moment actually, nothing that I can announce at the moment though!
With your current musical workload, what percentage is TD and how much is dedicated to your own solo work?
At the moment it may be something like 55/45 in favour of my solo stuff – that’s a good balance. Who knows – if some TD related projects appear that require enhanced attention (soundtracks etc) I’d obviously adjust accordingly.
With the release of the upcoming album ‘No Further Ahead Than Today’, what can we expect from the album and will there be live dates to support it?
There’s a couple of London shows in November – more being worked on at the moment. As for the album – in part it’s a return to my core sound from about 15 years ago, but with the big difference that I used completely different instruments (‘in the box’ rather than hardware). I hope for the listener the result provides an interesting mixture of new and old – new methods of synthesis and a familiar sense of escapist euphoria!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Ulrich Schnauss
For the last eight years, French synthesist Jean-Michel Jarre has mainly focused on his live work and reworking past glories, touring the world with a greatest hits set featuring most of the iconic pieces of equipment that were used on the holy trinity of albums he is most associated with – ‘Oxygène’, ‘Equinoxe’ and ‘Magnetic Fields’.
Despite nearly pushing 70, the creative urge has sparked Jean-Michel Jarre to release some new material and ‘Electronica 1: The Time Machine’ sees his welcome return with 16 tracks and 15 collaborators. Whilst for other artists (hello DURAN DURAN!), the collaboration option is often one which is resorted to a) when the creative fire has started to splutter out and b) when you cynically try to “get down with the kids” to attract a new audience, for Jarre it is the obvious and perfect route to take.
The album was a lengthy four years in the making, mainly because of his insistence to work in the same space as the collaborators, avoiding the internet route preferred by many electronic artists. All of the guests featured here are either ones who Jarre admires or who have been influenced by him, some of them are obvious choices, others are a little left of field, but more on that later.
The opening title track created with BOYS NOIZE is classic Jarre, both compositionally and sound wise, a very hooky melody with driving drums and sequencer parts that keep the piece moving throughout. Entertainment for some can be had on this album by playing synth-spotting and seeing which sounds have been previously been used by Jarre. ‘The Time Machine’ features the Laser Harp sync bass sound used on the second half of the epic ‘Second Rendez-vous’ and works brilliantly here on what is an excellent album opener.
Unfortunately, the M83 song ‘Glory’, as well as being desperately mistitled, kills the momentum generated by the opener and still feels as plodding and pedestrian as when it was released as one of the lead-off tracks of the album earlier in the year. It’s not a bad song per se, it would surely have been preferable to have placed it towards end of the album… so for those of you that love to generate custom Spotify playlists, you know what to do!
The AIR pairing is a musical no-brainer, the duo being arguably the best electronic act to come out of France since Jarre first broke through. ‘Close Your Eyes’ features typical AIR chord progressions and ethereal vocals, both live and vocodered. But the surprise here is the rhythm track which lopes along like something from ‘Autobahn’; this is a good thing though and there are enough musical ideas in this piece which could easily have seen it extended by another 3-4 minutes.
The outro features classic pitch modulated synths and burbling EMS sound effects (both Jarre trademarks) and the song itself is sung from the perspective of a synthesizer “Switch me on, play my song and close your eyes”. On the strength of this track, one can only wish that there could be a whole collaboration album in the pipeline, it’s easily one of the most cohesive fits here and works beautifully.
For many, the Vince Clarke collaboration is a match made in synthetic heaven, and fans will be rewarded with two tracks here – ‘Automatic Part 1’ and ‘Automatic Part 2’. ‘Part 1’ is centred around an electro drum beat before leading seamlessly into ‘Part Two’ which goes 4/4 with the energy level being raised with another classic Jarre melody. Both pieces feature wonderful interlocking sequencer parts and they are everything that a follower of both musicians could hope for.
‘Suns Have Gone’ featuring Moby starts off like a long lost Philip Glass piece, interlocking arpeggios recall the iconic minimalist composer before the former Richard Hall’s world-weary vocals and a solid beat take the track into more into EDM territory, but still with a melancholic feel to it. LITTLE BOOTS, whose recent profile in the UK has waned significantly, pops up with a typical piece of electropop fluff – ‘If..!’ sounds very MARSHEAUX-like in its conception with an ultra-hooky chorus and is only let down by some dubious tuning on some of Miss Hesketh’s ad-lib vocals.
‘Travelator’ is probably the biggest surprise on ‘Electronica 1’; despite being well known for his electronic experiments with THE WHO, few would expect Pete Townsend to appear on a Jarre album. The result is more successful than the pairing would suggest, although the sound of the rock vocalist surrounded by driving synths takes a few listens to get used to!
‘Zero Gravity’ is one of the other collaborations here that got fans of instrumental electronic music excited, it features TANGERINE DREAM and possibly one of the final pieces that Edgar Froese contributed to before sadly passing away earlier this year. Full of classic TD sequencer parts, it takes a few listens to truly appreciate, but once it has sunk in, acts as a fitting memorial.
In many eyes, Jarre is recognised as The Godfather of Trance, so a joint venture with a current artist from that genre would seem like a safe bet. ‘Stardust’ featuring Armin Van Buuren sounds pretty much as you would expect it to, very melodic with a thumping kick, descending synth melody and a hands in the air breakdown section.
The last couple of tracks on ‘Electronica 1’ will be welcomed by those that prefer Jarre’s mainly instrumental work, both the pieces with John Carpener and Lang Lang are truly superb; ‘A Question of Blood’ (given its co-creator’s background) is a movie theme waiting to happen whilst the latter (‘The Train & The River’) combines classical piano over an extended electronic backdrop with one of Jarre’s classic sequencer riffs.
At approximately 4 minutes into ‘The Train & The River’, you WILL get goosebumps when Jarre drops in a descending phased Eminent string chord and just for good measure brings back THAT sync bass sound again… again this is another collaboration that is crying out for more pieces.
The only missed opportunity with ‘The Time Machine’ is that despite many of them being well known in their field, none of Jarre’s collaborators here could be classified as exceptionally strong vocalists; it would have been intriguing to have (for example) someone of the calibre of Susanne Sundfør vocalling, but it’s understandable why he chose the people he did. Jarre has an embarrassment of musical riches here and with more saved up in the bank, a second volume is due next year due to the sheer volume of artists agreeing to work with him like Hans Zimmer, Sebastien Tellier and Gary Numan.
This work, and hopefully ‘Volume 2’, will be a wonderful addition to the tradition and provides what is one of the best electronic albums that you will hear this year. As Jarre himself mentions in his sleeve notes, “Electronic music has a family, a legacy and a future…” and ‘Electronica 1: The Time Machine’ comfortably ticks all three boxes with consummate ease…
‘Electronica 1: The Time Machine’ uses the following electronic instruments: ARP 2600, EMS AKS, EMS VCS3, Fairlight CMI, Minimoog, Memorymoog, Moog Modular 55, RMI Harmonic, Roland Jupiter 8, Korg Micro-Preset, Theremin, Korg MS20, Roland AXS, GRP Modular, Elka Synthex, Laser Harp, Eminent 310, Mininova Vocoder, DigiSequencer, Coupigny GRM, Swarmatron, ARP Omni, ARP Pro-Soloist, ARP Odyssey, Waldorf Blofeld, Alesis Ion, Roland VP330, Virus Access, Clavia Nord Lead 1, Clavia Nord Lead 2, Clavia Nord Lead C2D, Emulator II, Korg PA500, Moog Taurus, Farfisa Pro 2, Vox Continental, Mellotron, Keio Minipops, Korg KR55, Roland TR808, Roland TR909, Roland CR8000, Eko ComputeRhythm, Keio Doncamatic, Linn LM-1, Linn LM-2, Metasonix D1000, Native Instruments Maschine
If any artist is deserving of a Beginner’s Guide, then it’s Berlin’s finest TANGERINE DREAM.
With a back catalogue spanning over a hundred albums (and that’s not including compilations), without some guidance it would be a pretty daunting task knowing where to start.
Picking a wrong entry point could quite easily put one off from delving further and in TD’s case… this would be a shame as their electronic musical journey (which looked like it had sadly ended in January this year with the passing of founder member Edgar Froese) has so many classic tracks which have gone on to influence future artists.
Founded by Froese in 1967, the band metamorphosised, both musically and personnel-wise, throughout their career. The band’s early genesis featured lengthy kosmische and experimental musical workouts which were characterised by droning organ and Mellotron textures. Championed in the UK by John Peel, this period of the band is often referred to as ‘The Pink Years’ because of the pink ear featured on the Ohr label the albums were released on.
The adoption of the Moog sequencer in the early 70s by the band and subsequent championing of it by member Christopher Franke, plus the purchase of state of the art modular synthesizers helped transform the band’s sound from its early experimental and uncommercial nature.
The newer evolving material, although hardly radio-friendly, was more melodic, electronic and musical enough to catch the ear of Richard Branson, who would go on to sign the band to his fledgling Virgin label and start off ‘The Virgin Years’. Featuring Froese, Franke and Peter Baumann, the first of the ‘classic’ TD line-ups produced albums like ‘Phaedra’ and ‘Rubycon’ which defined the ‘Berlin School’ sound of hypnotic, sequencer-driven electronic music.
Baumann was later replaced by Johannes Schmoelling in December 1979 and was partly responsible for the band’s shift to an even more melodic phase which also saw them diversifying further into film soundtrack production.
It started a run of live and studio albums which have been cited as some of the strongest of their career. ‘The Blue Years’ phase eventually saw the departure of Schmoelling in 1985 with Paul Haslinger replacing him.
With the advances in synthesizer technology, the ‘Blue Years’ heralded a more digital and latterly New-Age-style sound for the band, eventually getting them signed to Jive Electro which released the live ‘Poland’ album, a double LP recorded behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ in sub-zero temperatures.
Even more line-up changes followed after Schmoelling left in Decmber 1985; at one point Edgar’s son Jerome joined the band, but with the integration of live saxophone, flute and percussion, TANGERINE DREAM drifted away from its more pure electronic roots and lost much of its fanbase along the way. The addition of respected synthesist Ulrich Schnauss at the end of 2014 promised a long awaited electronic renaissance.
But the unexpected passing of Froese meant that this line-up was tantalisingly short-lived. With only a handful of Australian dates last November showcasing an updated version of the band’s ‘Sorcerer’ soundtrack with this stripped down line-up, it provided a fleeting glimpse of what was slated to be the ‘Quantum Years’. In a surprise announcement on 6th April 2015, Edgar’s widow Bianca Acquaye announced that TANGERINE DREAM would continue with Schnauss, Thorsten Quaeschning and Hoshiko Yamane.
This Beginner’s Guide showcases both TANGERINE DREAM tracks and ones which feature ex-members. A couple of the tracks featured in the guide are live ones, although anything in the TD back catalogue which is categorised as such should be approached with caution as their live albums were often not really live at all.
Often comprising of concert parts interspliced with studio recordings or overdubs, the most infamous being the ‘Albuquerque, Mexico’ segment of the ‘LiveMiles’ album which was promoted as being a live recording; but a subsequent comparison with a fan’s bootleg revealed that the 30 minute track actually featured nothing that was actually played at the show!
The article aims to focus on the more commercial and melodic phases of the band’s career and strives to give an entry point into one of the electronic genre’s most prolific and important artists. Those that wish to delve further could either research forward or backwards in time with an act that, alongside artists such as JEAN-MICHEL JARRE and VANGELIS, has gone onto provide some of the most influential instrumental electronic music of all time.
TANGERINE DREAM Ricochet Part Two (1975)
Picking a track from TD’s mid 70s ‘purple patch’ is pretty difficult as there are plenty of seminal pieces to choose from, but the B-side of the Virgin live album release ‘Ricochet’ is certainly a landmark piece of electronica. ‘Ricochet Part Two’ (which was mainly sourced from a recording at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls), starts off with a beautiful and pastoral descending Edgar Froese piano figure before being joined by layers of Mellotron flute.
Then a teasing / repeating end section dies away to a hypnotic echoed sequencer part which still sounds incredible today, mainly down to the contrast with the opening of the piece. The intro is reprised later in the piece and the sound of the album signposted how purely electronic and more rhythmic the band would later become.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Ricochet’ via Virgin Records
TANGERINE DREAM Bent Cold Sidewalk (1978)
Of all the albums in TD’s back catalogue, ‘Cyclone’ alongside the latter ‘Tyger’ is generally considered the most Marmite by the band’s followers. This is down to the presence of vocals on both albums. The former work featured vocalist / flautist Steve Jolliffe alongside drummer Klaus Krieger who were drafted in following the departure of Peter Baumann. ‘Bent Cold Sidewalk’ contains many typical TANGERINE DREAM elements.
But the vocals, although effective in places, have the overall effect of dating the track to a time when Progressive Rock loomed large. The opening and closing sections of the song are pretty striking, lots of synthetic brass, rolling drum fills and Jolliffe’s surreal lyrical meanderings which although at times come a little too close to Blackadder’s Baldrick singing “See the little goblin…”. The middle section of the track which follows a more typical sequencer workout recalls Italian horror soundtrack specialists GOBLIN and could have easily been featured on the George Romero zombie classic ‘Dawn of the Dead’.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Cyclone’ via Virgin Records
TANGERINE DREAM Cloudburst Flight (1979)
Quite possibly the track which launched several TV holiday theme tunes, ‘Cloudburst Flight’ from ‘Force Majeure’ starts with a blissed out 12 string guitar part which instantly transports you to a sun-drenched beach somewhere (obviously not too many of those in Berlin!) – a simple pulsing 8 beat bass sequencer and cross-panned electronic percussion ramps up the energy level before a descending bassline and chordal synth provide the main theme to the piece.
A squealing Minimoog solo comes in next before the track winds down to a more sedate conclusion. It’s seven minutes length is certainly a lot more concise than many TD tracks from this era and there are also hints of PINK FLOYD too, elements of the track were re-worked for the track ‘Guido The Pimp’ from the ‘Risky Business’ soundtrack.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Force Majeure’ via Virgin Records
EDGAR FROESE Stuntman (1979)
Outside of TANGERINE DREAM, Froese was prolific as a solo artist too, releasing 8 albums including ‘Stuntman’ whose title track was released as a single on the Virgin label. His solo work is insightful in assessing his contributions to his ‘normal day job’ and gives a feel for the musical and compositional elements that Froese brought to TD. ‘Stuntman’ was an ultra-concise and direct track in comparison to much of his band’s work and the nearest to a Jarre style ‘anthemic’ synth piece.
Totally drum-less, but relying on an LFO filtered bassline to carry the piece, ‘Stuntman’ is wonderfully melodic with its Minimoog lead lines and underpinning Solina string textures making this a perfect entry point into Froese’s solo excursions.
Available on the EDGAR FROESE album ‘Stuntman’ via Virgin Records
TANGERINE DREAM Tangram Set One (1980)
Those familiar with much of TD’s earlier work wouldn’t be surprised with an album which featured only two tracks, but what makes ‘Tangram Set One’ interesting is that rather than being a lengthy and repetitive piece, it comes across as 7 shorter compositions linked almost in a minimix format. Side one of the album really showcases Johannes Schmoelling’s arrival with the band, the track moving through different phases, slow-building sequences at the start.
It truly lifts off at 3’27’ where several melodic driving sequencers converge in a quite stunning moment. The track quickly moves on through a quirky military-style break, a 6/8 part (complete with trademark Froese guitar solo) and then into a melodic Yamaha CP80 piano-based section before a percussive white noise-driven breakdown section, which surely went on to influence DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Oberkorn (It’s a Small Town)’, leads the album into an uplifting polysynth-led conclusion.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Tangram’ via Virgin Records
PETER BAUMANN Strangers in the Night (1983)
Peter Baumann left the band a couple of times, but in 1977 the split was to become permanent. An initial TD sounding / KRAFTWERK influenced solo album ‘Romance ’76’ was released while he still featured in the line-up and this was followed by ‘Trans-harmonic Nights’. This sonically / synthetically helped set the musical template for the first DEPECHE MODE and YAZOO albums with shorter more minimal synth tracks, but ultimately lacking the vocals which would eventually give both of those bands stellar success.
The next stage was an unexpected curveball, with Baumann trying to re-invent himself into a synthpop artist taking cues from Bowie, Numan and Foxx, although critically lacking the vocal talents to match his undeniably skilled synthesizer work. Baumann’s cover of ‘Strangers in the Night’ is a complete re-invention of the Frank Sinatra song to the point that the lyrics remain the only thing in common with the original. The synth work, production and accompanying promo video really timestamp the track, but musically, this version has aged pretty well, with all the sounds forming a template for much of today’s electronic pop.
Available on the PETER BAUMANN album ‘Strangers In The Night’ via Arista Records
Available on the PETER BAUMANN album ‘Strangers In The Night’ via Arista Records
TANGERINE DREAM Hyperborea (1983)
‘Hyperborea’ is an unusual album in the TANGERINE DREAM canon, as despite featuring the classic Froese / Franke / Schmoelling line-up, it doesn’t really sound like anything the act had produced previously. It was almost as if the band decided to throw out the rule book and this resulted in an album which had diverse, almost world-music influences in places. Even though the trademark driving sequencers were still present and correct, the patterns were somehow different…
The title track is the undeniable centrepiece of the album, a glorious two movement, pulse-slowing piece which mainly revolves around a simple descending rich resonant bass and a syncopated gated chordal synth part. A sparse kick and snare pattern ticks away in the background whilst musically the piece perfectly matches the album artwork of a giant glacier. According to Greek mythology, Hyperboreans were mythical people who lived in the far north where the sun shined for 24 hours a day, possibly suggesting an area in the Arctic Circle.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Hyperborea’ via Virgin Records
TANGERINE DREAM Love On A Real Train (1983)
The track which helped sealed TD’s Hollywood film soundtrack credentials is undeniably ‘Love On A Real Train’. Soundtracking Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay’s passionate (and let’s face it, softcore porn-ish) encounter in ‘Risky Business’, it is hard to imagine dance acts like CHICANE and BT sounding the same without the influence that this piece surely had on them. The track itself is beautifully textured, with subtle layers of electric piano, breathy pads and an iconic descending sequencer part.
Subtle shakers and percussion help generate the travelling momentum of the piece while a cyclical bass mixes with the Steve Reich ‘Music for 18 Musicians’ – influenced sequencer elements. In what turned out to be the band’s final album for Virgin, the soundtrack itself actually only featured 15 minutes worth of TD music, the rest comprising of MOR acts such as JOURNEY, PHIL COLLINS and BOB SEGER.
Available on the ‘Risky Business’ OST (V/A) via Virgin Records
TANGERINE DREAM Warsaw In The Sun (1984)
If any criticism could be laid at a lot of mid-period TD work, it would be that much of the percussive / drum elements were often neglected in favour of the intricacy of the musical elements. The majority of the drum programming was pretty basic but functional, and this is not an accusation that can be aimed at this piece. ‘Warsaw In The Sun’ was one of the standout sections from the ‘Barbakane’ side of the ‘Poland’ live album and is hands down one of the most heavy hitting and melodic TD tracks.
Released as a single in two sections, the track has an ultra-memorable hook, with the single version having an alternative version and added Fairlight Orchestra 5 stabs for dramatic effect. The aforementioned kick and snare are almost like DEPECHE MODE in their power and fans of this track are highly recommended to invest in the ‘Poland’ album, which is consistently strong over its four 20+ minute pieces.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Poland’ via Jive Records
TANGERINE DREAM Charly The Kid (1984)
Where much of the era’s soundtrack work was lacking in subtlety, ‘Charly The Kid’ from the film adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’, shows a softer side to the band. Although the movie itself (like a lot of King films) was a bit of a howler, the soundtrack (the band’s fifth) is worth searching out. Although many of the music cues are short and don’t really work outside of the context of the film, ‘Charly The Kid’ with its electric piano and gentle pulsing sequencers works well as a standalone piece of music.
In typical film soundtrack mode, the theme from this track also crops up on three other pieces featured on the album: ‘Crystal Voice’, ‘Shop Territory’. Other TD soundtracks worthy of investigation are ‘Sorcerer’, ‘Thief’, ‘Flashpoint’ and the excellent Kathryn Bigelow vampire pic ‘Near Dark’.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Firestarter’ OST via Jive Records
KLAUS SCHULZE Freeze (1984)
Former TD drummer Klaus Schulze managed to carve out a successful solo career after leaving the band in 1970 and is still making music now, including some successful collaborative work with DEAD CAN DANCE vocalist Lisa Gerrard. Most of his early albums featured lengthy 20-30 minute pieces which were less melodic and more improvisational than the direction his former employers went on to follow.
‘Freeze’, a far shorter and more direct track was used alongside cuts from SHRIEKBACK and IRON BUTTERFLY to great effect in Michael Mann’s ‘Manhunter’. The film, which introduced the cinematic world to Hannibal Lecter (spelt ‘Lecktor’ in this version) was certainly enhanced by its cutting edge (at the time) soundtrack, and the icy Fairlight textures used here by Schulze worked perfectly in the story of the now iconic serial killer.
Available on the KLAUS SCHULZE album ‘Angst’ via Inteam
TANGERINE DREAM Song Of The Whale – Part One: From Dawn (1986)
The ‘Underwater Sunlight’ album is seen by many as one of the band’s last quality albums. Although skirting perilously close to New Age music in places, the opening track on the album (which comes in two parts) is undeniably lush and beautifully engineered – starting with percussive sequencers and breathy digital synths before synthetic guitars join the main theme.
Featuring Paul Haslinger on keyboards, the track also showcases Edgar Froese’s solo guitar work at 3’31’ alongside some big pre-delayed reverb-drenched drums. The piece dynamically moves through different phases before some heavier guitars lead the track back to another twin guitar solo and the main theme at the conclusion. ‘Underwater Sunlight’ the album, is definitely recommended if you are after a long player to chill out to. ‘Part Two: …To Dusk’ is more piano-based, but still beautifully melodic and the remaining pieces although generally more up-tempo make this a pretty cohesive album.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Underwater Sunlight’ via Jive Records
TANGERINE DREAM Running Out Of Time (1989)
Up until 1988, the band were incredibly prolific, but this year saw a slowing down and the release of just two albums, ‘Optical Race’ and the soundtrack to the Steve de Jarnatt movie ‘Miracle Mile’. The film itself is an underappreciated little gem of a movie starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham as a couple who tragically fall for each other just as the world goes into a nuclear meltdown.
‘Running Out Of Time’ which (as its title suggests) is featured in the climactic portions of the film where the couple’s doomed romance ends up prematurely with their helicopter freefalling into a primordial swamp. The track is similar in vibe to ‘Love On A Real Train’ and showcases TD’s knack of creating effective soundtrack music which stands up on its own merits outside of the context of the film. During the making of the album, the band were reduced to the two piece of just Froese and Haslinger. Although the film has not dated particularly well, the soundtrack judged on its own merits still holds up.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Miracle Mile’ OST via Jive Records
CHRISTOPHER FRANKE Purple Waves (1992)
After exiting the band amicably in 1988, Christopher Franke released a few sporadic solo albums before finding his niche in writing TV and film soundtrack music, most notably for the long-running sci-fi series ‘Babylon 5’ and then setting up his own sound library company Sonic Images. Eventually relocating to Los Angeles from Berlin meant that Franke was at the very heart of the Hollywood film industry and his film work includes music for ‘Universal Soldier’, ‘The Tommyknockers’ and ‘Tales of the Crypt’.
‘Purple Waves’ is very TD-like, ‘The London Concert’ version starting with Prophet 5 pads before bell-like digital synths provide the main melodic parts. ‘White Eagle’-style sequencers pick up the rhythm around 1’40’ before becoming more prominent in the mix around 3 minutes. The middle section of the piece is a typical long and trippy Berlin School sequencer section, with layers of monosynths being joined by a Mellotron part which harks back the early Virgin era of TANGERINE DREAM. The track eventually comes full circle with the re-introduction of the main theme in the closing part of the piece.
Available on the CHRISTOPHER FRANKE album ‘The London Concert’ via Sonic Images
TANGERINE DREAM Silver Scale (1994)
TANGERINE DREAM were certainly not adverse to a bit of cheeky musical recycling in some of their pieces. ‘Silver Scale’ is a prime example, its central sequencer riff cropping up in ‘Diamond Diary’ from the superb ‘Thief’ soundtrack, ‘Church Theme’ from the film ‘Wavelength’ and ‘Horns of Doom’. This, at the time, previously unreleased version is a remixed and extended version for the ‘Tangents’ five disc retrospective collection and successfully pulls together elements from all of the aforementioned tracks.
Wonderful echoed sequencer work and ethereal shifting chords make this an essential inclusion on any TD compilation.
Available on the TANGERINE DREAM box set ‘Tangents 1973 -1983’ via Virgin Records
LOOM Cloudwalk (2013)
The LOOM project is inextricably linked with TANGERINE DREAM in that it includes both ex-members Johannes Schmoelling and Jerome Froese alongside Robert Waters. As well as their own original material, the LOOM live show usually features TD tracks from both the Jerome Froese and Schmoelling eras. ‘Cloudwalk’ is a graceful, floating and rhythmically intriguing electronic piece, beautifully melodic, starting out in waltz time before shifting to 4/4.
The drums throughout are skittering and bitcrushed and suit the quirky sound of the track. If you listen carefully, you can hear musical nods and references to the vocal melody of ‘Bent Cold Sidewalk’.
Available on the LOOM album ‘The Tree Hates The Forest’ via Viktoriapark
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE & TANGERINE DREAM Zero Gravity (2015)
Possibly one of the last pieces that Froese worked on before his passing, ‘Zero Gravity’ is a dream (sorry!) combination of TANGERINE DREAM and French synth maestro JEAN-MICHEL JARRE. A collaboration that was a no-brainer, considering the two acts’ career trajectories, has resulted in a track that sounds more like TD than Jarre with its hypnotic sequencer patterns and melodic shifts.
The ABOVE & BEYOND remix takes the main theme and chord progression to turn it into one of their trademark melodic trance tracks. ABOVE & BEYOND were the ideal choice to remix the collaboration, having been influenced by the formative Jarre / TD works which have helped set the musical template for the whole melodic trance and dance genre.
Available on the JEAN-MICHEL JARRE & TANGERINE DREAM single ‘Zero Gravity’ via The Vinyl Factory
In their earlier incarnations, TANGERINE DREAM were arguably as influential as KRAFTWERK in terms of electronic music.
This was especially from the perspective of ambient and electronic dance music in the use of sequencers in music production; ‘Phaedra’ was one of the first rock albums to feature the use of a Moog sequencer.
As with many bands that have managed to stick around for a while, there are line-ups which are considered to be the ‘classic’ ones; for TANGERINE DREAM, these are generally accepted as the Edgar Froese / Christopher Franke / Peter Baumann and Edgar Froese / Christopher Franke / Johannes Schmoelling eras.
Both line-ups produced a stellar run of albums from the genre-defining ‘Phaedra’, ‘Rubycon’ and ‘Ricochet’ from the former, through to a more melodic strain of electronica including the live works ‘Pergamon’, ‘Logos’ and ‘Poland’ from the latter. The band in both of these incarnations attracted the attention of film directors and their music went onto feature in the works of William Friedkin, Michael Mann and Ridley Scott.
So where does that leave TANGERINE DREAM now? Froese is the only remaining original member, the line-up now consisting of him, Thorsten Quaeschning (synths / guitar), Linda Spa (synths / flute / sax), Iris Camaa (percussion) and Hoshiko Yamane (cello / violin).
The ‘Phaedra Farewell’ tour isn’t supposed to spell the end of TANGERINE DREAM’s live work with more one-off dates have been promised for the future plus rumours of a link-up with JEAN MICHEL JARRE. All things considered, this tour shouldn’t have taken place as last year, Edgar Froese suffered a serious fall, breaking his hand and jaw, sparking rumours that it could spell the end of the band.
So for many, to see TANGERINE DREAM at all was a gift, to the point where every time Froese strapped on his guitar and perched his hat on the end of its neck, he earned a round of applause!
Choosing a setlist from a back catalogue that runs to over a 100 albums is never going to be an easy selection process, especially from an act that started in an extremely experimental vein and then progressed in a more mainstream direction.
The evening was split into two main sets with an interval after an hour. The first set struck a good balance between old and more recent material using a stage full of equipment with HD monitors showing softsynth emulations of the Arturia Moog Modular and Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 were put to good use.
In the opening hour, there were glimmers of past glories including a large chunk of the PPG-driven ‘Sphinx Lightning’ from ‘Hyperborea’, the theme to the William Friedkin film ‘Sorcerer’ and ‘Horizon’ from the ‘Poland’ album. For a band that lacks the focal point of a vocalist, a decent lightshow would have been essential, but this aspect was disappointing, the stage’s backdrop featured what looked like a giant pack of dried super noodles(!) onto which a series of Windows screensaver-type back projections were added.
So, from a tech / geek point of view, it was tempting to watch the Schrittmacher step sequencers sat above each of the gear racks to provide some visual stimulation instead.
During the sequencer-driven numbers, these kicked into life and emulated the early Moog ones so beloved of the band in the 70s, each note accompanied by a trigger LED as they stepped through their pre-programmed patterns.
On a more positive note, the audio mix quality experienced from the first tier of the Shepherd’s Bush Empire was really superb, certainly on a par with KRAFTWERK’s ‘Minimum Maximum’ tour, where it felt like you were sitting and enjoying the sound of a huge hi-fi system rather than a band PA system.
After the interval, in a tribute to a fan who passed away, Iris Camaa donned a pair of black wings and danced while the band behind ran through new track ‘Josephine The Mouse Singer’ whilst the epitaph “There is no death, there is just a change of a universal address. IN MEMORIAM TIM PULLEN” was displayed on the screen behind.
Unfortunately the second set didn’t quite manage to build on the momentum built in the first. Too many tracks were dragged down by muzak driven sax, recalling the dreaded excesses of CANDY DULFER and KENNY G. There were however welcome highlights with an outing of ‘Grind’ (again from the ‘Sorcerer’ soundtrack), a sublime extract from ‘Logos’ and the glacial ‘White Eagle’.
After the second set drew to a close, the audience were finally treated to an extended extract from ‘Phaedra’ for the encore and then finished the evening with ‘The Silver Boots of Bartlett Green’.
It is customary for Edgar Froese to address the audience at the end of a gig and it was here that it was apparent how frail and fragile the 69 year old looked. He thanked the audience, but some of his words were unfortunately lost amongst the applause given to the band.
TANGERINE DREAM’s live experience now is an extremely different proposition to how they were in their imperial phase and the addition of live sax, flute and drums was probably not to everybody’s taste. However, when it does come time for Edgar Froese to finally hang up his hat in the live arena, what can’t be argued is the body of work that the band has produced and the long lasting impact that TANGERINE DREAM have had.
The ‘Phaedra Farewell’ tour continues: Theater Am Tanzbrunnen (1st June), Theater Am Tanzbrunnen (2nd June), Vienna Gasometer (3rd June), Warsaw Hala Arena Ursynów (4th June), Teatro Colosseo (9th June)
‘The Virgin Years: 1974-1978’ 3CD set featuring ‘Phaedra’ is available now via Virgin Records
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With thanks to Sarah Puttock at Waveform Press
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After the second set drew to a close, the audience were finally treated to an extended extract from ‘Phaedra’ for the encore and then finished the evening with ‘The Silver Boots of Bartlett Green’.
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