Tangerine Dream

GermanyGermany· Berlin

Founded by the late Edgar Froese, Tangerine Dream is perhaps the premier exponent of electronic rock music of the Berlin School. From their "free-rock" beginnings in the nascent "Krautrock" scene to the eventual synthesizer-based trio which signed to Virgin, this German group can take significant credit in introducing synthesizer- and sequencer-based electronic music to most of the Western rock world. At the height of their success - during the mid to late 1970s - TD's spacey, pulsing music earned them a tenacious cult following. By the late seventies, however, line-ups, and more importantly, the formula changed, tilting towards more conventional "rock" music. By the early 1980s, TD was primarily releasing influential soundtrack work, before settling into New Age content by mid-decade. Formed in Berlin in 1967, the initial line up (on their first release Electronic Meditation) included Edgar Froese, Conrad Schnitzler (cello) and Klaus Schulze (drums). Their compositions, or rather experimental improvisations, had roots in the psychedelia of London albeit with the "krautrock" twist. Both Schnitzler and Schulze would depart after Electronic Meditation, with the latter forming Ash Ra Tempel and going on to become the other major proponent of the Berlin School. Second album, Alpha Centauri, saw the addition of long-standing member Christopher Franke replacing Schulze, while Peter Baumann would come aboard for Zeit. The core of Froese, Franke and Baumann would sign to Virgin Records in 1973, and the subsequent release Phaedra would cement their style for years to come. Michael Hoenig temporarily replaced Baumann for an Australian tour in 1975. After Baumann's departure in 1978, TD experimented with the formula on Cyclone, which saw the addition of Steve Jolliffe, adding vocals and woodwinds and Klaus Krüger on drums.Johannes Schmölling would join for Tangram. This line-up remained stable until the mid-1980s. The increased emphasis on sequencers and rhythm in the first half of the 1980s divided fans, as did subsequent releases which veered heavily into relatively accessible, uplifting melodies. After a brief stint with Jive Records from 1984 to 1988, TD signed to Baumann's Private Music label and then the equally New Agey Miramar, fully embracing digital textures and seeking to distance the group from its moody, psychedelic past. Paul Haslinger replaced Schmölling in 1985, and was in turn replaced by Froese's son Jerome Froese in 1990. Franke left in 1987 over creative differences with Froese. After a mid-1990s move to Edgar Froese's own TDI Music label (later renamed Eastgate), TD's reputation as a New Age band became less appropriate - father and son experimented with more modern sounds and revisited elements of past glories - but the group's artistic direction remained fairly entrenched in melodic pop-rock territory, with an increased use of acoustic instruments, particularly on stage. With Edgar Froese's death in 2015, the band continues, but with none of its original members.

Discography

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Electronic Meditation

1970

Studio Album

Alpha Centauri

1971

Studio Album

Zeit

1972

Studio Album

Atem

1973

Studio Album

Phaedra

1974

Studio Album

Rubycon

1975

Studio Album

Stratosfear

1976

Studio Album

Cyclone

1978

Studio Album

Force Majeure

1979

Studio Album

Tangram

1980

Studio Album

Exit

1981

Studio Album

White Eagle

1982

Studio Album

Hyperborea

1983

Studio Album

Le Parc

1985

Studio Album

Underwater Sunlight

1986

Studio Album

Green Desert

1986

Studio Album

Tyger

1987

Studio Album

Optical Race

1988

Studio Album

Lily On The Beach

1989

Studio Album

Melrose

1990

Studio Album

Rumpelstiltskin

1991

Studio Album

Rockoon

1992

Studio Album

Quinoa

1992

Studio Album

Turn Of The Tides CD-5

1994

Studio Album

Tyranny Of Beauty

1995

Studio Album

Goblins' Club

1996

Studio Album

Zoning (Original Video-Soundtrack)

1996

Studio Album

Ambient Monkeys

1997

Studio Album

Jim & Pablo: Der Meteor

1997

Studio Album

Dream Encores

1998

Studio Album

Mars Polaris

1999

Studio Album

The Seven Letters From Tibet

2000

Studio Album

Live At Place Des Arts, Montreal, April 9th, 1977

2004

Studio Album

Purgatorio

2004

Studio Album

Aachen - January 21st 1981

2004

Studio Album

Sydney - February 22nd 1982

2004

Studio Album

Paris - February 2nd 1981

2004

Studio Album

Ottawa - June 20th 1986

2004

Studio Album

Jeanne D'Arc - La Révolte Éternelle

2005

Studio Album

Kyoto

2005

Studio Album

Phaedra Revisited (35th Anniversary Edition)

2005

Studio Album

Paradiso

2006

Studio Album

Plays Tangerine Dream

2006

Studio Album

Detroit - March 31st 1977

2006

Studio Album

Preston - November 5th 1980

2006

Studio Album

Blue Dawn

2006

Studio Album

Madcap's Flaming Duty

2007

Studio Album

Springtime In Nagasaki

2007

Studio Album