The sad news of Edgar Froese's death in January seemed to slip by quite unnoticed, sorry to say by us anyway. The founder, supremo and only constant member of Tangerine Dream died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism in Vienna on the 20th.
Froese was one of the renowned names of the late 60's and early 70's. Tangerine Dreams 1973 album 'Atem' was named as Album of the Year by British DJ John Peel and heard regularly on his night shows in the UK and which consequently led to them being one of Virgins Records early signings. Under Froese's direction the Tangerine Dream career path eventually produced an eye watering 100 plus albums, a number few artists can ever have reached in their lives.
'Phaedra', the second album and first for Virgin Records was a UK top 20 album hit and one of the first commercial albums to feature sequencers which came to define not only the band's own sound but a new era in music, not only for the record company, but what could be heard as the beginnings of Krautrock, also helped define the Berlin School of electronic music, and in later years what was to become new-age and electronic dance.
They were one of the first real world recognised names pioneering the use of the Moog synth and various electronic instruments, and Froese one of the few people who've have had such an influence on one particular genre of music and the many musicians who followed. (Steven Wilson, stated that Tangerine Dream was one of his influences to make his music, and often cites Zeit as his all-time favourite album).
"Since the 90s, Tangerine Dream have also recorded cover versions of Jimi Hendrix' Purple Haze (first on 220 Volt Live) and The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby, Back in the U.S.S.R., Tomorrow Never Knows, and Norwegian Wood. (The band name inspired by the line "tangerine trees and marmalade skies" from The Beatles' track "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
WIKI ARTICLE).
All being prominent influences on the young Edgar Froese at the very start of his life in music and of which his legacy goes on to this day.
Here is "Zeit" (1972 ) and 16 minutes of another world.
So long Edgar.
