Jacob's Tangerine Dream Blog

Jacob's Tangerine Dream Blog

Synth scores are cool.

curiositiesPosted by Jacob Pertou Wed, July 28, 2010 17:57:07


"100 coolest things about movies - ever", TOTAL FILM, August 2010, page 165.

Tak til Peter L.!

Electronic Meditation on red vinyl

curiositiesPosted by Jacob Pertou Sat, July 24, 2010 21:33:08


Electronic Meditation was re-released in 1971, on the Japanese EMI Odeon/Toshiba label, on red vinyl. It has now become a rare collector's item, and of course, this picture was found on eBay, where it reached a price completely out of my league.  


Tangerine Dream in Playlist magazine.

curiositiesPosted by Jacob Pertou Thu, May 13, 2010 16:08:45

Edgar Froese is also columnist in this magazine. Here here talks about Hendrix, Dali and Bowie. You can read it at the TDOC, which has recently been uploaded with a lot of goodies. (Let's not wait again 4½ month next time, though.)

Playlist | March 27 - April 2, 2010

Kathryn Bigelow talks about Tangerine Dream

curiositiesPosted by Jacob Pertou Sun, April 25, 2010 13:22:58

Tangerine Dream did the soundtrack, and I was really pleased with what they came up with. I went to Berlin and spent several weeks there with them, working on the soundtrack, and I just think there was a provocative, haunting, mercurial quality that just permeated everything that they did, and gave it a patina, gave the film a patina that really transformed it.

Near Dark DVD audio commentary.

Edgar Froese on electronic music.

curiositiesPosted by Jacob Pertou Fri, April 23, 2010 23:09:04


Paris, 15th February:
In the Parisian Théâtre de l’Ouest, three German Electronic-Rock-Groups (Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel and Klaus Schulze) present their music to a concentrated French audience. The success is fantastic: 500 visitors had to be sent home, as the venue was totally sold-out. After Tangerine Dream’s performance, 50 policemen and the fire brigade try to interrupt the concert because of overcrowding. The French television ORTF records the event. The film will be also shown in England and Germany. And – last but not least – the audience is enthusiastic about the cosmic noises from Germany.

Tangerine Dream, the trendsetters of cosmic music, opened the performance with a dreamy, touching world of images. Their noises flow calmly towards it, here and there suspended by atmospheric disturbances like simulated thunder and rain. Ash Ra Tempel, who plays more rhythmically than Tangerine Dream, uses their performance for another purpose: “Remember Timothy Leary.” The group, which was accompanied by the American, imprisoned, drug apostle on the LP “Seven Up” (Timothy Leary & Ash Ra Tempel), let two co-workers of Leary at the beginning read slogans like “Timothy Leary, you are not alone, we are with you” and hammering it into the heads of the audience, to shake the people up. Klaus Schulze, who for this concert yet again played together with Ash Ra Tempel, conclusively played his quadraphonic ballet music “Totem-Feuer”.
Edgar Froese, founder of Tangerine Dream, wrote, exclusively for POP, his impressions of the Parisian concert, and moreover, an introduction to the electronic music:


Introduction to the electronic music
By Edgar Froese

The origin

The time of birth of the electronic music coincided with the development of the first sine generators in the twenties of this century. With this device, it was possible for the first time to produce a “pure” tone (without any further vibrations). Back then, no one obviously thought about using this device as a musical instrument. It was mainly used as a measuring instrument in physics.
Later, at the end of the forties, the interest, of some musicians in the field of atonal compositions and Schönberg’s twelve-tone music, was displaced towards electronic sound production
In Germany it was the young Karl Heinz Stockhausen, whom in the studios for E-music at WDR in Cologne was interested in the medium. At the same time in Paris, Pierre Henry worked in the studios of the French radio, ORTF, on similar musical experiments.
Back then, Pierre Henry was also one of the few E-composers who collaborated directly with pop groups, so that they could come to an understanding.
With his co-operation, Spooky Tooth’s album “Ceremony” came into being in 1969.


Laterna Magica

If you want to compare the possibilities of the electronic sound production of the year 1950 with that of 1973, then it’s similar to the relationship between the Laterna Magica and the modern reflex camera.
I have often asked myself the question, why electronic music is an “empty room” for many music possessed people. Maybe it has something to do with the “lifelessness” of this music. The outsiders can not keep track with the robotic expiration of complicated technical processes. The observer is no longer able to live up to the musical creation process. You listen to the final product and don’t know how measured the craftsmanlike skills are.
A guitarist or pianist is judged by his dexterity, his phrasing, his all-round musical feeling. This is no longer possible in the judgement of the electronic music.
There is no plucking, drumming, bowing or hitting.
A group with electronic tools – their sensitivity should not be underestimated – can’t deliver a euphoric stage show and jump around with their instruments.
So there are also no visual comparison possibilities.
As long as the audience isn’t informed about the complicated regularities of the electronic sound production, be it through comparing with the LP or literature, then it must hope for the musicians’ sincerity. Charlatanism is not impossible in this form of music, either.
A superficial effect and a consciously chosen expression are incredibly close related.
Classical music instruments need a resonance body to amplify its own vibrations, and have to be in the shape as sound waves to be audible. As examples can be mentioned: guitar and piano.


Musical circuit processes

On electronic instruments no components are moved mechanically. Here it’s about pure circuit processes. Circuit processes, which can be seen as chain reactions, to simplify it.
On a synthesizer it is electric waves that flow through an oscillator. Through that it produces quick oscillations. These oscillations have an influence on, when they are carried on, voltage controlled sound generators (sine, rectangle, saw tooth and triangle). These “technical terms” stand for the wave shape of the individual generators, when they are made visible on an oscillograph.
The just mentioned sound generators can, alone or together, be reduced to single acoustic signals through the voltage controlling. Through acceleration of the respective oscillations a permanent sound is created.
The different wave shapes of the respective generators are also acoustically recognisable. Through different filter options you can influence the sound colours, without further action.


Expansion of consciousness?

All that sounds dry and seems transparent. I think that the electronics in a future development open for even more unknown possibilities that again will change our habits of listening. And with this, a positive influence on our common consciousness has taken place.


Froese’s concert reflections

19.00
The first visitors occur at the theatre on bicycles.

19.30
The P.A. is tested once more. Middle-agers from ORTF make a TV recording, and we get a sweaty brow from the light of the 1000 watt lamps.

20.00
Half an hour before it begins. The youngsters wriggle.

20.30
I open the concert with a cheerful potpourri of cosmic intrusion.

21.30
Second round begins.

22.15
Tangerine Dream’s finale.

Conclusion
We have already performed our music in many European countries. Was France something special in relation to the immediate reaction? For us, it was an experience, nothing more.


POP Nr. 9/73 (April or May 1973)

Translation by Jacob Pertou.

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