Tag: Tangerine Dream (Page 1 of 7)

The Electronic Legacy of LIVE ALBUMS

2 December 2025 /

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

The general purpose of a live album is to document a concert experience. But such is the average person’s equipment used for listening to music at home, in the car or on earphones, the capabilities of quality PA systems can never be replicated.

Something of a credible rock staple, live albums are often seen as profile builders and tour adverts, symbolic of an act hitting the big time while greatest hits collections can be perceived as an indicator of a career on the wane.

However, in the synth-laden electronic world, the live album is something of a polarising beast. With a significant number of acts reliant on tapes and latterly pre-programmed backing tracks, live albums can be rendered almost pointless with parts often sounding almost identical to the original record. In many cases, overdubs and new vocals are prevalent and essential.

But even some of the best known live rock albums such as THIN LIZZY ‘Live & Dangerous’ and KISS ‘Alive!’ were heavily tinkered with in the studio during post-production. Of the former, producer Tony Visconti reckoned the album was “75% recorded in the studio” with only the drums and audience noise remaining from the original live recordings. Meanwhile of the latter, Gene Simmons later said “Most people assume it was all live. It wasn’t” with only the drums remaining from the original shows recorded. On the opposite side of the coin, Joe Jackson recorded his ‘Big World’ live album in front of invited audiences who were instructed NOT to clap.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

While the spirit of a performance is an essential ingredient on a live album, extra parts or arrangements not used in the actual shows can cause much head scratching, as can the inclusion of unrelated studio recordings. A concert is for a particular moment in time and for that reason, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is not generally enthusiastic of live recordings but accepts they have their place and can have their moments.

Not a best of, here are 20 records listing the good, the bad and the pointless to represent The Electronic Legacy of LIVE ALBUMS. These are subject to the conditions that they are standalone physical releases in their own right, not initially part of a corresponding live DVD or Bluray package, not a bootleg or a bonus CD in a deluxe boxed set; for this latter reason, OMD’s spirited 1983 ‘Dazzle Ships’ live presentation at Hammersmith Odeon that came with the ‘Souvenir’ career anthology is not included.

The albums are presented in yearly order and then alphabetical within…

TANGERINE DREAM Encore (1977)

‘Encore’ is seen as the definitive TANGERINE DREAM live album by the classic line-up of Edgar Froese, Christophe Franke and Peter Baumann. But as with their previous live release ‘Ricochet’, there were questions as to what was live and what was Memorex… opener ‘Cherokee Lane’ was edited together from several performances while on the second side, suspicions were raised that ‘Coldwater Canyon’ was a studio creation.

‘Encore’ was originally released by Virgin Records

https://www.tangerinedreammusic.com/

KLAUS SCHULZE …Live… (1980)

A trailblazer for The Berlin School, Klaus Schulze saw synthesizers as a route to creative freedom and his imperial works like ‘Timewind’, ‘Moondawn’, ‘X’ and ‘Mirage’ were largely improvised live. Concerts were seen as an opportunity to spontaneously compose new works. On his first live album featuring concerts in Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris, ‘Sense’ was a half hour ball of hypnotic energy with live drums from Harald Grosskopf.

‘…Live…’ was released by Brain Records

https://www.klaus-schulze.com/

YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA Public Pressure (1980)

Recorded as a six-piece, ‘Public Pressure’ captured YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA walking a tightrope, utilising early synthesizer technology like syndrums, sequencers and a Moog modular out on the road. However, while fairly lively and with highlights like ‘Rydeen’ and ‘Tong Poo’, in the inevitable post-production, guitarist Kazumi Watanabe was mixed-out and replaced with more synths while most of Yukihiro Takahashi’s trademark on-off vocals were re-recorded.

‘Public Pressure’ was originally released by Alfa Records

http://www.ymo.org/

GARY NUMAN Living Ornaments 79 & 80 (1981)

A singular double LP boxed set, this live document captured highlights of Gary Numan during his imperial phase at Hammersmith Odeon during ‘The Touring Principle’ in 1979 and the 1980 ‘Teletour’. Engineered and co-mixed by Tim Summerhayes, this remains one of the best live releases of its type with ‘Living Ornaments 80’ just nudging ahead. The release coincided with Numan’s retirement from live work with three concerts at Wembley Arena… that retirement lasted just over a year!

‘Living Ornaments 79 & 80’ was originally released by Beggars Banquet

https://garynuman.com/

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE The Concerts In China (1982)

In 1981, Jean-Michel Jarre became the first Western rock musician to perform in China. The five live performances as a 4 piece ensemble included the debut of the Laser Harp. Jarre also composed new material for the occasion with highlights including the dramatic ‘Arpegiator’ and the elegiac studio closer ‘Souvenir Of China’. But one particular track stood out, a traditional rearrangement with The Peking Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, retitled ‘Fishing Junks At Sunset’.

‘The Concerts In China’ was originally released by Polydor Records

https://www.jeanmicheljarre.com/

JAPAN Oil On Canvas (1983)

‘Oil On Canvas’ was a contractual obligation by the now-split up JAPAN. Only the drums came from the band’s run of Hammersmith Odeon shows during their final tour with other parts redone in the studio. The version of ‘Nightporter’ bore no relation to the actual arrangement performed while three unrelated ambient pieces were included instead of ‘Life In Tokyo’, ‘European Son’ and ‘Fall In Love With Me’ which were part of the live set!

‘Oil On Canvas’ was originally released by Virgin Records

https://sylvianvista.com/

ULTRAVOX Monument (1983)

Leaving listeners wanting more, ‘Monument’ originally only featured 6 tracks including the studio intro title track with the hits ‘Vienna’, ‘Reap The Wild Wind’ and ‘Hymn’. Superbly capturing ULTRAVOX on their 1982 ‘Quartet’ tour, the undoubted highlight was the elongated rendition of ‘The Voice’ with the energetic THIN LIZZY-inspired Simmons drum climax. ‘Monument’ has since been expanded into  8 track and later 9 track variants.

‘Monument’ was originally released by Chrysalis Records

https://www.ultravox.org.uk/

DURAN DURAN Arena (1984)

Released at the height of their worldwide fame, ‘Arena’ was sadly more ‘Oil On Canvas’ than either ‘Living Ornaments 79 & 80’, ‘Monument’ or ‘101’. Unlike the latter, it now symbolises the downfall of DURAN DURAN rather than the rise. The mix was muddy and not a patch on the subsequent soundtracks of the DVD releases of their Hammersmith Odeon 1982 and Wembley Arena 2004 shows. The incongruous inclusion of the single ‘The Wild Boys’ no doubt helped shift copies.

‘Arena’ was originally released by EMI Music

https://duranduran.com/

SIMPLE MINDS Live In The City Of Light (1987)

On the ‘Sparkle In The Rain’ and ‘Once Upon A Time’ tours, SIMPLE MINDS had been pompously bloating songs out for up to 10 minutes. The excesses were dialled down for this well-recorded if frustrating record. There was much post-production tinkering with ‘Someone Somewhere In Summertime’ featuring extra violin by Lisa Germano while uncredited, former bassist Derek Forbes was brought in replace John Giblin’s live take.

‘Live In The City Of Light’ was originally released by Virgin Records

https://www.simpleminds.com/

DEPECHE MODE 101 (1989)

“Who have thought DEPECHE MODE plink-plonking away would play in stadiums?” bemoaned Jim Kerr of SIMPLE MINDS in 2004; but ‘101’ recorded at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in 1988 affirmed their arrival into the stadium league. The audience was mixed so loud that the band were almost drowned out while Dave Gahan bellowing “YEAH!” was a frequent occurrence. In a drumhead free zone, this was an enjoyable set capturing more comparatively innocent times.

‘101’ was originally released by Mute Records

https://www.depechemode.com/

ASHRA @shra (1998)

Recorded on location in Tokyo and Osaka, this live collection saw Manuel Göttsching, Lutz Ulbrich and Harald Grosskopf reunite the 1979-80 band incarnation of ASHRA. Containing 3 lengthy tracks and the much shorter ‘Timbuktu’ in an energetic set with hypnotic blend of progressive guitar and electronics. The highlight was the magnificent sample-free take on 1990’s ‘Twelve Samples’. A second volume was issued in 2002.

‘@shra’ was originally released by Think Progressive

https://www.manuelgoettsching.com/

HEAVEN 17 How Live Is (1999)

In their heyday, HEAVEN 17 never toured. Recorded in Glasgow when the trio came out of hiatus and opened for ERASURE in 1998, the 50 minute set was very electronic, in line with their comeback album ‘Bigger Than America’. Packed full of their best known songs and a version of ‘Being Boiled’, some new arrangements fell under the spell of THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS but they impressed enough for repeat business and continue to play live regularly today.

‘How Live Is’ was originally released by Almafame

https://www.heaven17.com/

SOFT CELL Live (2003)

Reuniting as SOFT CELL first time round in 2001, this double live album caught Marc Almond and Dave Ball in support of their 2002 comeback album ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’. Almond was particularly animated and sounded like he was having fun while Ball’s solid electronics grooved. Almond’s motorbike accident in 2004 put a stop to performing but SOFT CELL reunited again in 2018 for ‘One Night Only’ at London’s O2 Arena.

‘Live’ was originally released by Cooking Vinyl

https://www.softcell.co.uk/

KRAFTWERK Minimum-Maximum (2005)

Featuring founder members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, this first official KRAFTWERK live album provided another “is it live or is it Memorex?” conundrum. Suspicions were aroused with the credits in both English and German language versions indicating that many of the tracks were recorded at the same venues! Regardless, the crisp versions on ‘Minimum-Maximum’ provided a far superior listening experience than 1991’s ‘The Mix’.

‘Minimum-Maximum’ was originally released by EMI Music

https://kraftwerk.com/

YAZOO Reconnected Live (2010)

YAZOO’s ‘Reconnected’ tour saw Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke completing unfinished business following their premature spilt in 1983. Clarke provided more analogue-tuned backing compared to the Fairlight-driven tracks of their 1982 tour while Moyet was in fine voice, to the point that you could be forgiven for thinking you were hearing the records if it wasn’t for her breaths. This was a wonderful souvenir for those who were there.

‘Reconnected Live’ was originally released by Mute Records

https://yazooinfo.com/

JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS Rhapsody (2013)

John Foxx’s 2002 live album ‘The Omnidelic Exotour’ with Louis Gordon had been recorded in rehearsals with no audience and ‘Rhapsody’ followed the same route. With a band featuring Benge with Serafina Steer and Hannah Peel, the quartet ran through highlights of the John Foxx portfolio alongside his ULTRAVOX! ballads ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ and ‘Just For A Moment’.

‘Rhapsody’ was originally released by Metamatic Records

http://www.metamatic.com/

HYPERBUBBLE Live In London (2015)

Texans HYPERBUBBLE may look like a mutant Country & Western duo but are actually synthpop’s answer to Carter & Cash. ‘Live in London’ was a high quality recording from The Lexington that captured the heart of their “part-performance art, kitsch cabaret pop”. Like a greatest hits set, it featured 45 minutes of fun uptempo numbers including ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’ and ‘Non-Biodegradable Hazardous Waste Disposal’.

‘Live In London’ was originally released by Pure Pop For Now People

https://www.hyperbubble.net/

NEW ORDER featuring LIAM GILLICK ∑(No,12k,Lg,17Mif) (2019)

Back in the day, NEW ORDER were a rather shaky live act which meant their live bootlegs provided unintended entertainment. Since relaunching in 2011 without Peter Hook, they have released 5 live albums. The most interesting was ‘∑(No,12k,Lg,17Mif)’ when NEW ORDER played Manchester’s Old Granada Studios accompanied by a 12 piece synth orchestra. Aside from the dreadful ‘Who’s Joe’ and ‘Guilt Is A Useless Song’, it was a choice selection of firm fan favourites.

‘∑(No,12k,Lg,17Mif)’ was originally released by Mute Artists

https://www.neworder.com/

KITE At The Royal Opera (2020)

Swedish duo KITE performed two theatrical shows at the Royal Swedish Opera augmented by a 16 piece orchestra and choir. Filmed for broadcast on SVT2, the performances were issued as a live double album featuring a lengthy impassioned rendition of the epic ‘Up For Life’. Never doing things by halves, KITE have since performed at the cavernous former limestone quarry Dalhalla and more incredibly, on ice at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena.

‘Kite At The Royal Opera’ was originally released by Astronaut Recordings

https://www.facebook.com/KiteHQ

HOWARD JONES Live At The O2 (2024)

Perhaps too ambitious in trying to take on the O2 Arena, OMD called on Howard Jones as opening act to help get bums on seats. The original solo synth man delivered an enjoyable 50 minute set with a band comprising right hand man Ronnie Bronnimann, the sadly missed Dan Clarke and KAJAGOOGOO bassist Nick Beggs; a cover of ‘Too Shy’ thrown in for good measure alongside ‘New Song’ and a danced-up ‘Things Can Only Get Better’.

‘Live At The O2’ was originally released by Cherry Red Records

http://howardjones.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd December 2025

A Short Conversation with JEROME FROESE

24 November 2025 /

Photo by Anja Kathmann

Jerome Froese is back with a new album ‘Sunsets in Stereo’.

Hailed as “The Sound Architect Between Electronics, Guitar, and Emotion”, Jerome is the son of the late TANGERINE DREAM co-founder Edgar Froese and was a member from 1990 to 2006. Known for his distinctive fusion of electronic textures and guitar-driven soundscapes, he has carved out his own distinct niche in ambient rock.

Defying traditional genre labels, his signature “Guitartronica” style has served him well across his various solo albums and collaborations including LOOM with another former TANGERINE DREAM member Johannes Schmoelling as well as an album ‘Beginn’ with Claudia Brücken.

While no longer active in TANGERINE DREAM, Jerome Froese serves as the curator of their official photo and video archive, preserving over 10,000 images and extensive historical film material documenting every era of the band. Much of the visual archive was created by his mother, Monika Froese, who photographed the group for decades. As the only individual to have witnessed all major TANGERINE DREAM periods including the classic line-up of Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann, he is uniquely positioned to safeguard and carry forward this cultural legacy.

Meanwhile in ‘Sunsets In Stereo’, Jerome Froese bridges the past and the future with this cinematic and deeply personal album. Providing a combination of noisier guitar-derived textures and brighter electronic soundscapes, this is a record that will be appreciated by those who prefer their ambient on the rockier spectrum.

Jerome Froese stopped by to talk to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK for a conversation about ‘Sunsets in Stereo’ and a lot more…

It’s been 4 years since ‘Asymetric’ while ‘Beginn’ with Claudia Brücken was in 2018, how did you decide it was time for a new solo creation, what inspires your creative muse?

I’ve actually been working on my solo album for longer than I originally planned. That’s partly because I scrapped an almost finished version about two years ago and started over almost from scratch. Since production tools and techniques are evolving so rapidly, new ideas and inspirations keep emerging, and it’s tempting to keep adding them to one piece or another. At some point, though, you have to discipline yourself and draw a line in order to finally reach a result. The pandemic, fortunately, played a rather positive role in that process. The general slowdown gave me the time and space to focus productively on things that normally get neglected in everyday life.

Inspiration can come from just about anything – a good conversation, an intriguing sound, a positive or even a negative experience. An external impulse isn’t always necessary, but it’s usually very helpful.

So does ‘Sunsets In Stereo’ have a concept as such?

There wasn’t really a strict concept behind the album, but it was important to me that it carries an overall positive vibe. Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around Europe, picking up inspiration from all sorts of random situations along the way. I’ve always been fascinated by different social environments, so wherever I go, I like to explore the spots most tourists would probably skip.

In a city like London, for example, I’d much rather grab a coffee somewhere out in Tube Zone 7 or 8 and just watch people and the surroundings than hang around at Big Ben. Once, a few years back, I stumbled across this butcher’s shop that, weirdly enough, also rented out horror DVDs – right there in the same room, across from the counter with all the steaks and offal. Stuff like that just makes my day.

Talking of stereo, there is a fashion now for re-releases of classic records remixed in Surround Sound 5.1 and Dolby Atmos, are these audio formats something which you personally are interested in?

From a technical perspective, that’s certainly interesting, but I see little point in investing in specialized equipment just for certain ways of listening to music. Music I like always works; bad music mostly remains bad, no matter what you listen to it on.

The ‘Sunsets In Stereo’ album has influences from post-rock and dreampop, were there any particular artists or tracks that shaped your “guitartronica” approach?

I enjoy blending the raw, instrumentally unconventional aspects of post-rock with the melancholic and sometimes sweet elements of dream pop. A good example of this is the track ‘Feel Your Ghosts’ on ‘Sunsets In Stereo’. It aims to translate, purely instrumentally, a therapeutic session dealing with the intangible thoughts and feelings in someone’s mind. For this reason, the track deliberately moves between extremes of harshness and harmony.

My guitar playing is often inspired by artists who might not be immediately on everyone’s radar, such as Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser or Eric Johnson. While they haven’t fundamentally shaped my playing style, their work contains small or larger elements that have influenced or challenged my approach to my own ideas.

When I share my music with friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, I often hear: “No matter what you produce, it always sounds like Froese” ; I take this as a compliment, but also as a recognition that my musical identity – both its strengths and quirks – are difficult to hide. Some have also mentioned that my style or certain melodies occasionally remind them, in a positive way, of children’s songs.

Whereas ‘Asymetric’ was only in the digital domain, ‘Sunsets In Stereo’ gets issued on CD although not vinyl LP, how do you decide on your release formats? Is it economically dictated?

First off, I should say that, like a lot of other artists, I’ve never really been a fan of streaming services. A few years back, I even pulled off almost all of my music from them. The reasons are probably pretty obvious.

Now that we’re back working with a distributor that operates internationally, I’m figuring out how I want to handle things going forward. SIS, for example, will be on all digital platforms. But it’s not uncommon for whole albums to vanish when contracts expire or licensing issues pop up. A situation that Claudia Brücken and I are currently experiencing with the ‘Beginn’ album, for example. Most of my fans don’t want to risk that, which is why they still prefer physical copies like CDs.

Vinyl is a bit of a tricky one. Around the turn of the millennium, I was doing some DJ stuff exclusively on vinyl. Small runs barely sold, simply because nobody really wanted it back then. We originally planned a vinyl version of ‘Sunsets In Stereo’, but then the questions started: how do you fit the entire album on one record? Do you cut tracks? Multiple records felt complicated and expensive, which would push the price up for fans, and I didn’t want that.

Even today, the so-called “vinyl revival” looks impressive in percentages, but in reality, we’re still talking pretty small numbers. That said, who knows – maybe we’ll do something spontaneous for RSD 2026.

One of the album highlights is ‘The Clock That Forgot Time’, how did that build up from its initial composition to recording?

This song actually came about quite spontaneously and, as the title suggests, was meant to be a homage to my childhood, and to the people around me who shaped it, both personally and musically.

Since my mother had already given me her entire visual archive during her lifetime, I thought it would be a great idea to support the track with some striking images. So, over the past few weeks, I spent quite some time putting together suitable material for a YouTube video clip. Honestly, I could have edited a hundred different versions of it without repeating a single image. Narrowing it all down to five and a half minutes was quite a challenge.

For the music, I even used a few original vintage synthesizers to capture an authentic sound. Some TANGERINE DREAM fans might think that Edgar and myself lost the inspiration or the ability to create songs in the classic TD tradition, but that’s not true. We could have done that at any time. It’s just that we’ve always been guided by what lay ahead of us, by what we were musically curious about and excited to explore.

That’s why, with TANGERINE DREAM, fans have always come and gone – and that was perfectly fine.

You are using a female voice on ‘Hope’ and ‘A Game of Hearts, Played with Fire’, did you use a singer or is this a sample or VST?

It’s got a bit of all that, but, like the rest of the album, it doesn’t feature an AI.

Have you or do you intend to experiment with AI in your music?

Out of curiosity, I checked out the common tools. At first glance, the results might seem impressive, but for anyone with years of experience as a composer and producer, the flaws become obvious almost immediately. Sure, these algorithms will keep improving as they endlessly “train” on all available material, but that only underscores the urgent need for updates to copyright law.

What’s truly infuriating is this Suno guy claiming that composing yourself or learning an instrument isn’t fun. Instead, he suggests you should just “prompt” and feel proud when the AI spits out music it stole ideas from – music originally created by people who actually enjoyed composing and mastering an instrument. Let’s be clear: AI doesn’t create anything on its own. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.

In the technical aspects of making this record, where there any other new instruments or developments which you found to be important in realising the final product?

As I mentioned earlier, new and fascinating things keep appearing almost daily, both in the digital and physical realms. For example, after almost three decades, I finally retired my DAW, Cubase. Many features that have long been standard elsewhere were simply missing. Switching to a new software was an important liberating move.

For the lead guitars, I once again used my Charvel Model 4, which I bought in Los Angeles back in 1988 for $800. It’s the same guitar I used to record my first solo on the TANGERINE DREAM album ‘Lily On The Beach’ in 1989. I also had a box full of stomp boxes on hand, which were used for all kinds of sonic experiments. And of course, on ‘The Clock That Forgot Time’ you’ll hear vintage synths: a Prophet 5, PPG Wave 2, and Oberheim OB-X. Those familiar with these classics will surely recognize their sounds.

‘Endless Sympathy’ closes the album and moves from being quite floaty to rocking out before drifting into flutey-type sounds almost like a reference to classic TANGERINE DREAM, had this been an intentional “Easter Egg”?

Interesting that you feel that way! I actually added the middle part only at the very end, when the song was almost finished. The idea was more to briefly pull the listener out of their cozy state, only to let them settle back in right after. But you’re right, there are definitely associations there. So even for me, it has now turned into an Easter Egg! 🙂

You took part in the documentary ‘Revolution Of Sound: TANGERINE DREAM’ which came out on DVD in 2018, were you satisfied with how it turned out?

The project largely did not match my personal taste. I was offered the opportunity to come on as a co-producer, but since my stepmother wanted to take the creative lead herself and also be a co-producer, I quickly withdrew and only licensed the images from my archive to the production company.

Key figures, such as Chris Franke, were not included as interviewees at all, and some others apparently refused to participate. Johannes Schmoelling and I appear only because the director wanted it that way. Had it been up to my stepmother, she would likely have conducted all the interviews herself. Overall, there was so much more that could have been done with the topic, both visually and content-wise.

I interviewed Peter Baumann earlier this year and he was happily reminiscing about the old days; how is your media project The TANGERINE DREAM Archive coming along and are there any plans with it?

There are now many plans in motion. Unfortunately, our fundraising efforts for fully digitizing my mother’s analog archive fell slightly short of the desired amount. However, we were able to acquire a professional scanner, which allows us to digitize almost all formats. Compared to a specialized company, this is a very time-consuming process, and since we only have one workstation, multiple people cannot work on it simultaneously.

The Super 8 film material was already digitized back in the 1990s, so it is available to us more quickly. I have already spoken with various people about potential projects related to this and have generated a lot of interest. Now I just need to carve out more time for myself to push things forward, and I hope to manage that soon.

Which are your own favourite tracks on ‘Sunsets In Stereo’?

I usually like the tracks that were added last to a production the most, since they haven’t been heard as often. In this case, that would be ‘Where We Belong’, ‘A Game of Hearts, Played with Fire’ and the title track ‘Sunsets in Stereo’.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, as I think the album is very versatile and doesn’t want to settle in one particular direction. How each song resonates really depends on your mood, so every track can be experienced differently at any given time. For example, ‘A Game of Hearts, Played With Fire’ was almost consistently the favorite among the female listeners who pre-listened the album.

It’s been a while since you ventured out live, is this something that you would like to do again?

Absolutely, especially since I’d love to perform in the UK again. The audience there has always given great feedback at the shows. I’m not the type who needs to be on stage all the time to live off the applause, but a few small, cozy events would definitely be enjoyable. Let’s see if something comes up in the near future.

What is next for you solo or in collaboration with others?

Once the album drops, I’ll probably take a few days just to breathe, recharge, and let everything sink in. After that, there’s a whole world waiting: my entire TANGERINE DREAM catalog, ready to be re-released on physical formats – the plans for that are already laid out on my desk. On top of that, I’ve got remastered versions of my first three solo albums in the works, and who knows, maybe even a box set down the line.

Meanwhile, I’ve wrapped up a full album with Marty Willson-Piper (THE CHURCH, ALL ABOUT EVE), and we’re hoping to release it soon. And then there’s something I recently cooked up with Susanne Freytag – who’s now living in Berlin – which has this wonderfully dark, morbid edge. We’re thinking it could become an EP sometime soon.

But before all that, before even thinking about grand plans or releases, I’m heading to the kitchen to make myself a coffee. Sometimes the simplest things come first.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Jerome Froese

Additional thanks to Anja Kathmann at Moonpop

‘Sunsets in Stereo’ is released by Moonpop on 31st October 2025 in CD and digital formats

https://jeromefroese.com/

https://instagram.com/jeromefroese

https://facebook.com/jeromefroese

https://youtube.com/@jeromefroeseofficial

https://tangerinedreamarchive.com/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
24th November 2025

JEROME FROESE Sunsets in Stereo

28 October 2025 /

Jerome Froese, the sound architect who fuses electronics, guitar and emotion is back with his fourth solo album ‘Sunsets in Stereo’.

Formally a member of TANGERINE DREAM alongside his father Edgar, he has also made music as LOOM with another former TD member Johannes Schmoelling as well as collaborating with Claudia Brücken with whom he released an album ‘Beginn’ in 2018.

Embellishing his trademark guitartronica sound, Jerome Froese has brought in additional influences from post-rock and dreampop for ‘Sunsets in Stereo’ which sees him explore themes of resilience, reflection, and hope.

Photo by Anja Kathmann

To a sunset strum, ‘Hope’ develops into a burst of guitar layered chill out with female voices to start before ‘Lemonade Clouds’ adds more prominent drums and rocks out in a livelier concoction. But ‘The Clock That Forgot Time’ explores more electronic climes with cascading synths and shimmers over a strident drama for an early album highlight.

The ivory dressed ‘Where We Belong’ is gentler with sparing guitar textures recalling Robin Guthrie’s ambient work initially although these six string interventions get louder alongside the progressive trapped percussion. ‘Flowers and Skywriters’ is a piece that grooves in its rhythmic shuffle and develops into a rock jam with plenty of soloing but with something of an electronic bounce, ‘A Game of Hearts, Played with Fire’ sees the female voice return but in a more cooing fashion which might surprise some, although the kerrang makes its presence felt.

After that, the ‘Sunsets in Stereo’ title track is more laid back before ‘Blow the Fuse, Ignore the Galaxy’ does exactly just that in its explosive tension. ‘Feel Your Ghosts’ does the full metal racket after a sedate start although as if the best is saved until last, ‘Endless Sympathy’ is wonderfully floaty and spacey but as it reaches the middle phase, the space gets rocky but as waves of flute drift into the mood, there’s a canter before the full stop.

“It’s about overcoming the noise – both inside and out – and rediscovering beauty in chaos” says Jerome Froese as he reaffirms his place bridging the past and the future with this cinematic and deeply personal album. ‘Sunsets in Stereo’ provides a combination of noisier guitar-derived textures and brighter electronic soundscapes in a manner that will be appreciated by those who prefer their ambient on the rockier spectrum.

‘Sunsets in Stereo’ is released by Moonpop on 31st October 2025 in CD and digital formats

https://jeromefroese.com/

https://instagram.com/jeromefroese

https://facebook.com/jeromefroese

https://youtube.com/@jeromefroeseofficial

https://tangerinedreamarchive.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th October 2025

THE ELECTRONIC LEGACY OF 1977

30 August 2025 /

While there had previous been synthesizer hits like ‘Son Of My Father’, ‘Popcorn’ and ‘Autobahn’, they were considered novelty records at the time and it would be fair to say that the true Year Zero in electronic pop music was 1977.

THE SEX PISTOLS and ‘God Save The Queen’ may have been on everyone’s hushed lips in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year but the most influential song to emerge from that period and that STILL sounds like the future is ‘I Feel Love’ by Donna Summer.

The producer of ‘I Feel Love’ was a German domiciled Italian named Giorgio Moroder. A solo artist in his own right within his adopted homeland, he had already been playing with synthesizer riffs on his first hit song ‘Son Of My Father’; a facsimile cover by Chicory Tip reached No1 in the UK at the start of 1972.

In the case of ‘I Feel Love’, Moroder later harnessed the hypnotic quality of an 8-step analogue sequencer plus a triplet delay to create the pulsing Moog lines to close the Donna Summer concept album ‘I Remember Yesterday’. The preceding tracks had themes of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. ‘I Feel Love’ was designed to represent the sound of the future.

Despite already clocking in at nearly six minutes, it felt like it could go on forever. Again, Moroder had the foresight to extend the track to nearly twenty minutes on a 12 inch version for discos; the extended version was born. Alas, ‘I Feel Love’ was the only electronic track on ‘I Remember Yesterday’ but Moroder would fully exploit the potential of this new technology on the next Donna Summer albums as well as his solo records.

The first British artist to present electronic pop in its modern form at the start of 1977 was David Bowie with ‘Sound & Vision’ featuring an ARP Solina lead line and noise-gated futuristic sounding drums. With this, ‘Oxygène’, ‘Magic Fly’ and ‘I Feel Love’ all hitting the Top 3 in the UK singles chart within months of each other, this was the beginning of synths designing the future.

So here are 20 albums which ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK sees as contributing to the electronic legacy of 1977. While a number of these albums were not purely electronic, their inclusion of electronic based songs or suites proved to be highly influential in their experimental possibilities. They are listed in alphabetical order with a restriction of one album per artist moniker…

ASHRA New Age Of Earth

Guitarist Manuel Göttsching had been a member of ASH RA TEMPEL but looking to explore more progressive voxless territory on ‘New Age Of Earth’, he armed himself with an Eko Rhythm Computer, ARP Odyssey and his signature Farfisa Synthorchestra. An exponent of a more transient soloing style, he used the guitar for texture as much as for melody in this beautiful treasure trove of an album, as on the wonderful 20 minute ‘Nightdust’.

‘New Age Of Earth’ is still available via Virgin Records

http://www.ashra.com/

TIM BLAKE Crystal Machine

Having been the synth player of GONG on their albums ‘Flying Teapot’, ‘Angel’s Egg’ and ‘You’, Francophile Tim Blake’s first solo long player was ‘Crystal Machine’. A combination of studio and live material, with a EMS Synthi A, Minimoog and Elka Rhapsody at his disposal, it was full of eccentric sci-fi soundscapes and cosmic otherworldliness in the GONG, PINK FLOYD and HAWKWIND vein; Blake would actually join the latter in 1979.

‘Crystal Machine’ is still available via Esoteric Recordings

http://moonweed.free.fr/

DAVID BOWIE Low

“There’s New Wave, there’s Old Wave, and there’s David Bowie” said the advert for ‘Low’, recorded in Switzerland but mixed at Hansa Studios where the soldiers in the East Berlin watch towers could look into the windows of the building. It featured a whole side of instrumentals, the best two being ‘Warszawa’ and ‘Art Decade’ in collaboration with Brian Eno. Despite the artful experimentation, there was a hit single in ‘Sound & Vision’.

‘Low’ is still available via EMI Records

http://www.davidbowie.com

CLUSTER & ENO Cluster & Eno

Having first worked together in 1976, Brian Eno met up with Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius of CLUSTER on two fruitful recordings, the first of which was a glorious ambient instrumental affair. The front cover photo of a microphone up near the clouds summed up the approach with the album full of angelic atmospheres and gentle melodies. The closer ‘Für Luise’ was a tense cold war drama with stark piano and minimal synth.

‘Cluster & Eno’ is still available via Bureau B

https://www.roedelius.com/

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM Disco Machine

A year before TELEX formed, Dan Lacksman released his sixth album under the ELECTRONIC SYSTEM moniker. With the sequencer driven Moog sounds of Giorgio Moroder being the main influence, ‘Flight to Tokyo’, ‘Cosmic Trip’ and ‘Flight To Venus’ was a fine segue of instrumental variations on the throbbing electronic disco theme, the latter of which was sampled in 2002 by THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS for ‘Star Guitar’.

‘Disco Machine’ is still available via The Wack Attack Barrack

https://danlacksman.com/

BRIAN ENO Before & After Science

As with David Bowie’s ‘Low’ and ‘Heroes’ which Eno had also worked on, ‘Before & After Science’ presented its material as pop and experimental sides. The first side included the quirky ‘Blackwater’ with its fabulous stabs of synth and the metallic romp of ‘Kings Lead Hat’. But the best tracks were on side two were the synth ballads ‘By This River’ assisted by CLUSTER and the sumptuous nautical folk of ‘Spider & I’.

‘Before & After Science’ is still available via Virgin Records

http://www.brian-eno.net/

BERNARD FEVRE Cosmos 2043

The French were on a roll with their vision for an electronic future with SPACE, DROIDS and Jean-Michel Jarre, but Bernard Favre actually composed and recorded the science fiction-themed ‘Cosmos 2043’ in 1975. While not as immediate as his fellow countrymen, this record was another sampled by THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS with ‘Earth Message’ forming the basis of 1999’s ‘Got Glint?’ for which Favre got a co-writing credit.

‘Cosmos 2043’ is still available via Anthology Records

https://www.facebook.com/blackdevildiscoclub

GIORGIO From Here To Eternity

On a roll from his pioneering work with Donna Summer, the sixth Giorgio Moroder solo album for centred around throbbing electronic disco. Featuring vocodered and conventional voices, the title track was effectively stretched out over one side of the album. Often mistaken for being KRAFTWERK, it actually prompted the Kling Klang quartet to move towards a more computerised sound for their 1978 album ‘The Man Machine’.

‘From Here To Eternity’ is still available via Repertoire Records

https://www.giorgiomoroder.com/

JEAN MICHEL JARRE Oxygène

Although released in France at the end of 1976, ‘Oxygène’ was not available worldwide until 1977 with ‘Oxygène IV’ becoming a huge hit single. The parent album was a glorious six part work and ‘Oxygène IV’ something of a centrepiece as a perfectly progressive spacey romp with pulsing sequences, Eminent strings, Mellotron choir and AKS waves while ‘Oxygene V’ chanelled Terry Riley’s ‘A Rainbow In Curved Air’.

‘Oxygène’ is still available via Sony Music

https://www.jeanmicheljarre.com/

KRAFTWERK Trans Europe Express

‘Trans Europe Express’ was the first KRAFTWERK album released in standalone English and German versions. Perhaps the most lyrical of all their imperial phase long players, ‘Europe Endless’ was despite its nostalgic romanticism, aspiring to a continent without borders while the punchy ‘Showroom Dummies’ responded to criticism their static live performance. Then there was the mighty title track and its ‘Metal On Metal’ interlude…

‘Trans Europe Express’ is still available via EMI Music

http://www.kraftwerk.com/

MICHAEL ROTHER Flammende Herzen

Relocating to build his own Random Studio in Forst, ‘Flammenden Herzen’ was Michael Rother’s first solo album after leaving NEU! Co-produced by Conny Plank with Jaki Liebezeit from CAN providing the percolating percussion, although Rother had utilised synthesizers to great effect before, they took a greater role in his solo work. ‘Karussell’ had a distinctly European flavour with its strong symphonic melodies.

‘Flammende Herzen’ is still available via Grönland Records

https://www.michaelrother.de/

KLAUS SCHULZE Mirage

After success of ‘Timewind’ and then ‘Moondawn’ featuring Harald Grosskopf on drums, Klaus Schulze was by now well into what many consider his imperial phase and adding PPG modules to his synth set-up, operated alone on ‘Mirage’. Subtitled “an electronic winter landscape”, the wintery 29 minute ‘Crystal Lake’ planted the seed for New Age while promotion was supported by two lavish concerts at the London Planetarium.

‘Mirage’ is still available via MIG Music GmbH

https://klaus-schulze.com/

SPACE Magic Fly

SPACE was the brainchild of Didier Marouani who went under the pseudonym of Ecama and formed the collective with Roland Romanelli and Jannick Top. The space disco of the iconic ‘Magic Fly’ with its catchy melody and lush accessible futurism rode the wave of a new European electronic disco sound. But the album wasn’t just about the title hit as ‘Fasten Seatbelt, ‘Tango In Space’ and ‘Flying Nightmare’ proved.

‘Magic Fly’ is still available via Virgin France

https://marouani.space/

SUICIDE Suicide

An album of unsettling futuristic rockabilly, SUICIDE rocked the boat by Martin Rev using a Seeburg Rhythm Prince and Farfisa keyboard instead of drums and guitars while Alan Vega warbled and snarled like the ghost of a demented Elvis Presley. Highlights included ‘Ghost Rider’ and ‘Cheree’ which later soundtracked a Marc Jacobs perfume advert. The duo were to be a big influence on SOFT CELL and SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK.

‘Suicide’ is still available via Mute Records

https://www.facebook.com/SUICIDEBANDOFFICIAL/

DONNA SUMMER Once Upon A Time

‘Once Upon A Time’ was an ambitious double album consisting of four distinct approaches. An all-electronic three song segued suite entitled ‘Act2’ was headed by ‘Working The Midnight Shift’ which took ‘I Feel Love’ to the next level with Summer’s wispy falsetto now in a grander setting. ‘Now I Need You’ captured a gothic eeriness while ‘Queen For A Day’ was a forerunner of ‘Our Love’ that halfway mutated back into disco pop.

‘Once Upon A Time’ is still available via Casablanca / Universal Records

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDonnaSummer/

TANGERINE DREAM Sorcerer

The final studio album by the classic TANGERINE DREAM line-up of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann, after the long compositions of previous releases, ‘Sorcerer’ was characterised by shorter pieces in the band’s first commission for a Hollywood movie. Although this meant tracks like ‘The Mountain Road’ faded before they really got going, ‘Betrayal’ showed what could be done within time restrictions.

‘Sorcerer’ is still available via Esoteric Recordings

https://www.tangerinedreammusic.com/

TOMITA Space Fantasy

Released first in Europe as ‘Space Fantasy’ but retitled ‘Kosmos’ for international consumption in 1978, Isao Tomita acquired a Polymoog to supplement his Moog modular system. The ‘Star Wars: Main Title’ was reimagined with his signature synthetic whistle while a Strauss / Wagner medley provided a ‘Space Fantasy’. But the classic Rodrigo guitar concerto ‘Aranjuez’ was cosmically synthesized in a manner that only Tomita could.

‘Space Fantasy’ is still available as ‘Kosmos’ via RCA

http://tomita.org/

ULTRAVOX! Ha! Ha! Ha!

While primarily a fierce art rock album, ‘Ha! Ha! Ha!’ was however notable for the inclusion of two opposingly poled synth-dominated songs that pointed to the future direction of ULTRAVOX! The star of ‘The Man Who Dies Everyday’ was Billy Currie’s screaming ARP Odyssey while Warren Cann’s modified Roland TR77 rhythm machine acted as the backbone to the elegiac ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ which also featured an Elka Rhapsody.

‘Ha! Ha! Ha!’ is still available via Island Records

https://www.ultravox.org.uk/

http://www.metamatic.com/

VANGELIS Spiral

The ‘Spiral’ album was best known for the beautifully emotive ‘To The Unknown Man’ where Vangelis first fully exploited the possibilities of the Yamaha CS80. He proved he could also do lively electronic pop with ‘Dervish D’ where over a spinning Roland System 100 sequencer, a slice of robotic funk grooved with a brilliantly played jazz-inflected CS80 solo using all the manual control features it had at his disposal.

‘Spiral’ is still available via Esoteric Recordings

https://www.facebook.com/VangelisOfficial/

ZANOV Moebius 256 301

The work of Pierre Salkazanov, the Frenchman had the ARP 2600 and its sequencer, along with the EMS VCS 3 and RMI Harmonic Synthesizer. Comprising of three short pieces and two much longer progressively spacey tracks ‘Plénitude’ and ‘An Zéro’, ‘Moebius 256 301’ had much more of a Berlin School template and echoes of TANGERINE DREAM in particular when compared with his French contemporaries.

‘Moebius 256 301’ is still available via Wah Wah Records

https://zanov.net/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
30th August 2025

PETER BAUMANN Interview

14 June 2025 /

Photo by Jane Richey

German synth veteran Peter Baumann recently released his first solo album since 2016’s ‘Machines Of Desire’ on Bureau B.

In its mysterious but evocative storytelling without words, ‘Nightfall’ is a work that combines the cerebral with the cinematic, shaped by Baumann’s long standing interest in the human condition and how music can create artistic inspiration, relaxation and optimism through its transcendent qualities.

Best known as a member of the classic line-up of TANGERINE DREAM with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke, Peter Baumann was involved in their imperial Virgin Records era albums ‘Phaedra’, ‘Rubycon’, ‘Ricochet’, ‘Stratosfear’ and ‘Encore’ which exemplified The Berlin School.

Recorded while still in TANGERINE DREAM, Baumann debut solo album ‘Romance ‘76’ comprised of two contrasting suites, the first with strong synth melodies and hypnotic rhythmic backbones while the second half was more experimental and organic featuring female vocals and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

Photo by Jane Richey

Baumann’s confidence was on a high and after completing work on the 1977 live double album ‘Encore’, he left TANGERINE DREAM and set up his own studio, producing other artists including LEDA, CLUSTER and Conrad Schnitzler. His second solo album ‘Trans Harmonic Nights’ from 1979 was something of an interim record, comprising of shorter instrumental compositions using mysterious melodies and occasional vocoder textures pointing halfway towards conventional pop vocal phrasing.

Signalling a complete departure from TANGERINE DREAM, his third solo album was ‘Repeat Repeat’, an entirely song-based collection co-produced by Robert Palmer that crossed synthesized art funk with Die Neue Deutsche Welle. While the album was a shock to TANGERINE DREAM fans, an even bigger surprise came when Baumann signed to Arista Records in 1984. Employing New Yorker Eli Holland on lead vocals, the resultant Europop flavoured ‘Strangers In The Night’ album included an electronic disco cover of the song made famous by Frank Sinatra; incidentally the music had originally been written by the German orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert under the title ‘Beddy Bye’.

Not long after, Baumann launched his Private Music label; with a roster that included Yanni, Ravi Shankar, Andy Summers, Carlos Alomar, Suzanne Ciani and his former band, the venture was a huge success and later purchased by BMG in 1994. He then founded The Baumann Institute in 2009 “dedicated to exploring the nature of awareness and its relationship to human health and well-being.”

In an insightful career spanning interview, Peter Baumann kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK from his home in Los Angeles about his life and his motivations.

‘Nightfall’ is your first album since NEULAND with Paul Haslinger in 2019 and your first solo release since ‘Machines Of Desire’ in 2016, how was your approach different from those records?

I’m older! *laughs*

You know, I can’t really say if there was anything different. I work with just what’s coming up… there wasn’t any planning, it’s all very spontaneous. I like to collect sketches and I pull up one of those sketches to develop it a little bit and put it aside, so it’s an organic process with the pieces growing together.

There is this dramatic nocturnal atmosphere that looms throughout ‘Nightfall’? What it very much inspired by the environment you live in now which is very different from Europe? Does the difference of the night where you are inspire you in that way?

No, it was just the mood, it was a slower mood, not uptempo at all. I like albums that have a consistent mood and that’s the mood that turned out for this one.

‘No One Knows’, ‘From A Far Land’ and ‘I’m Sitting Here, Just For A While’ have these haunting piano tones that recall the late Harold Budd? Had you been an admirer of his work?

Yes, I loved his stuff, it was slow and moody and introspective so I liked all of that. The same as the mood of the album is consistent, the titles came up the same way.

Photo by Jane Richey

Do you ever come up with a title first and then write around it? It’s something David Sylvian of JAPAN used to do…

Usually the same way I do sketches, I collect titles and then after the track is halfway developed, I see which title fits to which piece.

There are no pulsing sequences on ‘Nightfall’, but is that Berlin School sound ever something you will ever be inclined to return to?

I don’t feel it particularly right now, but I’ve learnt never to say never. There’s so many associations with it and these days, that’s “a dime a dozen”. I’m probably more interested in melodies and a mood than sequencers.

Are you still using hardware or are you now completely in the box these days?

It’s about 80-90% in the box, the rest is hardware and old style synth. I have all the usual suspects in the box and some outboard gear, a Waldorf STVC vocoder and a Moog Matriarch plus a few others but most of the effects are in the box. What I like about it is so easy to recall and go back to the original setting. The flexibility is just phenomenal, I barely notice I’m doing something mechanical, I can focus completely on the sound and the mood of the track.

Did you keep that Projekt Elektronik modular system you had specially made for you?

OH MY GOODNESS! THAT IS A BLAST FROM THE PAST! THAT’S A MUSUEM PIECE! *laughs*

Photo by Jerome Froese

Is it actually in a museum now then? *laughs*

Maybe! I dunno! *laughs*

I sold it probably 40 years ago to a fellow from Switzerland!  I know exactly what was in there and everything you could do on that big modular,  you can do today on your cellphone! What I liked about it, you had tactile access to all the frequency, the filter, the envelope, it’s different to do that than in the box… I liked that tactile connection. I have two studios, one in the country and one in the city, they’re identical so I can go back and forth, but with equipment like the Projekt Elektronik modular, you can’t and it didn’t have any recall! It was one time and that was it!

Was that your favourite synthesizer?

Yes, that was my favourite, it had some very custom made aspects to it, the way the patching was set up was custom made, the sequencers were all custom made with steps, not just sequential but also in frequency, so live I could switch the frequency really easy and land on a definite note and not have to fine tune it.

Was there a synthesizer that you didn’t like, one that didn’t meet expectations?

Oh my! I probably went through a few dozen synthesizers in the last decades! I never liked the DX7, I really disliked it, it had a tinny sound, it just wasn’t great. There was one Moog I didn’t like, it was a big polyphonic, the sound just didn’t make it. I loved the small keyboard Oberheim but I never liked the bigger one. It’s a degree of preference, it’s not that I hated any of them, you can always do something with any kind of sound. But you have your gotos and when you run out of ideas, you pick one up that you never use just to see if it inspires you.

Did you get your head around the FM synthesis programming on the DX7?

Not really and that might be the issue… I’m not a nerd in terms of twiddling with it a lot, I just want the sound and the easiest access to shape the sound. I was never into the Synclavier for instance, it has some fantastic sounds but it was just very cumbersome to dig into all the layers it had. I loved the sound but I always used the presets.

You were still a teenager when you joined TANGERINE DREAM, rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t even 20 years old then. You were part of what is seen as the classic line-up that produced ‘Phaedra’ and ‘Rubycon’, why you think the acclaim for those two records has endured, especially with all those boxed sets?

I don’t think you ever know, they were in a particular constellation at a particular time and this is the mystery. You never know why one piece of music or art piece works out and just stays relevant. I would say at the time, it was not anywhere in the mainstream, it wasn’t something that existed among many others. So it wasn’t a fad, it was one of a kind and those things usually stand up a little bit more than if it’s part of a whole group of similar music.

Do you think being in England to record those albums helped your creative mindset?

Oh definitely! When we recorded ‘Phaedra’ at The Manor in Oxford, for me it was like being in ‘The Twilight Zone’. It was just magical the way we worked there, the staff were fantastic. We didn’t leave until the record was done, we never left The Manor. It was just a terrific place, it had 100 years of history and it was timeless. The music is probably influenced by it quite a bit.

The success of those albums meant that you were given opportunities to travel the world. What are your memories of TANGERINE DREAM’s US tour which is documented on ‘Encore’, did this start your love of America and eventually relocating?

Those kind of decisions never happen because of one thing or another. When I split from TANGERINE DREAM, anything I did in Germany would be related to the band. We were known in America, but not that well known so I had much more of an opportunity. I like the culture in America better than in Germany. At the time, there was no reunification, Berlin was an island in the middle of East Germany. I always felt a little constrained… also, I didn’t like the weather! *laughs*

America is just a crazy country, there’s a lot of dynamic and I enjoy the unpredictability. Europe is just more settled, it’s a much more mature culture and that’s wonderful in its own right. But I just enjoy the dynamic and craziness we have over here.

You released your first solo album ‘Romance ’76’ while still in TANGERINE DREAM, now solo records were the norm in the set-up, but had you been feeling constrained artistically?

Not at all, I recorded ‘Romance ’76’ in our rehearsal room on an 8 track machine that I borrowed from Christoph. It was totally cool that we did our thing. In those days, recording was very different, you didn’t fine tune it the way you do today. There were not as many layers so on ‘Romance ’76’, I used 6 tracks, maybe 7 but it was not as developed. So it has its own atmosphere because it’s not so polished.

When you decided to produce ‘Welcome To Joyland’ by LEDA in 1978, was there a frustrated pop artist waiting to come out?

No, that particular album was just a fun project, I had built a studio in Berlin and this was basically a trial in the studio, it was never meant to be any particular thing. A friend of mine Hans Brandeis was a bass player in a band called EDUCATION FREE and he had a girlfriend who was a singer. So LEDA was like a very spontaneous project just to check the studio out and have some fun.

Does it surprise you people are still finding and talking about ‘Welcome To Joyland’?

You know, few things surprise me in life. I take it just the way it comes and goes, I don’t worry that much.

During this period, you produced ‘Grosses Wasser’ by CLUSTER in 1979, how was that experience working with Roedelius and Moebius?

I loved those guys, they were so cool. They were not like musicians, they were soundmakers and they had an unorthodox way of working in the studio. I had a deal with Egg Records in France who wanted 4 records for the label, so the productions for Conrad Schnitzler, Asmus Tietchens and Roedelius were among them.

What was the motivation to sing and start writing the songs that led to the ‘Repeat Repeat’ album, as opposed to the improvisational instrumentals you were involved with before?

It was just an experiment, there was nothing more behind it, it was just the flavour of the time when I had just moved to New York. Those thoughts and lyrics that are on there like ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘M.A.N. Series Two’, they were a dystopian modern perspective on New York. It was new for me, I experimented with lyrics and that was that.

How did Robert Palmer become the producer to help you realise your song based ambitions on ‘Repeat Repeat’ because back then, it was not an obvious pairing?

We had the same German record company and they played the demos of ‘Repeat Repeat’ to him, he thought they were cool and wanted to be involved. He called and said “I love what you’re doing, I’d love to produce it” so I said “sure”; we worked at Compass Point in The Bahamas and then mixed it in London. I just enjoyed hanging out with Robert, we had a similar mindset and he had big influence in the sound of the album.

Looking back on the ‘Repeat Repeat’ album and its follow-up ‘Strangers In The Night’, after that you appeared to stop releasing your own music and started Private Music. Was being a front man not what you wanted after all?

Again, I never think very much, I just do what happens. With ‘Repeat Repeat’, I realised I was not a really great vocalist and then a producer in America suggested this guy Eli Holland to do lead vocals, so we did ‘Strangers In The Night’. Again, I just had fun doing whatever I do and that’s what we did then.

The record company was a silly story if you will, there was no big thought behind it. I met my wife Alison, we went on vacation in Florida and I had a shoebox full of cassette tapes of little productions I did. I played some of them and she said “I love this”; I said something about maybe doing a record company one day and she said “you absolutely have got to do it!”… and so I did a record company! There was never any grand plan  behind it, my whole life has been that way, I just enjoy seeing what comes next and let it happen.

You met up with Edgar Froese before he passed away in early 2015 and there had been talk of you rejoining TANGERINE DREAM?

Edgar wrote me an email just to check in and I wrote back… at the time I had a studio when I was in San Francisco and was playing around. I sent him a couple of tracks and he said “let’s work together”; it wasn’t for TANGERINE DREAM or anything else, just let’s make some noise. I met him in Vienna and we spent some time in the studio. I said I’d make more basic tracks to send to him but then sadly next time, I got a call from his wife Bianca with bad news. So that collaboration never materialised and that’s when I did ‘Machines Of Desire’.

Photo by Jane Richey

What are your favourite works for your long career, whether as an artist, producer or label boss?

What a question! Sometimes you like Chinese food, sometimes Italian food, sometimes Japanese food, I like it all. It depends on the time of day. I think it was all worth doing, I was extraordinarily lucky to be able to do this. Had I started today, it would have been a whole different effort. Playing in a band and then getting to do what I got to do, and doing a record label when you could still do a record label, today it’s awfully tough! It’s been fun to talk to you about it Chi, it’s like travelling down Memory Lane… I mean CLUSTER! I haven’t thought about that record in years! You have given me some very interesting ways to look back on the last 50 years.

It’s all good, I don’t have any favourites and there’s none of them that shouldn’t have happened. Maybe, if there was a little bit of a favourite, one or the other, of course ‘Phaedra’ is a completely different album than ‘Repeat Repeat’ but there are elements of both that I enjoy  🙂

What is next for you?

I dunno, you tell me 😉

As I said before, I just wait and see what happens. I’m going to spend some time in the studio but I have some other interests. I’m writing a book, it’s a philosophical book called ‘Some Days Are Better Than Others’ and it’s my view of the experience of being human.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Peter Baumann

Special thanks to Sean Newsham at Bureau B

‘Nightfall’ is released by Bureau B and available now as a vinyl LP, CD and download from https://peterbaumann.bandcamp.com/album/nightfall

The 3CD boxed set ‘Phase By Phase – The Virgin Albums’ is released by Cherry Red Records

https://www.bureau-b.com/artists/peter-baumann

https://tangerinedreamarchive.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4u9mLb6exlbHuNehyJ11jq

Text and interview by Chi Ming Lai
14th June 2025

« Older posts

© 2017 ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK | Email: theelectricityclub@googlemail.com
Privacy Policy

Up ↑