Edgar Froese

The only continuing member of the pioneering synthesizer group Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese also proved to be one of the most ambitious in releasing solo albums alongside the voluminous output of the band. Considered a master of the Mellotron, the early keyboard device (made famous by the Moody Blues) that produced its sound through key-activated tape loops of actual recordings of orchestras, choirs, and other acoustic sounds. Though it still drew from TD's trademark sequencer sound, Froese's solo recordings had a more direct and personal quality, and often featured his penchant for rock-style guitar work. Even while Tangerine Dream was releasing career classics Phaedra and Rubycon during 1974-1975, Froese began his solo career with the two records Aqua and Epsilon in Malaysian Pale, quite similar in style to contemporary work by Tangerine Dream. During the rest of the '70s, Froese released four more solo albums during TD's breaks, followed in 1983 by Pinnacles. By that point, Froese was the undisputed leader of Tangerine Dream and could release material that would have appeared as solo work during the previous decade. The 1995 Virgin collection Beyond the Storm summed up his solo career. Edgar Froese died of a pulmonary embolism in Vienna in January 2015; he was 70 years old. ~ Linda Kohanov, Rovi