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