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Christopher FrankeMusician
Date of Birth: 06.04.1953
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Christopher Franke: The Acoustic Artist
"Nature wanted me to become an artist, but by an unfortunate accident, I became a musician," says Christopher Franke, a renowned German composer and musician in the genre of electronic music. In reality, he considers himself an acoustic artist, sculpting sounds just as he would mold clay or plaster. The life of Christopher Franke is an indescribable fusion of sonic colors and real events. He gained fame through his involvement in the legendary German group 'Tangerine Dream'. For eighteen years, Franke's career was inseparably connected to the group - recording 27 studio albums, performing hundreds of live shows, and creating soundtracks for films such as 'Sorcerer', 'Risk Business', and 'Firestarter'. Several years ago, Franke left the group and embarked on a solo career. Since 1991, he has proven himself as an accomplished solo musician, with a track record that includes more than 20 films and television projects, as well as the establishment of his own company, Sonic Images. Now, Sonic Images distributes not only Franke's own albums, but also albums by other musicians, such as the band 'Shadowfax' and Mark Isham. Currently, Franke oversees the work of his own orchestra in Berlin - the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra. If a person's life can be considered a process of painting, then we would need to create an entire art gallery to accurately depict all the colors and events from Christopher Franke's life."
A Biography of Christopher Franke
Christopher Franke was born in 1953 in post-war Berlin and was named Christof Franke. He grew up in a family where everyone, including his mother, father, and older sister, played classical instruments. However, after six years of strict classical training, the young Franke found it too monotonous. As a teenager, he switched to playing drums and later formed the band 'Agitation Free' with his school friends. They played rock 'n' roll that, according to Franke, was "loud, noisy, ugly, and very similar to punk music." They wanted nothing to do with the creations of the 19th century, perfectly matching the rebellious atmosphere of the 1960s - a desire to protest and a sense of breaking established norms.
After some time, Franke's parents no longer wanted to hear the rehearsals of 'Agitation Free' in their house. Thomas Kessler, the conductor of the Berlin Conservatory, offered the band a place to practice. Franke recalls, "He wanted to take care of us because we were only fifteen or sixteen at the time. He acted somewhat as our mentor, teaching us about electronic and avant-garde music. They set up tape recorders and microphones there, and Kessler showed us how to create 'musique concrete' with them. We tried to use all of these things in writing our experimental rock music."
The schoolroom became a meeting place for other young musicians interested in avant-garde music. Franke says, "Since we couldn't rehearse more than twice a week, we decided that this room, with all the equipment, would be open to other interesting people as well. Many musicians who later became well-known among Berlin fans of electronic music came to us. Around the same time, when I met Edgar, my band 'Agitation Free' was falling apart. He was also at a loose end. 'Tangerine Dream' had just dissolved because Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler had just left the group. Edgar and I understood each other very well from the beginning. Both of us were interested in working together because we wanted to move away from the music we had already composed. We dreamed of creating melodic songs and having the ability to improvise. Unknown horizons were opened up to us - not only in classical or electronic music but also in the melodies of Native Americans and African tribes. It was as if our eyes suddenly gained the ability to see. By deciding to play with Edgar, I said goodbye to my education. From that moment on, I worked as a professional musician. I was about seventeen, and my parents had to sign my first contract. Edgar was nine years older than me, which made things even more interesting."
They didn't even suspect at the time what "interesting things" awaited them. Very soon, Franke found his first synthesizer in London and brought it back. It was a very small EMS suitcase synthesizer. According to Franke, "By bringing it in, I brought a virus into our group because now everyone wanted to have a similar synthesizer. Our first record, in which we tried to realize abstract electronic sounds, was 'Alpha Centauri'. It was my first album with 'Tangerine Dream'."
Then came Franke's first encounter with the Moog synthesizer. Someone bought it from the Rolling Stones and installed it in their studio in Berlin. They couldn't find anyone who could handle the machine, so they invited Franke to work on it. Franke recalls, "I had a very vague idea of how it worked. It was completely new, with a bunch of wires and no manual! It was damn fun to try to figure out how to handle it. I had to learn from mistakes and trial and error. I discovered that it had something like a sequencer, which could repeat notes several times. Through these repetitions, you could control all the acoustic effects. You could create sound colors and structures! It was an amazing dream!"
The first 'Tangerine Dream' album created with the Moog synthesizer was released in 1974 under the title 'Phaedra'. Nobody could have foreseen or believed what happened next, says Franke. "When Virgin released 'Phaedra', the album entered the top twenty within three or four weeks. Within a year, we were awarded a gold record for this instrumental twenty-minute album with no vocals. All of this happened without any advertising campaign. Musical authorities like John Peel said it was the music of the future. It all came crashing down on us like an avalanche. We couldn't even imagine such tremendous success. It was astonishing. We were in the right place at the right time."
'Tangerine Dream' continued their innovative exploration of electronic music, always striving to use the latest technological advancements. From the mid-1970s, the group began to move away from their initial idea of destroying harmony. Their music became more and more melodic. Franke says, "We went to the other extreme: very quiet, calm melodies. After all our wanderings, we had the idea of creating 'music landscapes'. We actually used landscapes to create moods, as the main theme: the feeling of a desert, a damp forest after rain, etc. It was true sound painting. This period of their creativity inspired legions of other musicians who continued to follow 'Tangerine Dream's' electronic dreams. The group provided their listeners with beautiful sound excursions, unlike anything previously done by others. After the initial success, it was time for concert tours and studio recordings. Very soon, the group was discovered by film producers. Their first film was 'Sorcerer', directed by the same director as 'Firestarter'. From that moment on, 'Tangerine Dream' began releasing more than three soundtracks a year. The endless work began. Sometimes, four albums were released in a year, including soundtracks, studio albums, and live albums. They aimed to fully utilize their newfound success. Throughout this time - 27 studio albums, nearly two dozen concert tours, countless soundtracks, both released and unreleased - Franke and Edgar Froese remained the core of 'Tangerine Dream'. The group traditionally consisted of three members, with Peter Baumann being the longest-serving 'third' member, leaving the group in 1976, followed by Johannes Schmoelling in 1985, and Paul Haslinger in 1991. During 'Tangerine Dream's' live performances, Franke was always at the center.
Yes, for many fans, Franke still remains a mystery. In the early years, both Edgar and Peter released solo albums, but Franke never did anything similar during his time with 'Tangerine Dream'. So, it's hard to say where Franke's musical voice can be heard in the albums of 'Tangerine Dream'. Then, in late 1987, everything suddenly quieted down. Franke left the group without explanation. Months passed, and nobody knew where he was. Without informing his fans, Franke went to Spain to take a break from years of hard work and to recuperate.
A few weeks of vacation were not enough. Physical recovery takes about three weeks, no more. But for psychological recovery, a much longer period of time is needed. I needed a break from creativity that would last at least a year. I had planned this break because it takes that long to obtain official work permission in the US.
In December 1990, Franke finally received his green card. Without wasting any time, he immediately started working. In the same month, he founded a recording studio in Los Angeles in addition to the one he already had in Germany. In January 1991, he created the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra, with Brinmor Jones as the conductor. Franke sought out contracts, and soon there were more than enough. In the same January, Franke recorded his first solo album, 'Pacific Coast Highway'. The album was released in Europe by Virgin Records in May 1991 and in the US later, in October, by Private Music.
If Franke's name wasn't written on the cover, no one would believe that this was his long-awaited solo album. There is none of the familiar cosmic, rapidly changing rhythmic sequences that fans of 'Tangerine Dream' are accustomed to. Instead, 'Pacific Coast Highway' contains soft and contemplative melodies in a modern American style. Franke says, "For me, 'Pacific Coast Highway' is very warm and sincere music. It has soft, romantic themes that help you relax and escape, as this mood often overcame me in Spain. This is the music I wanted to write, and I am completely satisfied with my album."
Although such a sharp transition was more than unexpected for everyone, fans eagerly embraced the new style. Currently, Franke enjoys composing music in his new studio, located on the hills overlooking Los Angeles. Undoubtedly, this city is the center of the music and film industry in the United States. This gives Franke a definite advantage - he would have had far fewer opportunities if he had settled elsewhere.
In 1992, he received a commission for orchestral soundtracks for the film 'Universal Soldier', the success of which brought Franke many new contracts and the respect of producers. Franke also works in television - he participated or is participating in the creation of many projects, including the series 'The Crow' (1993), the television movie 'The Tommyknockers' (which aired on ABC on May 9 and 10, 1993), several early episodes of the series 'Movie Magic' (on the Discovery Channel - the series tells the story of creating special effects for some Hollywood films), 'The Talking Princess' (November 1993, CBS), 'Falling Angels' (a six-episode mini-series shown on CBS in August-September 1993), the series 'The Sentinel' (starring Chuck Norris, whose airing is ongoing), and - among the many other projects, too numerous to mention them all - the Emmy-winning science fiction series 'Babylon 5'. In terms of albums, there are enough to keep Franke's fans very happy and extremely busy. The musical styles of his solo albums range from one to another.
His first solo work, 'Pacific Coast Highway', was closer to those who are attracted to introspection and self-analysis.
The next album, 'New Music for Films, Part 1', is a collection of Franke's previous soundtracks. The music was taken from the films 'McBain', 'Eye of the Storm', and 'She Woke Up'. It is somewhat of an orchestral album.
'Universal Soldier' is addressed to those who enjoy the sound of an orchestra.
The oldest 'Tangerine Dream' fans, mourning Franke's departure from classical style, welcomed the release of 'The London Concert'. The music on this album was taken from the first and only 'live' solo concert that took place in October 1991.
Even more 'electronic' and energetic music can be heard on the CD 'Klemania' - the disc was created in honor of the Dutch organization of progressive electronic music fans, KLEM.
'The Crow' features soundtracks for the aforementioned television series. They consist of a mixture of rock, vocals, and various electronic music. The CD was only distributed in Europe, where it enjoyed considerable success upon the series' rerun.
'Enchanting Nature' is a remix of 'Pacific Coast Highway' with incredible natural sounds woven into the music.
Then came the long-announced release of the magnificent soundtracks for the Emmy-winning science fiction series 'Babylon 5'.
In 1997, Franke released the album 'The Celestine Prophecy: A Musical Voyage', written for James Redfield's best-selling book 'The Celestine Prophecy', and the album 'Perry Rhodan: Pax Terra'.
Currently, Christopher Franke is composing music for the popular weekly science fiction series 'Babylon 5', which is owned by Warner Brothers, and has released two soundtracks: 'Babylon 5' and 'Babylon 5: Messages from Earth'.
Sonic Images
In addition to composing his own music, Franke founded a record label. Sonic Images has been a truly independent label since the late 1994. The studio releases albums by various musicians, including the English instrumentalist Mark Isham and the widely known band 'Shadowfax'. Sonic Images has become an innovative studio that will remain popular for many years. Given Franke's talent, this is not surprising. When asked, "What do you want to become in ten years?" Franke smiles. This artist is not lost in dreams of material things - a stunning car or a luxurious mansion. Instead, Franke outlines a future that is closer to his heart.
"I want to achieve a sense of balance. I want to become wiser and more natural while maintaining a sense of wonder, not losing the ability to be amazed by the world, like a child. I want to know everything but preserve the immediacy of perception. To become wiser but not lose the sense of wonder and approach the understanding of the meaning of life: yes, that's how I would like to be in ten years."
