Christopher Franke: The London Concert

Many of The Sonic Music Review's readers will no doubt be familiar with the German band Tangerine Dream whom have been featured a number of times on the site. Lesser known to some is Christopher Franke, an electronica composer and long time member of Tangerine Dream, having joined in 1971 and remaining a member until 1988. After leaving the group, Christopher Franke soon returned to electronic music production, subsequently releasing a number of albums under his own name in the New Age musical style that he previously pioneered as a member of Tangerine Dream.

Christopher Franke: The London Concert

'The London Concert' is Franke's 1993 release of a collection of live material recorded during a concert at The Royal Apollo Theatre, London in 1991. The album opens with a group of five tracks, referred to as parts 1 - 5. The first part, 'Empire Of Light' illustrates Franke's awareness and skill at ambient composition, unsurprising given the strong relationship with his own new age aesthetic and ambient musics. This brooding introduction combines various processed samples with synthetic dissonances to create a highly cinematic atmosphere, a quality seen in much of his work. Moving to part 2: 'Purple Waves,' the listener is afforded a more conventional electronic musicality in the work which later develops to include extended sequenced passages.

One of the most instantly recognisable tracks from Tangerine Dream's 1979 release Force Majeure, 'Cloudburst Flight,' for which Franke also features on the credits, is covered in part 3 of this release. Most interesting is the way in which the artist recontextualises the piece into a notably meeker recording than the original work, focussing on several of the lesser elements in the 1979 version and redefining the instrumentation into a more clearly New Age inspired sonic palette.

The concluding three tracks which forgo the previous convention of being entitled 'parts' embellish the artist's New Age aesthetic with additional creative influences. Considering 'Mountain Heights,' the use of an electric guitar alongside synthetic instrumentation suggests a progressive rock methodology. The final track, 'Private Diaries' ends the release on a high with a soaring pan flute melody atop various sequences and well considered backing timbres. Overall, this release is a very welcome live album and many fans of Tangerine Dream will certainly enjoy.

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Karl Bartos: Lifestyle

To precede a full review of the 2003 album Communication, The Sonic Music Review completed the following feature of an earlier track, 'Lifestyle' from the 1993 album Esperanto. The artist Karl Bartos first  found fame as a long-time member of the highly influential German band Kraftwerk, widely acknowledged as driving the synthpop movement of the 80's and developing early techno material. Since departing from the band between the releases of Techno Pop and The Mix, the artist has found success releasing new material under his own name and under the alias of Elektric Music.

Karl Bartos: 'Lifestyle' from Esperanto

When comparing the production styles, Bartos' own work exhibits a more energetic style which separates his own work from that of his former band. 'Lifestyle' is audibly influenced by the high-octane synthpop of years previous, a movement that was largely informed by work for which Bartos is widely credited. In terms of production, the mixing is highly accomplished, possibly due to embracing digital studio technology despite its infancy, a production value garnered from previous work with Kraftwerk.

The piece begins with the main hook, accompanied by a synthetic bass timbre, an early exposition of the main harmonic progression within the piece. Throughout, the artist displays an awareness of the frequency bands occupied by the varying textures, balancing each layer effectively. Considering the age of the work, the resampled vocal textures, the lines "just another headline" and "stealing your time," is very impressive and separates the work from much of the popular music repertoire even today. Phoneme sampling later occupies an entire solo section at the piece's midpoint.

The entire piece is pulled together by the pulsing rhythms derived from audibly electronic percussive elements, unsurprising given that Bartos is a skilled percussionist. Of note also is the well programmed bassline and the interaction between these two rhythmic devices to give a firm foundation to the piece. Overall, this remains a highlight of the composer's output and is well worth a listen to the fan of electronic music, succeeding in far wider appeal than his previous output with Kraftwerk.

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