Edgar Froese facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edgar Froese
Froese performing with Tangerine Dream in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Edgar Willmar Froese
Born	(1944-06-06)6 June 1944 Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany (now Sovetsk, Russia)
Died	20 January 2015(2015-01-20) (aged 70) Vienna, Austria
Genres	Electronic music
Occupation(s)	Musician composer
Instruments	Piano synthesizer guitar bass guitar harmonica mellotron organ horn mellophonium
Years active	1964–2015
Labels	Virgin/EMI Records

Edgar Willmar Froese (born June 6, 1944 – died January 20, 2015) was a German musician. He was a pioneer in electronic music. He is most famous for starting the band Tangerine Dream in 1967. Edgar was the only member who stayed with the band from the very beginning until he passed away.

Who Was Edgar Froese?

Edgar Froese was born in Tilsit, a place that was then in East Prussia, Germany. This was on D-Day during World War II. After the war, his mother and family moved to Berlin.

Edgar started learning piano when he was 12 years old. By age 15, he was also playing the guitar. He was very good at art, so he went to the Academy of the Arts in Berlin. There, he studied painting and sculpture. One of his jobs was designing posters for Berlin buses.

He also studied psychology and philosophy. He earned a special degree about a topic called Kant's categorical imperative. He later left college, saying that universities sometimes hide the truth.

How Edgar Froese Started His Music Career

In 1965, Edgar formed a band called The Ones. They played psychedelic rock and R&B music. While playing in Spain, they were invited to perform for the famous artist Salvador Dalí. Meeting Dalí greatly inspired Edgar. It made him want to try new and experimental things with his music.

The Ones band broke up in 1967. They only released one song called "Lady Greengrass." After this, Edgar went back to Berlin. He started looking for musicians to form a new band. This new band would become the famous Tangerine Dream.

Edgar Froese's Personal Life

Edgar Froese chose a healthy lifestyle. He was a vegetarian, meaning he did not eat meat.

He was married to Monika (Monique) Froese, an artist and photographer, from 1974 until she passed away in 2000. Their son, Jerome Froese, also became a musician. Jerome was a member of Tangerine Dream from 1990 to 2006. In 2002, Edgar married another artist and musician, Bianca Froese-Acquaye.

Edgar Froese passed away suddenly in Vienna, Austria, on January 20, 2015. He died from a pulmonary embolism, which is a serious medical condition. After his death, he received the Schallwelle Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015. He once said, "there is no death, there is just a change of our cosmic address," which shows his unique view on life.

Friends and Influences

Edgar Froese was friends with many famous artists. These included musicians like David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Iggy Pop. He also knew filmmakers like George Moorse and Volker Schlöndorff.

Iggy Pop and David Bowie even lived with Edgar and his family for a while in Berlin. Edgar helped introduce Bowie to the exciting underground music scene in Berlin. David Bowie later said that Edgar's solo album, Epsilon in Malaysian Pale, was a big influence on him. He called it a "soundtrack" to his life in Berlin.

Edgar Froese's Solo Music

Besides his work with Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese also released many albums on his own.

Solo Studio Albums

• Aqua (1974)
• Epsilon in Malaysian Pale (1975)
• Macula Transfer (1976)
• Ages (1978)
• Stuntman (1979)
• Kamikaze 1989 (Film Soundtrack) (1982)
• Pinnacles (1983)
• Dalinetopia (2005)

Tangerine Dream Albums by Froese Alone

Sometimes, Edgar Froese created Tangerine Dream albums mostly by himself.

• Phaedra 2005 (2005)
• Summer in Nagasaki (2007)
• One Times One (2007)
• Tangram 2008 (2008)
• Hyperborea 2008 (2008)
• Chandra (2009)
• A Cage in Search of a Bird (2009)
• Winter in Hiroshima (2009)
• Machu Picchu (2012)

Other Music Appearances

Edgar Froese also played on other artists' songs.

• In 2011, he played guitar and keyboards on "Learning to Fly" for William Shatner.
• In 2013, he played a guitar solo on "Do You See?" also for William Shatner.

See also

In Spanish: Edgar Froese para niños

• List of ambient music artists