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Short biography:
Unformatted music has
always been a major part of Jerome Froese’s life. Born 1970 in West Berlin, as
the only child of the founder of the legendary electronic group, Tangerine
Dream, musical socialization was kind of unavoidable for the young child. This
also put him in the very fortunate position to be able to be in contact with
synthesizers and other electronic music equipment before more than half of the
world’s population was even aware that such devices existed, let alone that they
could be employed for creating anything other than dissonant noises.
In his teens, he thus
started to improve his skills on a variety of different instruments and, slowly
but surely, turned into a veritable multi-instrumentalist, playing electric and
acoustic guitars, keyboards and drums in a variety of different projects. As
none of these would be of longevity due to problems arising between the
different line-ups, Jerome finally decided that it would be best to take his
creativity into his own hands. He, therefore, spent several years learning the
secrets of music production, MIDI sequencing, sampling and recording.
Recognizing the talent of the young lad, Tangerine Dream asked him to contribute
a guitar solo to the album "Lily on the Beach", in 1989, and, one year later,
when a member left the band, to join the group as a full-time member.
After 16 years, six
Grammy nominations and numerous highly acclaimed album releases and tours later,
Jerome Froese was not only one of the longest serving key members of the group,
but has also left his distinctive mark on TD’s sound. One could say that the
time was more than ripe for him to bring out solo albums as well.
After his debut
"Neptunes" (2005) which received a lot of kudos from both press and listeners in
the UK and the USA, Froese is taking his musical vision one step further towards
the creation of his individual sound called "Guitartronica". Sequences, pads and
effects, triggered by guitars, are combined with traditional licks and solos,
creating a mixture that is nothing short of unique. The second album called
"Shiver Me Timbers" (2007-08) gradually unfolds its hypnotic, almost meditative
qualities, evolving into a both very vibrant and extremely laid-back sonic
experience of Dream Pop, modern Electronica and Rock guitars.
Selected
press quotes:
Very spacy. If you’ve had
a heavy session and you want to come down, stick this on. Curl up in a little
ball and let the dreamy tones fly you away.
(BBC Radio,
UK)
... a hidden gem!
(Birmingham Post, UK)
... his music always
manages to retain its form without descending into an elaborate navel-gazing
exercise as can happen so easily with ambient music. Gentle, warm and beautiful.
(musicOMH, London, UK)
Neptunes is an
interesting affair, and will appeal to those with a keen ear for post rock
tapestries and spacey electronica. The album has much in common sonically with
the likes of Slowdive and Seefeel, who made similarly experimental use of the
old six string on their 90s output. A respectable chill out
album.
(Unlimited/CMU Beats, UK)
Neptunes, is the
fantastic solo debut album from guitarist Jerome Froese. If you want to calm the
most highly strung human being then this album is for you!
(Bent, London,
UK)
Selected press quotes with
Tangerine Dream:
Tangerine Dream stays
vigorously on track and on theme, daring their listeners to follow them into the
surreal landscapes of the dreamed and desired.
(New York
Times)
The Egyptians, the Aztecs
and the ancient Irish all thought that the right combination of notes would
cause stones to levitate. Tangerine Dream must have had something like this in
mind.
(NME, UK)
The history of Tangerine
Dream is the history of electronic music.
(Sound on Sound,
UK)
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