Christopher Franke
- New age
- psychedelia
- electronica
Christopher Franke (born 6 April 1953) is a German musician and composer. From 1971 to 1987, he was a member of the electronic group Tangerine Dream. Initially a drummer with The Agitation, later renamed Agitation Free, his primary focus eventually shifted to keyboards and synthesizers as the group moved away from its psychedelic rock origins. While he was not the first musician to use an analog sequencer, he was probably the first to turn it into a live performance instrument, thus laying the rhythmic foundation for classic Tangerine Dream pieces and indeed for the whole Berlin school sound.
After his departure from the group, he founded the Sonic Images record label, a new-age music label called Earthtone and the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra, and produced a number of solo music works. After leaving Tangerine Dream, his only live concert was on 9 October 1991 at the Astoria Theatre in London. He performed on stage with Edgar Rothermich (a.k.a. Richard E. Roth) who is also his producer and engineer on all his solo projects and film music after 1990.[citation needed]
Franke moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue film work. In 1995 he scored the AFI short Requiem. He may be best known for composing the music for the science fiction television series Babylon 5, as well as the score of the anime movie Tenchi Muyo! in Love and in 2005 the music for German musical Ludwig² (with Konstantin Wecker).
Discography
Solo
- 1991 – Pacific Coast Highway
- 1992 – Universal Soldier
- 1992 – London Concert
- 1993 – New Music for Films Vol. 1
- 1993 – The Tommyknockers
- 1993 – Klemania
- 1993 – Journey to the Center of the Earth
- 1994 – Raven
- 1995 – Night of the Running Man
- 1995 – Babylon 5
- 1996 – Perry Rhodan – Pax Terra
- 1996 – The Celestine Prophecy
- 1996 – Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! in Love (rereleased in 2002)
- 1996 – Enchanting Nature
- 1997 – Babylon 5, volume 2: Messages from Earth
- 1997 – Babylon 5: In the Beginning
- 1997 – Babylon 5: Thirdspace
- 1997 – Pacific Blue
- 1997 – Transformation of Mind
- 1997 – Babylon 5: River of Souls
- 1999 – Epic
- 2000 – Babylon 5: Episodic CDs – 24 CDs x 30 minutes per CD (1997–2000)
- 2000 – New Music for Films Vol. 2
- 2000 – The Calling
- 2001 – The Best of Babylon 5
- 2003 – Music for Films Vol. 3 (2003) CD-R
- 2004 – What the Bleep Do We Know!?
- 2005 – Ludwig² – Das Musical
- 2007 – Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
with Tangerine Dream
- Major releases
- 1971: Alpha Centauri
- 1972: Zeit
- 1973: Atem
- 1974: Phaedra
- 1975: Rubycon
- 1975: Ricochet (Live)
- 1976: Stratosfear
- 1977: Sorcerer (Soundtrack)
- 1977: Encore (Live)
- 1978: Cyclone
- 1979: Force Majeure
- 1980: Tangram
- 1980: Quichotte (Live)
- 1981: Thief (Soundtrack)
- 1981: Exit
- 1982: White Eagle
- 1982: Logos (Live)
- 1983: Hyperborea
- 1984: Poland (Live)
- 1983–1985: Multiple film soundtracks
- 1985: Le Parc
- 1986: Legend (Soundtrack)
- 1986: Green Desert (Recorded 1973)
- 1986: Underwater Sunlight
- 1987: Three O'Clock High (Soundtrack)
- 1987: Tyger
- 1988: Near Dark (Soundtrack)
- 1988: Shy People (Soundtrack)
- 1988: Livemiles (Live)
- 1991: Canyon Dreams (Recorded 1986)
See also
External links
- Official website
- Sonic Images official homepage
- Christopher Franke at AllMusic
- Christopher Franke discography at Discogs
- Christopher Franke at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Electronic Meditation
- Alpha Centauri
- Zeit
- Atem
- Phaedra
- Rubycon
- Ricochet
- Stratosfear
- Encore
- Cyclone
- Force Majeure
- Tangram
- Quichotte
- Exit
- White Eagle
- Logos Live
- Hyperborea
- Poland
- Le Parc
- Green Desert
- Underwater Sunlight
- Tyger
- Livemiles
- Optical Race
- Lily on the Beach
- Melrose
- Quinoa
- Rockoon
- 220 Volt Live
- Turn of the Tides
- Tyranny of Beauty
- The Dream Mixes
- Goblins' Club
- Tournado
- TimeSquare – Dream Mixes II
- Ambient Monkeys
- Valentine Wheels
- Sohoman
- Mars Polaris
- Soundmill Navigator
- Antique Dreams
- Inferno
- Purgatorio
- Jeanne d'Arc
- Rocking Mars
- Phaedra 2005
- Views from a Red Train
- Blue Dawn
- Booster
- Flame
- Paradiso
- Madcap's Flaming Duty
- Plays Tangerine Dream
- Under Cover – Chapter One
- The Island of the Fay
- Mona da Vinci
- Finnegans Wake
- Knights of Asheville
- Josephine The Mouse Singer
- Mala Kunia
- Quantum Key
- Particles
- Quantum Gate
- Recurring Dreams
- Raum
- "Betrayal"
- "Das Mädchen auf der Treppe"
- "Warsaw in the Sun"
- "Love on a Real Train"
- "A Time for Heroes"
- Sorcerer
- Thief
- Das Mädchen auf der Treppe
- Daydream
- Wavelength
- Risky Business
- Firestarter
- Flashpoint
- Heartbreakers
- Legend
- Three O'Clock High
- Near Dark
- Shy People
- Miracle Mile
- Destination Berlin
- Canyon Dreams
- Dead Solid Perfect
- The Park Is Mine
- L'Affaire Wallraff (The Man Inside)
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Catch Me If You Can
- The Keep
- Zoning
- Oasis
- Der Meteor
- What a Blast
- Great Wall of China
- Mota Atma
- Music of Grand Theft Auto V
- Dream Music – The Movie Music of Tangerine Dream
- In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973–1979