It’s now been 17 months since the sudden passing of Edgar Froese, the headliner behind Tangerine Dream and its more than 45 years of existence. Although the band was at its height during the ’70s, their on-going vision has never waned to this day. For me, it’s Stratosfear that represents their greatest moment. For others, those peak moments vary. but no matter your stance on the band, Tangerine Dream is one of those rarities that takes ideas and turn them into sonic touchstones.
One would feel that with the passing of Edgar Froese, the band that is still known as Tangerine Dream would be merely an experiment in nostalgia, or a means of making money for those that are left. But with the upcoming project of The Quantum Years series, it may be that we get to meditate with the master of ambient music himself. The concept of Quantum Physics has long kept Froese in awe of the universe that we live in. Leading up to his “change of cosmic address”, Edgar has worked hard at turning those thoughts into the familiar Tangerine Dream sound. the first fruit of that conceptualized series was Mala Kunia, which was released as an EP in 2014.
The next step is the upcoming 4-track EP named Quantum Key.The four songs (“Genesis Of Precious Thoughts”, Electron Bonfire”, “Drowning In Universes”, “Mirage Of Reality”) were composed as a collaboration with Edgar Froese. Each title still have the hauntingly familiar style of titling as only Edgar Froese could imagine.
Quantum Key is scheduled for release on September 23. It will be issued on CD with cardboard sleeve. DD forms will also be made available. Quantum Key is part of a larger realization of music from Tangerine Dream that is planned for later. The full-length album will be called Quantum Gate.
All four tracks can be heard with a visit to YouTube. “Genesis Of Precious Thoughts” can be heard below.