The following is my translation of an interview with Tangerine Dream's Edgar Froese that appeared in issue 58 of the Japanese magazine Strange Days. I make no guarantee of accuracy, and any errors are probably my fault. Also keep in mind that the interview was probably conducted in German or English, and then translated into Japanese for the magazine, so this is a second-generation translation. Thanks to Andy for providing me with scans of the original article.

The interview was followed by three pages of TD mini-reviews. I may translate and add these later.

In last month's issue, Mr. Osamu Sakamoto introduced us to Tangerine Dream's four essential Ohr albums, which have been rereleased in cardboard sleeves. I too was shocked by the likes of Electronic Meditation and Zeit, which differ drastically from today's group. Since those days, Tangerine Dream has gone through many permutations, with Froese's son among those who have joined the band, and it is still alive and well. I talked with the mind and soul of Tangerine Dream, Edgar Froese.

Your first four albums — Electronic Meditation, Alpha Centauri, Zeit and Atem — will be reissued in Japan on April 23. Does any of these albums hold a special significance to you?

It would have to be Zeit. This album was mostly rhythmless, which was quite uncommon at the time. Also, it was the first album on which we used the Moog Modular System.

When you first founded Tangerine Dream, what kind of music did you want to make?

I wanted to make new form of experimental instrumental music not confined to the frequency spectrum of existing instruments.

Prior to the group's formation, what kind of music influenced you the most?

Mainly classical music, especially Debussy and Bach. But also avant-garde composers such as Ligeti, Xenakis and Nono. In rock, I liked early Pink Floyd, ELP, Frank Zappa and so on.

How was it that you came to know Klaus Schulze and Conrad Schnitzler?

Klaus Schulze had been the drummer in an amateur band called PSI in Berlin. I got to know him in 1970 and asked him to play drums on the first Tangerine Dream album, Electronic Meditation. At the time he had no experience at all with music made of electronic sounds. Conrad Schnitzler was an avant-garde activist/artist and a student of Joseph Bueys; he had no experience as a musician either. He was very good at making interesting sounds with everyday tools and appliances, which is how he came to participate in the recording of Electronic Meditation.

Would it be accurate to say that Alpha Centauri established the direction of Tangerine Dream's early period?

In those days, instrumental music was not a popular thing. I don't think anyone could have predicted that albums like Alpha and Atem would find commercial success. I think these albums can be said to have made musical history.

In creating the more meditative sounds of the early years, what was your biggest influence?

I was practicing Zen discipline every day back then, so I got that meditative influence from nature. I also was in communication with a Buddhist temple and a Japanese monastic scholar. Tangerine Dream's music is strongly influenced by Japanese noh. In noh, the music, theater, dance and taiko drumming all comprise equally important parts. Japanese culture, ancient to present-day, has always had a special influence on Tangerine Dream, although few people in the Western world are aware of it.

I feel that the artwork on Tangerine Dream's early albums is remarkably expressive of the music. How did you think of the artwork?

I had studied painting, sculpture, Asian calligraphy and such at various art schools for many years. I initially made my living by designing fonts; I didn't start making music until much later.

I understand that live albums from 1981 and 1982 have been released overseas. Translator's note: I think this is in reference to Sohoman. I'm not sure why he mentions 1981. What was the circulation of events leading to this release?

Actually, we had had problems with record companies for many years. In 1998 we established our own label, TDI Music, and so we became able to release rarities and other unreleased music.

How do you take the Tangerine Dream of this time period, particularly with regard to live performance?

Tangerine Dream has always been concerned with new technology, and especially the optimal use of technology in music. In the '80s, computers were just coming onto the scene. So while today we have more advanced and numerous compositional tools, using new technology onstage back then was very difficult and risky. It seemed like we had computer crashes, data loss and so on every day. Until 1979, we improvised onstage, but now we face a completely different means of performance. Computers don't improvise. They do only what they're told, you know.

Tangerine Dream has been active through a number of musical eras. How many distinct eras do you count?

The first era was that of acoustic instruments. The first change was the introduction of electronic instruments. Translator's note: I am guessing that this was supposed to say "electric instruments," because otherwise it doesn't make sense. The second change came with analog electronic instruments. The third change was to digital instruments, and the fourth was to virtual instruments created on computers. Changes in technology have brought about changes in music. The way music is made and composed has changed.

How do you view the influence of equipment changes and the transition from analog to digital?

With the spread of new digital technology and increases in memory size, our work has gotten much easier. As for difficulties or weaknesses, you now must have a clear idea of exactly what you really want to do. Otherwise, you're likely to get lost among your incomplete, vague ideas. The great thing about modern recording technology is that you can achieve a sound quality that almost perfectly matches your musical ideas, and immediately record it. But because of that, it is important to have musical imagination, since computers can't come up with human emotional and metaphysical ideas.

So do you think the group's existence would not have been possible without synthesizers?

Cutting-edge technology was always Tangerine Dream's trademark. However, then and now, most of Tangerine Dream's members have been versed in composition and keyboard and piano performance. Privately, I still think the grand piano has the greatest expressive range. Many of Tangerine Dream's tunes were actually composed on the piano.

Since the 1980s, Tangerine Dream has done a lot of soundtrack work. What is the biggest difference between producing a soundtrack and producing an original album?

The point of soundtrack work is to create something that conveys the ideas of the director and producer. This is not always easy, so you'll make mistakes or misconceptions again and again. Power struggles over who is right and who is wrong happen all the time as well. After all, many people involved in films don't know anything about composing music. And there are times when composers feel that they're just being "used" by others. On one hand, when making a soundtrack, the composer can learn a lot from the film itself about what feelings to conjure. On the other hand, with a studio album, you can concentrate on just the ideas involved with the current project, and there's no strict production schedule chasing you like with a film, and you and your colleagues can freely discuss changes as you like.

Tangerine Dream is renowned as a forerunner of today's techno scene. How do you perceive the techno scene in the 21st century?

Techno is a single trend, just one of the musical styles of the last several years. If young people want to make music without taking ten years to master piano performance, is that a particularly bad thing? Young people want to achieve their own goals — maybe they want money and fame, to stand on a big stage, to cause a scene, to be the number one DJ in town, to be popular with the girls, to dance 24 hours a day — in the shortest time possible. I think that in itself is fine. The problem is that when you realize there's no creative change or progress going on, you get bored of it all. Music has to be adventurous. Otherwise, like a 160 BPM drum loop that's been used a thousand times, it becomes tedious.

Among young music fans, contemporary music has found some popularity, and the likes of Steve Reich and John Cage are celebrated alongside Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk. Have you taken any influence from contemporary artists such as these?

I was greatly influenced by composers like Steve Reich, and I love John Cage's philosophy and music. Cage could produce sonic changes from common, everyday objects. He was a genius.

What are your upcoming recording plans?

We just premiered Purgatorio, the second part of our trilogy based on Dante's La Divina Commedia, in London. We're currently producing the third part, Paradiso. I'm scheduled to release a work commemorating the 100th anniversary of Spanish artist Salvador Dali's birth by the end of the year. Translator's note: This would be Dalinetopia. I'm also working on a project featuring kabuki music arranged in a modern style. Contrary to tradition in which all the performers are men, all the performers in this work will be young women.

What music and artists have gotten your attention lately?

I'm enjoying the Azerbaijani vocalist/pianist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh; Spock's Beard; the Mars Volta; Dream Theater; and Alicia Keys. Of course, I always love classical music of all eras.