Eclectic Music Press Release Re-Print Eclectic Music is not affiliated with the record label or artist in this post, the press release is being reprinted here with full permission from the record label and is being reprinted in full with the sole intent of disseminating information. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Artist: Christopher Franke Album: Pacific Coast Highway Label: Sonic Images/Private Music Pacific Coast Highway is ex-Tangerine Dream member Christopher Franke's solo album on Sonic Images, distributed in North America by Private Music. This album reunites Franke and Private Music owner and founder Peter Baumann who was also a member of Tangerine Dream during 1971-1977. The album follows an impressive career, with Franke's recording credit on thirty-six studio, live and soundtrack albums and composition credits for the music in thirty American feature films. The twelve tracks on Pacific Coast Highway were composed and performed by Christopher Franke; the acoustic instruments range from piano, guitars and flutes to orchestral instruments, with solo and full tutti passages. The recordings of these instruments are partly untouched and partly electronically enhanced. "Black Garden View" is the opening number, presenting a broad sound with varied string instruments, a powerful bass-line, dreamy acoustic guitars and muted wind. The song wafts into "Mountain Heights" which is more of a rock tune with earthy electronic guitar and strong percussion. "Cinammon City Cliff" is a haunting orchestral composition which demonstrates Christopher's stylistic breadth. A triumphant stand-out is "Wheels on Beach Park," an engagingly melodic number which finds the listener humming halfway through the first play. Not surprisingly, this has been a creative year for Franke who founded the Berlin Symphonic Film Orchestra, conducted by Brynmor Jones of London, in the same time period that he recorded Pacific Coast Highway. Born in Berlin, Chridtopher Franke studied classical music and composition at the Berlin Conservatory. His performance and career began in the rock and jazz fields, and he was greatly influenced by "the experimenters," from composer John Cage to painters Dali and Kandinsky. It was not out of character when Christopher organized a sound studio, in collaboration with his musical teacher, as a residence of young musicians dedicated to experimental music. It was in this climate that the Tangerine Dream nucleus was born, with Baumann and Froese. The studio still exists in Berlin; now called the Senate Studio, its operation is overseen by a government appointee dubbed the "Deputy of Rock 'n' Roll Music". Christopher Franke's music has been heard this year in the films "McBain," "Eye of the Storm" and "Mystery of the Keys." He operates a recording studio in Los Angeles and founded the Sonic Images publishing and recording companies in the summer of 1991. November 1991 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Eclectic Music is a production of Datta Production and Development 905 97th Street Kenosha, WI 53143 datta@cs.uwp.edu This newsletter was brought to you via computer resources courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Datta Production and Development. All of the opinions in this newsletter belong to the respective authors and do not necessarily agree with those of Datta Production and Development. Datta Production And Development is not affiliated with University Of Wisconsin - Parkside or the University of Wisconsin System.