Electronic trailblazers Tangerine Dream announce ’50 Years Of Phaedra: At The Barbican,’ arriving January 30 in three editions. The release documents a commemorative performance at London’s Barbican honoring five decades of ‘Phaedra,’ the 1974 album that reshaped electronic music through shimmering sequencers and analogue unpredictability.
Originally recorded at Richard Branson’s Manor Studios, ‘Phaedra’ introduced the Moog sequencer to a wider audience. Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann crafted a sound that felt exploratory and otherworldly. Its drifting timing and analogue pulse became part of its mystique.
Now, Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane, and Paul Frick reinterpret that landmark work live. For the first time, the album is performed fully quantised, aligning its iconic motifs with crystalline precision. The result bridges past and present, honoring the spirit of experimentation while embracing modern tools.
Across three vinyl LPs, the Barbican performance captures a band still pushing forward. With a legacy that has influenced Jean Michel Jarre, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, and M83, Tangerine Dream continue to define the evolving language of electronic music.