Biography of Manuel Göttsching

Born in Berlin (September 9th, 1952)

1960-66 Training in classical guitar

1967 First Band at school, formed with friend and classmate Hartmut Enke; founded officially on Hartmut's 15th birthday party at his family's appartment in Berlin, Momsenstr. 34, a historical house for the Berlin culture

1968-69 Studies in improvisation; for the first time in touch with Swiss avant-garde composer Thomas Kessler

1970 Founding of Ash Ra Temple with Hartmut Enke and Klaus Schulze

1971 Ash Ra Tempel debut album Ash Ra Tempel, recorded in Hamburg by producer Conny Plank. Klaus Schulze leaves Ash Ra Tempel to pursue a solo career

1972 Second Ash Ra Tempel album Schwingungen, recorded at Studio Dierks near Cologne (Manuel Göttsching, Hartmut Enke and other guests)

Third Ash Ra Tempel album Seven Up , recorded at Sinus Studio Bern, Switzerland (Manuel Göttsching, Hartmut Enke with Timothy Leary and other guests including Brian Barritt)

Fourth Ash Ra Tempel album Join Inn , recorded at Studio Dierks (Manuel Göttsching, Hartmut Enke, Rosi with guest Klaus Schulze). Recorded by Ash Ra Temple members and Klaus Schulze after the rest of the musicians on the Tarot album went to sleep already (see below)

Manuel Göttsching on Walter Wegmüller's Tarot album

1973 Manuel on various recordings with the Cosmic Couriers, recorded at Studio Dierks

 Ash Ra Tempel debut concert in Paris at the Theatre de l'Ouest.

Legendary Ash Ra Tempel concert at the famous Weishaus in Cologne, where Hartmut Enke broke up performing in the middle of the show and left the music business afterwards for good; Manuel is the only remaining founding member of Ash Ra Tempel. The recording exists.

Fifth Ash Ra Tempel album Starring Rosi (Manuel with guests Rosi Müller (voice), Dieter Dirks (bass) and Harald Grosskopf (drums))

1974 Manuel sets up his own Studio Roma

Sixth Ash Ra Tempel album Inventions for Electric Guitar, recorded at Studio Roma. In fact, Manuel's first solo album

Lutz Ulbrich (ex Agitation Free) joins Ash Ra Tempel for concerts. First common concert with Lutz as Ash Ra Tempel at the Salle Wagram, Paris (December 6th)

1975 Manuel and Lutz touring England and France for numerous shows. Parts of these recordings to be used on Philippe Garrel's film Le Berceau de Cristal , 1976 and released 17 years later (1993) as the soundtrack to the film under the same title and the original band's name Ash Ra Tempel

Manuel and Lutz performing as ART for Olaf Leitner's Programme Futurum 3, at RIAS-Berlin's legendary concert hall Studio10 on 15 November. The recording of this so called "Sitzkissenkonzert" (= the audience was sitting on pillows on the ground) has never been released.

Ash Ra Tempel touring in France; Lutz leaves to perform with Velvet Underground singer Nico

1976 Seventh Ash Ra Tempel album New Age Of Earth , Manuel's second solo album. Manuel on electronics and guitars. Album is initially released in France only, followed by Manuel's first solo tour.

Music for fashion show: Session without title for Berlin based hype fashion designer Claudia Skoda at the Ateliers Fabrikneu on 16 October: Manuel on electronics and guitar, Klaus Krieger on drums, who also performed with Tangerine Dream. Session recorded but not released. Parts of the composition Manuel performed two months later on his solo Tour de France for New Age of Earth. Some basic ideas were further used for his solo record Blackouts, released the following year as an Ashra album, in fact Manuel's third solo album.

Originally Manuel invited Michael Hoenig to join the tour as Ash Ra Tempel. Both rehearsed for about four weeks. As some shows had to be postponed, Manuel had to tour alone because of Michael's obligations. But they have recorded some of the rehearsals and the music was released 19 years later in the summer of 1995 as Early Water by Hoenig/Göttsching.

1977 Release of New Age Of Earth worldwide on Virgin, but no longer under the Ash Ra Tempel name (as released in France), but under the shortened name Ashra.

Production of Dream & Desire , Manuel's solo production for Olaf Leitner's radio programme at RIAS Berlin (music released 14 years later (1991) under the same title with a bonus track called Despair, which was also produced in 1977 but not broadcast by RIAS

On the occasion of releasing New Age of Earth, Virgin invites Manuel for an open air concert in London's Regent Park. Manuel calls Harald Grosskopf (drummer on Starring Rosi and the Cosmic Jokers recordings) and Lutz Ulbrich to join.

Eighth album ASHRA Blackouts released in France, in fact Manuel's third solo album.

 Manuel, Lutz and Harald touring as Ashra for over 20 shows through Switzerland, France and Belgium (starting this long tour at the Planetarium in Brussels)

1978 Release of Blackouts worldwide

Music for fashion shows Laufsteg by Claudia Skoda at the renowned Berlin Egyptian Museum: Manuel performing live on electronics; music recorded but not released.

1979 Ninth album of ASHRA, Correlations, Manuel's and Lutz' first common studio recording.

Music for fashion show Big Birds by Claudia Skoda. The show took place at the Kongresshalle, Berlin (Congress Hall) which fell down shortly after the event - we hope not because of Manuel's powerful music. Manuel on electronics. Music recorded but not released; a video exists.

For the first time Manuel produced a foreign project: The famous Berlin based performance artists Salome & Luciano Castelli ask him to do their first record under the title and their band's name Geile Tiere (also the title of their first record) with guest singer Louise

1980 Tenth album of ASHRA Belle Alliance. Second album with Lutz Ulbrich and Harald Grosskopf

Manuel produces the CD album and video clip Die Dominas (The Dominas) by Rosi and Claudia Skoda. A video exists

1981 ASHRA's appearance on the Spanish "Musical Express" TV show, Barcelona (Manuel Göttsching, Lutz Ulbrich and Harald Grosskopf).

Manuel performs as guest on Klaus Schulze's second Richard Wahnfried album Tonwelle. Other guests: Mike Shreeve and Karl Wahnfried

Guest on Klaus Schulze's six week European tour

Saturday, 12 December: Manuel records at his Studio Roma the legendary album E2-E4 which will be released three years later

1982 Music for fashion show Trommelfeuer by Claudia Skoda at Berlin's famous Museum of Arts - the Gropius-Bau (Gropius building): Composition for percussion and orchestra: Starring live 7 percussionists and Manuel on percussion (!) and electronics; Music has been recorded but not released

1983 Music for fashion show Fights-Veits by Claudia Skoda at the light hall of the Berlin Technical University. Manuel's composition for guitar orchestra starring Manuel Göttsching (guitar), Lutz Ulbrich (guitar), Harald Grosskopf (drums), FJ Krüger (guitar - guitar player and singer of the famous German band IDEAL), DJ Zak Preen (percussion)

Two unreleased studio productions: Guitare fou and Tonight chez Wagner

1984 Eleventh album of Manuel Göttsching E2-E4. Manuel's fourth solo album, and first to be released under Manuel's name, a solo recording from 1981

Studio production of "MM Extra" with Helmut Hattler (bass) from KRAAN and TAB TWO, and Micky Duwe (singer, ex-Metropolis) and singer on Ash Ra Tempel's Seven Up. Never released

1985 Beginning of studio recordings for the ASHRA album Tropical Heat with Lutz and Harald (1985 -1987).

Ashra live at UK Electronica in Sheffield. Performing some parts of Tropical Heat. The show was recorded and filmed but not released

1986 Music for fashion shows Ost-West by world famous German fashion designer Joop! at Düsseldorf's international fashion fair Igedo. Manuel on electronics - studio production; music has not been released.

Music collage to Burning Pacience (Brennende Geduld) , a theatrical piece by Antonio Skameta (a notable Chilean writer and film director who lived in exile in Germany as a professor at Berlin's film academy, today he is the ambassador of Chile in Germany) on Pablo Neruda including his poems at the Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin. Director: Alejandro Quintana, scenography: Cesar Olhagaray. Actor/Pablo Neruda: Georg Tryphon

1987 Continuing the recordings for Ashra's Tropical Heat, to be remixed by Manuel in 1991 and released end of 1991, Harald Grosskopf disappearing for a while

1988 ASHRA's participation in the official programme for the Berlin - Cultural Capital of Europas 1988: Composition and performance for the event series Desert Sounds at Berlin's planetarium. Music by Manuel Göttsching and Lutz Ulbrich to works by Albert Camus, St. Exupéry, Otl Aicher. Narrator: Achim Nottke. Main parts of the performance were re-edited by Manuel at his Studio Roma and released as Walkin' the Desert by ASHRA (Göttsching/Ulbrich) one year later.

1989 Cooperation with Italian dance music production DFC. Release of the European No. 1 chart hit Sueño Latino based on Manuel's record E2-E4.

Twelfth album ASHRA Walkin' The Desert

1991 Thirteenth album Manuel Göttsching Dream & Desire , originally recorded in 1977 (Manuel's fifth solo recording and the second album under his own name).

Music to Bram Stocker's theatrical piece Dracula at the Hebbel-Theater, Berlin. Director: Urs Remond. Scenography: Jan Schlubach (Wim Wender's scenographer). Narrator: Arnold Marquis (John Wayne's German dubbing voice). Featuring German renowned actors Sigrid Landgrebe and Erik Hansen.

ASHRA concert in Cologne in front of the cathedral for the Rhein's Cultural Days in cooperation with German Radio and TV station WDR on 11 May. Planned as an event of the Berlin School of Music: Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Ashra. Ashra and Klaus Schulze agreed to perform, Tangerine Dream were not interested. Big event with thousands of people attending.

Fourteenth album Ashra Tropical Heat, remix of the 1985-1987 studio recordings

1993 Fifteenth album Le Berceau de Cristal released as Ash Ra Temple's seventh album - the first common work by Göttsching and Ulbrich from 1975. The recording has been used by Philippe Garrel for his film under same title in 1976.

1995 Sixteenth album Hoenig/Göttsching: Early Water. Release of the rehearsal tapes of Manuel playing with Michael Hoenig from 1976.

1996 Release of a series of six CDs with historical and all unreleased recordings from 1969 to 1979: The Private Tapes

1997 ASHRA concert tour in Japan. Band members Lutz and Harald reunite with Manuel, and a new member Steve Baltes (DJ and producer) joins.

Manuel is the surprise guest at Klaus Schulze's concert at Radio Fritz in Babelsberg, 19 May

Ashra concert at Open Air Burg Herzberg, Germany (mid July)

Manuel's solo concert at the Art & Music Festival in Höfgen-Kaditzsch close to the river Mulde, near Leipzig, 6 September - a historical place and international meeting centre for artists. Die Mulde, electronic composition for the 34-mirror installation RVSP by the Berlin artist Mercedes Engelhard

Ashra concert at the KLEM festival in Nijmegen, Holland, 11 October

Guests at Lutz Ulbrich's birthday party show at Berlin's legendary Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), the former border point between East and West. Other guests reunited for the event: Agitation Free, etc.

Appearance and performance on the shootings to the musical film Kurt Gerrons Karussell (Oscar nominee) to Walter Mehrings famous Ode an Berlin , composed by Manuel for Ben Becker, a German movie star. One year later, Manuel produced the music for the film and soundtrack album to be released in 1999: Starring Ute Lemper, Ben Becker, Max Raabe, Bente Kahan, Ursula Ofner, Schall & Hauch, Coco Schumann, Louis de Wijze.

1998 Seventeenth album: Ashra Sauce Hollandaise. Release of the 1997 concert in Nijmegen (KLEM festival)

Eighteenth album: ASHRA @shra. Release of various recordings from the Japan tour, additional mix in Steve Baltes' studio

1999 Release of the film and the soundtrack CD album Kurt Gerrons Karussell

Recordings commences at Klaus Schulze's Studio Moldau for an Ash Ra Tempel reunion album Friendship.

2000 One time live reunion of Ash Ra Temple with Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze at the Royal Festival Hall, London for Julian Cope's Cornucopea Festival on 2 April. A video exists. not released.

 Nineteenth album: Ash Ra Temple Friendship, Manuel's and Klaus Schulze's studio album recorded 1999/2000

Twentieth album Ash Ra Temple Gin Rosé At The Royal Festival Hall; Klaus Schulze's studio mix of this live concert in London.

Ashra concert at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (Academy of Arts) for German-French cultural exchange "Paris-Berlin 2000" and the Berlin Music Festival "Z 2000" with the support of Radio 1, Keyboards and Sounds & Sounds; The concert has been recorded and is planned to be released.

Performance of E2-E4 by the Berlin based international avant-garde chamber orchestra Zeitkratzer at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin (Academy of Arts): Closing ceremony performance of the Berlin Music Festival "Z 2000"

2001 Recordings of Santos and Manuel Göttsching in Bologna

Release of two videos (PAL and NTSC): ASHRA Live at the Open Air Festival Herzberg 1997 and Die Mulde by Manuel Göttsching (both from 1997).

Release of Santos' CD R U Shakadelic?, containing the track Intimate with Manuel's participation

2002 Establishment of his own label MG.ART with releases @shra Vol. 2 and The Making Of