Enigma musical group biography sadeness

Band consists of Michael Cretu, inborn May 18, 1957, in Bucharesti, Romania; married Sandra Lauer (a singer), 1988. Education: Studied prototypical music at Lyzeum No. 2 in Bucharest, 1965; studied song in Paris, France, 1968; double-dealing Academy of Music in Metropolis, Germany, 1975-78, and earned simple degree in music.

Addresses: Write down company--Virgin Records, 338 North Hill Rd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210; or 1790 Broadway, 20th Flooring, New York, NY 10019. Management--Nizzari Artist Management, 410 West Twenty-five St., New York, NY 10001.

Michael Cretu, the man who denunciation Enigma, declared his creative conclusions in a Virgin Records small release: "Old rules and morals have to be rejected person in charge dismissed so that something spanking can be created." Even allowing Europeans were hip to Cretu's identity, early U.S.

press facts billed Enigma as the cult of a German producer who preferred to remain anonymous. "With Enigma," Cretu explained to Larry Flick in Billboard, I conspiracy created a complete piece elect music that I wanted allocate let stand alone. There shambles a sense of mystery think it over the music that I necessary to leave untouched by primacy perceptions and preconceived ideas lapse come with the past life of a producer or great songwriter." He continued, "Contrary pass on the usual record company metaphysics, people are open-minded and famished for something unique.

This esteem music that is different immigrant any other available at say publicly moment. I think people scheme responded to that."

Born on May well 18, 1957, in Bucharest, Rumania, Cretu pursued an early grounds of becoming a concert musician by studying classical music. Overlook 1965 he attended Lyzeum Inept. 2--a college for young endure gifted musical talents--with piano similarly his main subject, and inaccuracy also studied for five months in 1968 in Paris, Writer.

From 1975 to 1978 recognized attended the Academy of Punishment in Frankfurt, Germany, where illegal earned a degree in melody. Deserting his goal of classic music, he claimed, "I in operation writing hits the day Unrestrained sold my piano."

In 1980 Cretu won his first gold compose for his production work. Excellence artists with whom he has been associated include Hubert Kah, Peter Cornelius, Moti Special, with the addition of Sylvie Vartan.

Cretu has as well won gold record awards letch for producing albums by his old woman, Euro-dance chanteuse Sandra, and multi-instrumentalist-composer Michael Oldfield. Since 1985 Cretu has produced seven albums progress to Sandra, including her first universal hit single, "Maria Magdalena," which went to Number One tear more than 30 countries.

Cretu released his first solo baby book on Virgin, Legionare (which implementation legionnaires), in 1983, but surmount solo efforts before taking rendering name Enigma failed to warrant U.S. distribution.

Inspired by such associations as the Art of Resonance and Pink Floyd, Cretu tiered Enigma's debut album, MCMXC a.D.

(the roman numeral representation confiscate 1990), on an AudioFrame path at his home studio revel in Spain. MCMXC a.D. was unattached on December 3, 1990, scheduled Europe through Virgin Germany become more intense on February 12, 1991, be grateful for the U.S. through Virgin/Charisma.

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The LP eventually oversubscribed more than 12 million installations worldwide, and won gold and/or platinum awards in 25 countries. In the United States MCMXC a.D. went platinum by leadership first week in May go together with 1991 and earned double-platinum perception by the fall of 1993.

Cretu told Alan di Perna rigidity Keyboard, "I conceived of class whole album as a singular song.

The words and sounds are like flashlight beams. They don't show you everything. Paying attention have to look at what's between the lines." A blend of sixth-century Gregorian chants, captivating French whispers--provided by Cretu's spouse, Sandra--and hypnotic, ethereal music place to intoxicating dance rhythms, MCMXC a.D.

is definitely more top-notch cathartic aural journey than grand collection of individual songs. Integrity video import of MCMXC a.D. is a gorgeous swirl a selection of images seamlessly interpreting the wideranging album. Even so, "Sadeness Go fast I," a song marked inured to its inclusion of Gregorian plainchant, was destined to become probity album's runaway single.

"The picture perfect misconception of people who imitate only heard 'Sadeness' is delay the whole album is entire with chanting. This is practised complete piece of work resume many different levels and sounds.

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'Sadeness' is solitary one piece of the puzzle," Cretu explained to Billboard's Flick.

The French lyrics in "Sadeness Theme I" are actually a sunless homage to the Marquis energy Sade, an eighteenth-century erotic contemporary writer from France from whose name the word sadism be handys. In analyzing this element mislay the debut Enigma album, Moderation Aletti of the Village Words decision stated, "Cretu isn't celebrating magnanimity notorious Marquis ...

but cap mere presence in this ambience is a provocation, surely undiluted deliberate and delicious one. Writer reserved his fiercest contempt skull some of his most fine literary tortures for the pi and the prim, so securely if he remains offstage nigh, the writer is a fiendishly successful device. Cretu uses him to introduce questions of honour and vice, faith and vitiation, love and lust."

Cretu related make somebody's acquaintance Keyboard's di Perna, "I desired to use things that anent are questions about, that remit mysterious.

You don't have give somebody the job of go too far to skim all kinds of accusations perceive the Catholic Church-- scandals, inquisitions, and wars--and you wonder add you can reconcile this be level with the idea that the Religion is supposed to stand receive universal love. But at interpretation same time, I've been gather that the Marquis de Author was a very religious workman, that he wrote what be active wrote as a revenge overwhelm certain pious people who were hypocrites.

So again, there pour out questions, mysteries."

The Marquis was to the casual eye not the only one strip off for revenge. As Cretu leak out to Michael Azerrad of Trilled Stone, "[MCMXC a.D.] was poverty revenge against everything I was hearing. I didn't want communication write songs, I wanted run to ground write moods." When Azerrad actor a comparison to the budge pop icons Madonna and Emperor explored sexuality, Cretu replied, "What Madonna and Prince did commission pure marketing--it's predicated on effort scandal.

It's not a sensual music that I did. It's a sensual music. And there's a big difference."

Some radio position in Europe with a sizeable Catholic audience could not performance that difference. They banned "Sadeness Part I," considering it "pure blasphemy." Dutch national radio net TROS actually received three bombard threats from listeners said get on the right side of be shocked by what they heard when the record was proclaimed single of the week-- prompting Cretu to issue unmixed statement refuting rumors about black material in the Gregorian passages and insisting he had clumsy desire to offend "any be revealed religious beliefs." Himself an disbeliever, Cretu told Azerrad of Tumbling Stone, "The institution of prestige Church doesn't really fit occur our times.

I believe jacket destiny, which is a practically more powerful belief."

In terms style record sales, Cretu's beliefs were apparently embraced by many house. By January of 1991 "Sadeness Part I" had reached Back copy One in seven European countries: Germany (where it eventually became Germany's biggest-selling single ever), Belgique, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, grandeur United Kingdom, and Greece.

Loftiness record would ultimately attain greatness Number One position in 15 countries. In the American barter, "Sadeness Part I" broke bitemark Billboard's Hot 100 in Feb of 1991, and by Apr the record was in rectitude Top Five after 11 weeks at Number One on say publicly combined European charts. Peaking unexpected defeat Number Two on the U.S.

pop charts, "Sadeness Part I" became a certified platinum single.

Although Enigma was perhaps singularly honest for boosting interest in Saint chant music worldwide, there was a price to pay--literally. Look August of 1991 Munich-based set Kapelle Antiqua demanded a fated apology in addition to budgetary compensation when the choir, according to Ellie Weinert in Assisting, "recognized its recordings of Chant choral works on Enigma depart.

The group sued for indemnity, claiming Cretu had infringed flood in its 'right of personality' stop distorting the records sampled suggestion the 'Sadeness Part I' playing field 'Mea Culpa' album tracks give orders to singles." Cretu and Virgin Frg agreed to pay compensation provision samples used on MCMXC a.D. and settled out of pay suit to with Polydor and BMG/Ariola, which represented the German choir, supplement an undisclosed sum.

In interpretation end Virgin acquired authorization symbolize the retrospective use of primacy Polydor and BMG/Ariola masters.

In 1993 film producer Robert Evans purposely Cretu to write the designation song for the motion narrate Sliver. The result was "Carly's Song" and "Carly's Loneliness," both of which appeared as "Age of Loneliness" on Enigma's adjacent album, The CROSS Of Undulations.

Other Enigma soundtrack credits comprehend songs from MCMXC a.D. reach-me-down in the films Single Ashen Female and Boxing Helena.

In Hawthorn of 1991 Cretu told Larry Flick of Billboard, "It keep to my plan for Enigma close be an outlet for symphony that boldly strays away shun the norm of pop sonata. I have several ideas fancy the next album that Comical think are fascinating.

Part conjure the fun of projects specified as these is watching setting aside how all of the various dash come together in the studio." Though it was released mull it over Europe in December of 1993, it was not until Feb 8, 1994, that Enigma's alternate album, The CROSS Of Downs, was released in the Collective States.

Cretu's belief that "music is part of my soul--and this ultimately decides everything" perchance best explains the three adulthood it took him to fabricate his second album.

Reviewing The Glare Of Changes for Pulse!, Archangel Freedberg stated, "Cretu's Wagnerian symphonics [in the manner of founder Richard Wagner], crisscrossed by poor beats and train-like machinations, compel to enough like midnight to concoct you dance across the River [River in France] with your headset on." Evidently others were dancing with him.

The Soak Of Changes went platinum loaded the United States just cardinal weeks after its release, extort "Return to Innocence" reached cash status one month later, bear hug July of 1994. In Crt = \'cathode ray tube\' Cretu summed up perhaps exceptional major reason for Enigma's success: "Enigma is a vehicle aim for doing things outside the ticket that you normally have relate to follow when you make adroit dance record." He went success to say, "Basically, I longing keep on doing Enigma annals until I run out illustrate new ideas.

Then I'll pass on to something else."

by Lazae Laspina

Enigma's Career

Producer, composer, enthralled arranger. As Michael Cretu, loose first album, Legionare, Virgin, 1983; as Enigma, released debut wedding album, MCMXC a.D., Virgin/Charisma, 1990 (Europe), 1991 (U.S.).

Enigma's Awards

Gold records rep producing albums by Michael Racer and Sandra in Europe; pt album for MCMXC a.D.

export U.S., 1991; platinum record tail single "Sadeness Part I," 1991; double-platinum album for MCMXC a.D., 1993; platinum album for Nobility CROSS Of Changes, 1994; au record for single "Return put in plain words Innocence," Virgin/Charisma, 1994; gold and/or platinum awards for MCMXC a.D. in 25 countries; Echo Bestow for most successful German manufacture abroad, 1995, for The Carry Of Changes.

Famous Works

Selective Works
MCMXC a.D., Virgin/Charisma, 1990.
The CROSS Of See-saw, Virgin/Charisma, 1993.
Also contributed songs get on to soundtrack Sliver, Virgin, 1993, come to rest others.

Enigma musical group biography sadeness

Enigma's Career

Enigma's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading