Michael Hoenig (born 4 January 1952) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

composer who has composed music for several films and games, in addition to two solo albums, including the highly acclaimed 1978 album '' Departure from the Northern Wasteland''. In 1997, he was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the award was presented with the "possibility of one, more than one, or no award given ...

for composing the theme to the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

series ''

Dark Skies ''Dark Skies'' is an American UFO conspiracy theory-based sci-fi television series that debuted on NBC on September 21, 1996, and ended on May 31, 1997, and was later rerun by the Sci-Fi Channel; 18 episodes and a two-hour pilot episode were br ...

''.

Early career

As the editor of the underground magazine ''LOVE'' in the late sixties, Hoenig was part of the burgeoning progressive rock scene in Berlin, which fostered bands like

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...

Ash Ra Tempel Ash Ra Tempel was a West German krautrock group led by guitarist Manuel Göttsching that was active from 1970 to 1976. Their debut album '' Ash Ra Tempel'' was released in 1971. Following the band's demise, Göttsching released music under the nam ...

and

Agitation Free Agitation Free was a German experimental krautrock band formed in 1967 by Michael "Fame" Günther (bass guitar), Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich (guitar), Lutz Ludwig Kramer (guitar) and Christopher Franke (drums). Name They were initially called Agitat ...

. His interest in

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

music,

sound generator A sound generator is a vibrating object which produces a sound. There are two main kinds of sound generators (thus, two main kinds of musical instruments). A full cycle of a sound wave will be described in each example which consists of initia ...

s and prepared tapes caught the eye of Michael Günther, the bassist of

, and he joined the band in February 1971. In March 1975, Hoenig was hired to replace Peter Baumann in Tangerine Dream for an Australian tour and a London Royal Albert Hall concert, and subsequently left Agitation Free, which broke up shortly after. Baumann rejoined Tangerine Dream soon after, and Hoenig went on to collaborate with

Klaus Schulze Klaus Schulze (4 August 1947 – 26 April 2022) was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and The Cosmic Jokers ...

on the short-lived project "Timewind" (unrelated to the 1975 Schulze album of the same name). In 1976 he had a brief collaboration with

Manuel Göttsching Manuel Göttsching (9 September 1952 – 4 December 2022) was a German musician and composer. As the leader of the groups Ash Ra Tempel and Ashra in the 1970s and 80s, as well as a solo artist, he was one of the most influential guitarists of ...

of Ash Ra Tempel; a recording of one of the sessions was released in 1995 under the title "Early Water". In 1977, he released his first solo album, the highly acclaimed Berlin School classic '' Departure from the Northern Wasteland'', and left for

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

shortly after it was released.

Later career

Hoenig owns a recording studio in Los Angeles and through his company Metamusic Productions, he has composed the scores for several movies (see filmography below) and television shows. In addition to this, he has composed music for the extremely popular

Baldur's Gate ''Baldur's Gate'' is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms '' Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' and the ''Dark Alliance'', both taking place mostl ...

PC games by

BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, ...

. In 1987, Hoenig released his second solo album, Xcept One. The track Bones on the Beach from the Xcept One album was installed in the roller coaster CHAOS at Opryland in Nashville, making the attraction the first roller coaster to be synced to music. Bones on the Beach has also been used at a similar roller coaster,

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, at

Bobbejaanland Bobbejaanland is a theme park in Lichtaart, Belgium. The park was founded by Bobbejaan Schoepen, a Flemish singer, guitarist, and entertainer who enjoyed international success in the fifties and early sixties. In 1959, he bought a 30 hectare ma ...

, a family park in

Lichtaart Lichtaart is a village in Belgium, in the province of Antwerp and municipality of Kasterlee. The village is situated near the town, Antwerp. Lichtaart bordered by the Rivers, Nete and Kaliebeek. In 1977, Lichtaart had an area of 25 km ² and ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

from 2004-2008 and since 2011.

Discography

Albums

*'' Departure from the Northern Wasteland'' (1978) *'' Xcept One'' (1987) *''

The Blob ''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe ...

'' soundtrack (1988) *''

'' score (1997)

with Tangerine Dream

*''Bootleg Box Set Vol. 1'' (2003) *'' In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979'' (2019)

with Manuel Göttsching

*''Early Water'' (1997)

Producer

*'' Lovely Thunder'' –

Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimalist and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the ...

(1986)

Filmography

Films

*''

Dracula 3000 ''Dracula 3000'' (stylized as ''DRACULA.3000'', and also known as ''Dracula 3000: Infinite Darkness'') is a 2004 made-for-television science fiction horror film directed by Darrell Roodt. An international co-production of the United States and ...

'' (2004) *'' Contaminated Man'' (2000) *'' After Alice'' (1999) *'' Her Costly Affair'' (1996) *'' Thrill'' (1996) *'' Above Suspicion'' (1995) *''Terminal Justice'' (1995) *'' Search for Grace'' (1994) *'' Eyes of Terror'' (1994) *''

Visions of Murder ''Visions of Murder'' is a 1993 American made-for-television psychological thriller film directed by Michael Rhodes and starring Barbara Eden and James Brolin. The film was based on a teleplay written by Julie Moskowitz and Gary Stephens and was ...

'' (1993) *''

The Amy Fisher Story ''The Amy Fisher Story'' is a 1993 American television film dramatizing the events surrounding Amy Fisher's teenage affair with Joey Buttafuoco and her conviction for aggravated assault for shooting Buttafuoco's wife. The film was produced by ...

'' (1993) *''

The Last of the Finest ''The Last of the Finest'', also released as ''Blue Heat'', is a 1990 American crime action film directed by John Mackenzie and starring Brian Dennehy, Joe Pantoliano, Jeff Fahey, and Bill Paxton Plot The film opens at Canyon Park where narcotic ...

'' (1990) *'' Class of 1999'' (1990) *''

I, Madman ''I, Madman'' (retitled ''Hardcover'' in the UK, Europe and Japan) is a 1989 American horror film directed by Tibor Takács. Plot Second-hand bookstore clerk Virginia Clayton (Jenny Wright) becomes absorbed in the book ‘I, Madman’ by Malcol ...

'' (1989) *''

'' (1988) *'' The Gate'' (1987) *'' Shattered Spirits'' (1987) *'' The Wraith'' (1987) *''

9½ Weeks ''9½ Weeks'' is a 1986 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne, and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. Basinger portrays a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wal ...

'' (1986 – additional music) *'' Silent Witness'' (1985) *'' Night Patrol'' (1984) *''Deadly Encounter'' (1982) *''

Koyaanisqatsi ''Koyaanisqatsi'' (), also known as ''Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance'', is a 1982 American experimental non-narrative film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke. The f ...

'' (1982 – additional music)

Television series

*''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. Pr ...

'' (2000–2004) *'' Strange World'' (1999) *''

(1996–1997) *''

Max Headroom Max Headroom is a fictional artificial intelligence (AI) character portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, ...

'' (1987–88)

Games

*''

'' (1998) *'' Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast'' (1999) *'' Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn'' (2000)

References

External links

*
Artist profile
at

OverClocked ReMix OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-commercial organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs, both with new technology and software and by vari ...

*
Departure From The Northern Wasteland review (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoenig, Michael 1952 births Ambient musicians German film score composers German male composers German television composers Living people Male film score composers Male television composers Musicians from Hamburg New-age composers New-age musicians Video game composers