The story behind "Cygnus X - The Orange Theme" by Matthias Hoffmann | Muzikxpress 125
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
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Cygnus X was a project from German producer and composer Matthias Hoffmann. Cygnus X was mostly known for tracks such as “Superstring”, “Positron”, “Turn Around”, “Kinderlied” and of course “The Orange Theme”. That one came out back in November 1994 via Eye Q Records. The track is based on a classical piece of music by Henry Purcell called "March" from "Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary" (From 1695).
For this week’s vlog I spoke to Matthias Hoffmann in his studio, to ask him about the story behind “The Orange Theme” and more.
Enjoy and thanks for watching!
I also did an interview with Matthias about the Cygnus X classic "Superstring";
• The story behind "Cygn...
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Want to win a signed Cygnus X CD? This month Muzikxpress Patreon SUPER VIP's can win the "Superstring" CD single (with the legendary Rank 1 remix on it!) signed by Matthias Hoffmann! Keep in mind, this is VERY rare since Matthias doesn't DJ / tour around the world, so.... hard to get ;-)
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Any chance to interview Cosmic Baby about his album Stellar Supreme?
@@user-yf3pl2li9t I'm afraid not.... He lives very far (like a 7 hour drive) and since this is "just" a hobby for me, I don't have a travel budget for these vlogs. Harald is also not really someone who's DJ-ing / touring, so the chances of him visiting The Netherlands (where I'm based) are slim to none :( I posted an update like 3-4 weeks ago in the "community" section of my TH-cam channel (check the front page) where I explain what I can do and can't do, especially know with COVID I'm more limited in the interviews I can do. In that post I did explain everything, thanks for your understanding!
Oh and if i do interviews, the main subject is always a big hit / classic track. So not really about albums etc, so IF I could ever interview Harald, it would eb about "Loops Of Infinity" or maybe one of the tracks he did for The Visions Of Shiva. Hopefully it will happen one day, but don't expect it anytime soon ;-) Fingers crossed!
@@muzikxpress Harald - half of the Energy 52 duo. You need to interview him about Cafe Del Mar.
@@user-yf3pl2li9t Once again, he lives really far and I don't have a travel budget for these vlogs..... I just told you.... Unless you want to sponsor all my trips? ;-) Plus I already did a vlog (not an interview) where I tell the story behind "Café Del Mar". You can find that one on my channel, check out vlog #21.
@@user-yf3pl2li9t That's probably more Kid Paul than Cosmic (?)
This tune actually contributed to saving my life back in 2011 ..
I had a heart attack at the wheel of my van ,pain across my chest ,and soon after down my left arm ,I felt absolutely awful and knew I was in bother ,and needed to drive straight to the hospital ..This tune came on and I went for it !...the power and urgency of the track gave me the adrenaline and sheer determination to get there ,I arrived at the hospital reception ,told the lady I think I'm having a heart attack ,and at that moment collapsed with cardiac arrest ! It took them 6 minutes to get me back ...
This tune always makes me emotional whenever I hear it now in a good way ,.thanks to the Orange theme 👍 🎶
Oh wow, what a story! Glad you survived!!! Thanks for sharing your story here!
@@muzikxpress Thank you
I just felt I needed to say how important this track was that day ..I was extremely lucky
You are putting together a piece of history with this series. So interesting to see the people behind the tracks (together with a _good_ interviewer who is genuinely interested in their stories). It's funny how the big media outlets like MTV/VH1 can't produce anything near this in quality, theirs are so clinical and impersonal.
Oh wow, thank you so much for these kind words! I'm (obviously hehe....) a huge music nerd, so I want to know as much as I can about the tracks I grew up with. So I'm always very thankful when artists let me interview them. And especially people like Matthias, who hardly does interviews! I'm glad I have a good amount of followers that seem to enjoy the interviews. Thanks again, stay tuned for more ;-)
@@muzikxpress when the lockdown finishes try and catch Laurent Garnier to discuss the man with the red face
@@cd78 I did check for him already, but unfortunately he doesn’t really perform here (The Netherlands) very often... Hopefully one day!
Yeah this whole series is incredible.
@@TheDarkInstall Thank you so much!!
I love how down to earth 90s producers are !
They weren't making music for instagram likes back then
I remember this song but didn’t know it was from 1994 it’s a trance anthem!!! So was super string... Top producer...
Heard this in Carl Cox - F.A.C.T 2 mix. Completely blew my mind.
One of my favourite tracks of all time, still listen to it 25 years on!
This track was iconic in my young life
Man With No Name remix is one of my all time favourites
I think that remix is one of the weakest productions he made. Doesnt even sounds like a man with no name track, it sounds way to soft
I love that mix too!
mine too
@@jamienoble631 I'm the same, I thought the man with no name mix was a bit weird sounding. The solar stone remix is my personal favourite.
My favorite 😍😍
I can't believe that 25 years later while trying/failing to play parts of the Clockwork Orange soundtrack on the keyboard I happened to switch over to a sawtooth wave with the LFO pointing in the right direction that it suddenly clicked with me, "Hold on...there's something else about these chords.......oh that's why it's called The Orange Theme!" I used to put on CD 2 of F.A.C.T. by Carl Cox every morning before school just to hear that track, still absolutely love it. It doesn't feel like a Trance track to me, more Techno that happens to use a sound that would soon evolve into an entire genre almost in the way acid house did (although for me none of them ever came close to this track). He definitely seems more interested in the musical aspect than the technicalities behind it all, having such massive tracks then just moving into a totally different genre and style is something I can't imagine being talented enough to do. It's also quite funny hearing him describe the soundtrack synth sound as crap when it did exactly what Wendy Carlos and Stanley Kubrick intended, it stands out and sticks in your head but you're not exactly sure why :-) Love the channel btw!
Thank you so much!!!
Damn, Eye Q is one of my favorite labels. And he also did brainchild... This guy shaped a part of my youth experiences.
Yes, what a legend right? And what a label!
93/94 Eye/Harthouse buy on sight. Simple.
Charismatic dude. Unique music. Makes perfect sense. Very enjoyable thank you …
I like Matthias’s honest attitude. Another good video :) I’m sure Matthias could make some cool electronic music again if he wanted to.
Agreed and IMO it would be ‘better’ that he’s not intimate with the scene. He has the resources to make it happen.
Such a beautiful piece of music, I heard it first on the Carl cox fact album, it’s truly timeless! Definitely in the trance classic/masterpiece bracket ❤️ great work Twan, cheers!
Moon man, red Jerry, frank elrich, so many good remixes out there too but can’t beat the original!
I got "the orange theme" on white label (still have it in fact) and the only thing written on the label was the name of the track. I had no other information to go on. I played this out and people would ask me what it was but I couldn't tell them anything other than orange theme. I couldn't even be certain if it was the artist, track or label title. It was years later I heard it on an album compilation and from there on i could confirm who it was by, etc. Great track. Love these interviews Twan.
These interviews should be on tv
Thank you for this great interview! Now I know, why I love Cygnus X as much as I love "Alles an Dir" from Laith Al-Deen. Never thought, there is this strong connection.
And to Mr. Hoffmann: "Orange Theme" is one of the rare tracks, that makes me shed in tears of joy on a regular basis. Thank you so much, for creating this timeless masterpiece!
Glad you enjoyed it! I was so happy and excited when Matthias replied to my interview request with a “yes”! What a legend and since he hardly does video interviews I’m super, super happy about this one!
Absolutely love everything he was involved in. Very surprised no one mentioned Vernon and Schallbau. Hopefully I'll be able to hear him live at some point.
Thank you for this, i always wanted to know the story behind this iconic track. Top 10 in my list best trance of all time
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Coïncidence or not, i let the "radio" related to a trance track played random and i heard the original mix of Cygnus X - Orange Theme.
I did't heard that track for years.
I'll jump on your interview now. Thanks for this rare itw and thanks to the master Cygnus X
🙌🏻
I remember when it came out. The tape was left in my cassette player by a mate. Ket playing it...utterly blew me away. Unique.
Wow he was also involved with Brainchild and Odyssey of noises crikey had most of his early records big respect to him and well done Twan for getting these interviews and reigniting some happy memories from back in the day.
Look forward to watching some more interviews so glad i found this channel :)
Thank you! And yes, such a legend right? So you can imagine how happy I was when I tracked him down and when he said “yes”! More to come soon! 😉
Still one of my favourite dance tracks EVER!
Still got my Carl Coz CD Fact 1 & 2 which first introduced me to The Orange Theme
THIS TRACK IS A MASTERPIECE!
Bedankt, “The Orange Theme” is mijn favoriete club nummer geweest. Grappig dat hijzelf ook niet wist van Henry Purcell!
Ja grappig he? Vond ik ook wel opvallend (en grappig) om te horen!
Another fantastic interview.
Keep up the good work 👍🏻
Thanks Twan and Matt, great memories of this tune in 94
One of the secrets of your interviewing style is that you can unleash some LOL or moments which can make you smile. There were quite a few towards the end. Another great interview.
Yeah, Rank 1 on Superstring and Moonman on Orange were the ultimate bombs! I remember 95 Tony De it remix of Turn Around was one Tony's sought after remixes. Mathias is a great producer, love his remixes of Art Of Trance stuff he used to do. Thx for the Interview Twan.
Matthias describes the poor 80s synthesizer but it was, in fact, the world's first commercial synthesizer! And the title theme was one the first, if not THE first ever piece of electronic music in the world. It was performed by Wendy Carlos who worked with Robert Moog on his eponymous synthesizer. Incredible. I have a playlist called A Brief History of House and I open with the title theme from A Clockwork Orange.
it was a Moog Modular afaik
Very good interview, as always!
I prefer Ferry's Moonman Orange Juice Remix most. 👍❤
Great interview. Your best interviews are those with the early 90s trance legends. When will we see an interview with Oliver Lieb? :-)
Thank you very much! And for the "Frankfurt-interview-series" I did as k Oliver Lieb as well since I'm a big fan of his stuff. Unfortunately he was not available when I was in Frankfurt. I don't live close to Frankfurt, so planning all these interviews (with Jam El Mar, Thomas P. Heckmann, Kai Tracid and Matthiass Hoffmann) took a long time of preparing / scheduling etc. I'm not sure when I will be able to go back to Frankfurt (I don't really have a travel budget / COVID etc), but next time I go I want to try again, fingers crossed!
@@muzikxpress really looking forward to a future interview with Oliver Lieb! Btw isn’t Sven Väth also in Frankfurt? Would be awesome to hear him talk about establishing Eye Q!
Also if you have a chance in the future would love to have interview with Simon Berry aka Art of Trance.
@@MagisterHamid If he wants to do it, I would be more than happy to do it. Also Simon is also on my wish list, but keep in mind I don't have a travel budget for these vlogs, this is a hobby for me and the advertising revenue is VERY minimal. There's a long post on the front page of my channel in the "community" section which I posted last month. Check that post please, so you can see what I can do and what I can't do ;-) I have plenty of ideas still, but it is not always as easy as it seems to arrange interviews. Sven is not really on my list btw, I focus on people who can actually tell the story behind a certain track. Sven was more the DJ (as Matthias) explains. I have the impression he was also more the "face" of Eye Q. For my vlogs I try to focus on the people that were actually involved with the hits / classics, I want to hear the (sometimes untold) stories behind those tracks :)
@@muzikxpress Van Bellen would be great too. His remix of that terrible cheesy braveheart trance tune and his remix of Chris raven - I know you love me too are both classics. I don't know if he ever had a well known original track though.
@@willy3toes I’m afraid not, so not really something for my channel tbh. These interviews take a lot of time etc, so I’m pretty picky 😉
Matthias Hoffmann's music is a perfection. This is a beautiful and sad story at the same time - he was put in the office in totally wrong time. He would have made at least 5-6 smash hits on par with Orange Theme or Synfonica during that time. He was on the cutting edge of the electronic music scene. Very unfortunate decision by Heinz Roth.
Yeah there it is, one of my all time favorites. It was the main theme on Trance Energy 2000 which I visited :)
Still on my favourites playlist after 25 years!
Great interview. Orange Theme is such a powerful track which sounds fresh still today. Heard it first on the Carl Cox Fact CD. Personally love the original mix and the Push remix👍😉🔥
Thanks so much!!
I finally found this mix in my vinyl collection...I haven't listened to it in years. Wow! So fresh. I listen to the "Madagascar" Cygnus X remix quite a bit! Love it 😎
My favourite trance track of all time, absolute genius. Fantastic interview, very insightful and what a refreshingly down to earth guy is Matthias. Thanks for putting this together.
Thank you! I was so excited when Matthias (after I finally managed to track him down) said “yes” when I did ask him for the 2 interviews. Such a down to earth guy, so nice! Glad you enjoyed this one!
i love this today just as much as then when it came out it's in mine top 10 since the early time.
Orange Theme was the best song for going to the afterparty in London on Monday at Orange club..... 💜
On écoute encore 30 ans après.. ❤
Orange theme is timeless!! I love it
Thank you very much for this the orange theme was my starting track for me on my rave journey thru life ❤️
One of my favourite tracks ever. Use to play this vinyl all the time 20 years ago.
In my forties now, from first hearing in 1996 is was and still is my fave Trance track. Legendary.
thank you for this
Can't believe anyone remembers this!!
It is a massive classic! I would be more surprised if people didn’t remember this one 😂
Heard it on Carl Cox F.A.C.T.
Whow, that was a bomb at that time. Still love it❤
First heard on Carl Cox's FACT comp, so so so good!
I have the 2 x Vinyl 😍
In the all-time top 5 trance anthems
My favourite all time track 😉
WHOOAAAAAWWWW. Man, i love heart his song original, & i don't care if his song original &/or remix. Because i'm the mister Matthias Hoffmann's fan.
Hypermetrical, one of the best electronic album.
So good!!! Classic!
@@muzikxpress th-cam.com/video/6tZgXADmOvs/w-d-xo.html Song I made in 2010. In clip pictures from important cds in my collection ;-)
@@DrSqu ah cool! Did you see my interview about Dance 2 Trance too?
@@muzikxpress Yes, ... and in past weeks I found your channel. Some cool interviews here :)
@@DrSqu thank you! More to come soon! 😉
🗣Matthias Hoffmann🍻
Glad to have this track on Carl Cox Fact (vinyl)
One producer i would love to see you interview is DJ Wag. "Man on The Moon" has such a iconic sound.
There’s a post I made in the “community” section of my TH-cam channel (about 3 weeks ago) where I explain what I can do and can’t do. Foreign producers are unfortunately no option for a while I’m afraid. (No travel budget + COVID = No gigs / events here). You can read all in the post, thank you!
After hearing this track for many years, only today it dawned on me that it came from clockwork orange
Love these interviews any chance of getting Nostrum from TIme Unlimited Records interview :)
Thanks so much! And for now I can only focus on Dutch artists / producers because of COVID. I don't have a travel budget for these vlogs and there are no events, so no foreign artists will travel to The Netherlands. If you check the pinned post on the Muzikxpress Facebook page you can see what I can do and what I can't do right now. I hope you understand, thanks a lot! :)
loveeeeeee the moonman mix if i ever had a choice a remix , i wish they would bring things like ost from movies into the trance / tech-trance these days… maybe they do i don’t know recent talents but i’m not gonna lie , i have a good ear to know talent which i’m proud to have… maybe the only thing besides winning game tournaments here and there over my time… could anyone suggest new artists to me if ya know any..?! much appreciated ! classical scores and trance are just beautiful . cheers!
Matthias Hoffmann is born in Frankfurt in 1964, so at the time of this interview (2020) this dude was 56 years old. Fuck me, he looks more like 40.
Dead! Matthias is crazy!!
ну.. ШАМАН!!!!!!!!!!!
just the 3 hours then? damn lol
the biggest hits always made pretty quickly
How can I get permission to use Matthias Hoffmann's epic tune on my TH-cam channel that is devoted to the Binary System (Planet X) This is a great interview!!
Thanks a lot! I guess you need to get in touch with you the label which owns the rights. Good luck!
Great Interview Matthias Is A Funny guy Thans Twan, Can you Do a Interview With Kamaya Painters
Thank you! Well.... FYI; Tiësto does not do any interviews about anything trance related, plus he can’t tell much about the production etc anyway, so he’s not really on my list. Benno is on my list for sure, but my first choice would be to talk with him (and hopefully Piet) about Rank 1. Hopefully we can make this happen in the near future (once the whole COVID situation gets better), fingers crossed!
@@muzikxpress I know about tiesto but after you do some Interview with Benno About Rank 1 please Keep in Mind To Do later interviews About Kamaya Painters Please🙏🙂 Thank You
@@syedsaffan8419 I have some other tracks in mind for Benno, he did so many great ones! But... maybe one day in the future!
He says that you have to be at the cutting edge of music to do electronic music these days, but there is a retro vibe in dance music right now and The Prodigy are famous for not modernising their music to fit a modern trend. Liam Howlett said if he changed the sound of the music too much, it just wouldn't be The Prodigy any more, that's why the last two albums sounded so old school 90's, it was deliberate.
Of course there are always exceptions 😉 BTW, I’m a big fan of The Prodigy, glad I got to see them live twice, wow, just wow!!
The moonmen remix was always my fave version - after the original!
What is the name of the second track in the background?
Well, that's it isn't it - the 90s electronic and rave scene can never be reproduced... it was perfect - the designer drugs (mdma made professionally not for profit and under the desk from pharma labs), the fashion trends, the organizers and, the climate was also way better. The way it was promoted also made it even more special through those futuristic flyers we would always go looking for in the trendy techno clothing stores... If you were lucky enough to be part of the dj group - great (they were really good djs back then). If you were like me, 18 and finding yourself in candyland as a raver/technokid - even better!.. I never had the urge to break into the dj scene (even though I used to spend hours mixing each day), because they were all good and I enjoyed the scene way better as a raver 😉😎🤫😅. I felt the scene was killed in early 2000 but, faded slowly over the following four to five years. When I was 18 I actually thought I would be a raver my whole life. That is what made the 90s special - no matter how shit your life was, we always had the techno parties to look forward to on the weekends and the seasonal giant raves.. I think also, once you have that quality of fun, nothing can top that.
Martin Roth did a banging remix of Orange Theme aswell which is a fav, Please do an interview with him if its possible :D
Martin did some great productions for sure, but he's based in Berlin, which is very far from where I live (like 7 hours by car). I don't really have a travel budget for these vlogs, plus I'm very picky with who I ask for interviews. And that is because these interviews really take a lot of time / energy. I do everyting in my spare time. Since I want as much people as possible to see the interviews, I only focus on big hits and famous classics. Those get better views and feedback, plus I'm more interested in doing those myself as well :) I made a post in the "community" section on the frontpage of my channel about 3 - 4 weeks ago where I do explain what you can expect and not, especially know with the whole COVID stuff..... Thanks for your understanding!
@@muzikxpress that's all goods don't worry you will be doing big interviews with many great artists to come that is for sure 😁
@@D-PACXD Thanks so much! Doing my best hehe.... COVID makes it a bit more difficult, but there’s some good names lined up for the next months. Thanks for your support!
I think the Console he was talking about was an AMEK Mozart, not TEAC. Great desk!
I'd love to see an episode with A Guy Called Gerald!
Please check the status update I wrote in the "community" section on the front page of my TH-cam channel. There I explain in detail what I can do and what I can't do, especially now with COVID etc. I got several cancelled interviews already unfortunately :( All info and details can be found in that post, it is the post from like 3 weeks ago :) Thank you!
Question: How many times did Matthias said "u know" in this video?
die grund melodi ist die gleiche wie die endmelodi aus dem film falling down
Can you make a TSB of Binary Finary - 1998 ? I listend to this track in one hundred different remixes back then and couldn't stop haha
aaaand Rank 1 - Airwaves please yes? :)
They live in Australia ... This is a hobby for me and I don’t have a travel budget for these vlogs. Please check the pinned post on my Facebook page so you can read what I can do and can’t do interview-wise. Thanks for your understanding!
“Rank 1 - Airwave” is on the wish list, but I really want to talk to Piet and Benno together. Because of COVID interviews with duo’s are a bit difficult. So hopefully when things get better. FYI, I have a long wish list with names I still want to interview, so I have plenty of ideas still for later this year / next year 😉
@@muzikxpress sorry thought they were brit lads
@@wreckage-vs5jv originally yes, but Stuart lives in Australia for many years already. So that’s a bit far haha
Still a pity Tony de Vit didn't remix this. Pretty sure he could have lifted this already amazing track even to another level!!!
Y el SUBTÍTULO????????
Sorry I only speak Dutch and English. If you know someone who wants to translate it please let me know. This channel is a hobby for me and I don’t have a budget to hire translators.
Told ya Crocker 😉
When we were in university we had this on a completely blank white label, we had no idea what is was called for months, it blew our minds and with a marker we named it 'what the fuck?' 😀 Great memories, it wasn't until the excellent Solarstone remix came out when we knew it's real name!!
14:30 :DDD
13:00 xD
Haha good one right???
@@muzikxpress appreciate the honesty :)
Did he say Wendy Carlos was playing a shitty 80s synth in the intro to A Clockwork orange?
Rank-1 Benno version
th-cam.com/video/zW3JDKQEa0s/w-d-xo.html this sounds more completed
Or Aphex Twin for that matter!
the chord progression was stolen from classical music ……
It helps if you check the interview to hear what Matthias said about it before you’re replying 😉 Or simply read the info in the video description, since I wrote it down there as well 😉
Donald Trump should come on stage to The Orange Theme
He shouldn't be on any stage :P
NOOOOOO
@muzikxpress he will be the next President of the United States.