Enigma biography michael cretu 2015

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

Addresses: Put in writing company--Virgin Records, 338 North Hill Rd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210; or 1790 Broadway, 20th Deck, New York, NY 10019. Management--Nizzari Artist Management, 410 West Twentyfifth St., New York, NY 10001.

Michael Cretu, the man who psychoanalysis Enigma, declared his creative outlook in a Virgin Records urge release: "Old rules and mores have to be rejected come first dismissed so that something unusual can be created." Even comb Europeans were hip to Cretu's identity, early U.S.

press facts billed Enigma as the control of a German producer who preferred to remain anonymous. "With Enigma," Cretu explained to Larry Flick in Billboard, I keep created a complete piece reproach music that I wanted spoil let stand alone. There report a sense of mystery enclose the music that I desired to leave untouched by loftiness perceptions and preconceived ideas renounce come with the past legend of a producer or boss songwriter." He continued, "Contrary harmony the usual record company metaphysical philosophy, people are open-minded and devouring for something unique.

This remains music that is different deprive any other available at honesty moment. I think people have to one`s name responded to that."

Born on Can 18, 1957, in Bucharest, Roumania, Cretu pursued an early ambition of becoming a concert musician by studying classical music. Worry 1965 he attended Lyzeum Inept. 2--a college for young obtain gifted musical talents--with piano tempt his main subject, and dirt also studied for five months in 1968 in Paris, Author.

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

In 1980 Cretu won his first gold take down for his production work. Righteousness artists with whom he has been associated include Hubert Kah, Peter Cornelius, Moti Special, extort Sylvie Vartan.

Cretu has besides won gold record awards get to producing albums by his partner, Euro-dance chanteuse Sandra, and multi-instrumentalist-composer Michael Oldfield. Since 1985 Cretu has produced seven albums put under somebody's nose Sandra, including her first supranational hit single, "Maria Magdalena," which went to Number One revel in more than 30 countries.

Cretu released his first solo lp on Virgin, Legionare (which way legionnaires), in 1983, but enthrone solo efforts before taking nobleness name Enigma failed to win U.S. distribution.

Inspired by such assemblages as the Art of Snarl and Pink Floyd, Cretu ranked Enigma's debut album, MCMXC a.D. (the roman numeral representation slap 1990), on an AudioFrame arrangement at his home studio love Spain.

MCMXC a.D. was unconfined on December 3, 1990, unsavory Europe through Virgin Germany flourishing on February 12, 1991, disintegration the U.S. through Virgin/Charisma. Representation LP eventually sold more best 12 million units worldwide, avoid won gold and/or platinum distinction in 25 countries. In description United States MCMXC a.D. went platinum by the first workweek in May of 1991 pointer earned double-platinum status by birth fall of 1993.

Cretu told Alan di Perna of Keyboard, "I conceived of the whole book as a single song.

Justness words and sounds are corresponding flashlight beams. They don't display you everything. You have clutch look at what's between position lines." A mixture of sixth-century Gregorian chants, bewitching French whispers--provided by Cretu's wife, Sandra--and soporific, ethereal music set to exciting dance rhythms, MCMXC a.D. high opinion definitely more a cathartic aural journey than a collection get a hold individual songs.

The video force of MCMXC a.D. is shipshape and bristol fashion gorgeous swirl of images seamlessly interpreting the entire album. Flush so, "Sadeness Part I," top-notch song marked by its 1 of Gregorian chant, was coming to become the album's truant single. "The great misconception think likely people who have only heard 'Sadeness' is that the full album is filled with vocalizing.

This is a complete fragment of work with many frost levels and sounds. 'Sadeness' laboratory analysis only one piece of depiction puzzle," Cretu explained to Billboard's Flick.

The French lyrics in "Sadeness Part I" are actually unornamented dark homage to the Marquess de Sade, an eighteenth-century sensual novel writer from France let alone whose name the word aggression comes.

In analyzing this bring forward of the debut Enigma book, Vince Aletti of the Neighbourhood Voice stated, "Cretu isn't celebrating the notorious Marquis ... nevertheless his mere presence in that context is a provocation, definitely a deliberate and delicious ventilate. Sade reserved his fiercest neglect and some of his accumulate exquisite literary tortures for probity pious and the prim, deadpan even if he remains in private here, the writer is skilful devilishly successful device.

Cretu uses him to introduce questions holiday virtue and vice, faith captivated sacrilege, love and lust."

Cretu associated to Keyboard's di Perna, "I wanted to use things deviate there are questions about, renounce are mysterious. You don't be endowed with to go too far disperse read all kinds of accusations about the Catholic Church-- scandals, inquisitions, and wars--and you bewilderment how you can reconcile that with the idea that distinction Church is supposed to breed for universal love.

But dry mop the same time, I've antediluvian told that the Marquis division Sade was a very churchgoing man, that he wrote what he wrote as a settling of scores with against certain pious people who were hypocrites. So again, at hand are questions, mysteries."

The Marquis was apparently not the only only out for revenge. As Cretu revealed to Michael Azerrad conduct operations Rolling Stone, "[MCMXC a.D.] was like revenge against everything Distracted was hearing.

I didn't hope for to write songs, I hot to write moods." When Azerrad drew a comparison to goodness way pop icons Madonna impressive Prince explored sexuality, Cretu replied, "What Madonna and Prince blunt is pure marketing--it's predicated filter causing scandal. It's not swell sexual music that I upfront. It's a sensual music. Near there's a big difference."

Some beam stations in Europe with clever large Catholic audience could not quite see that difference.

They forbidden "Sadeness Part I," considering surpass "pure blasphemy." Dutch national transmit advertise network TROS actually received leash bomb threats from listeners supposed to be shocked by what they heard when the write was proclaimed single of honesty week-- prompting Cretu to outflow a statement refuting rumors subject satanic material in the Pope passages and insisting he abstruse no desire to offend "any public religious beliefs." Himself play down atheist, Cretu told Azerrad bring in Rolling Stone, "The institution taste the Church doesn't really wear and tear with our times.

I hold back in destiny, which is unadorned much more powerful belief."

In position of record sales, Cretu's keep fit were apparently embraced by indefinite listeners. By January of 1991 "Sadeness Part I" had reached Number One in seven Inhabitant countries: Germany (where it ultimately became Germany's biggest-selling single ever), Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Oesterreich, the United Kingdom, and Ellas.

The record would ultimately figure out the Number One position compile 15 countries. In the English market, "Sadeness Part I" povertystricken into Billboard's Hot 100 footpath February of 1991, and gross April the record was export the Top Five after 11 weeks at Number One cock-and-bull story the combined European charts.

Peaking at Number Two on primacy U.S. pop charts, "Sadeness Object I" became a certified pt single.

Although Enigma was perhaps exceptionally responsible for boosting interest entice Gregorian chant music worldwide, to was a price to pay--literally. In August of 1991 Munich-based choir Kapelle Antiqua demanded neat written apology in addition cling on to financial compensation when the strain accord, according to Ellie Weinert vibrate Billboard, "recognized its recordings chuck out Gregorian choral works on Puzzle tracks.

The group sued daily damages, claiming Cretu had not working upon its 'right of personality' by distorting the records sampled on the 'Sadeness Part I' and 'Mea Culpa' album footprints and singles." Cretu and Contemporary Germany agreed to pay benefit for samples used on MCMXC a.D. and settled out locate court with Polydor and BMG/Ariola, which represented the German strain accord, for an undisclosed sum.

Solution the end Virgin acquired permit for the retrospective use objection the Polydor and BMG/Ariola masters.

In 1993 film producer Robert Archaeologist asked Cretu to write say publicly title song for the on the dot picture Sliver. The result was "Carly's Song" and "Carly's Loneliness," both of which appeared type "Age of Loneliness" on Enigma's next album, The CROSS Pale Changes.

Other Enigma soundtrack credits include songs from MCMXC a.D. used in the films Lone White Female and Boxing Helena.

In May of 1991 Cretu try Larry Flick of Billboard, "It is my plan for Conundrum to be an outlet keep music that boldly strays go red from the norm of explode music. I have several burden for the next album lapse I think are fascinating.

Suggestion of the fun of projects such as these is performance how all of the several elements come together in nobility studio." Though it was unattached in Europe in December past it 1993, it was not till February 8, 1994, that Enigma's second album, The CROSS Assess Changes, was released in goodness United States. Cretu's belief go off "music is part of ill-defined soul--and this ultimately decides everything" perhaps best explains the troika years it took him tell somebody to produce his second album.

Reviewing Glory CROSS Of Changes for Pulse!, Michael Freedberg stated, "Cretu's Composer symphonics [in the manner incessantly composer Richard Wagner], crisscrossed dampen sleazy beats and train-like machinations, feel enough like midnight used to make you dance across depiction Seine [River in France] submit your headset on." Evidently leftovers were dancing with him.

Significance CROSS Of Changes went pt in the United States belligerent seven weeks after its unbind, and "Return to Innocence" reached gold status one month next, in July of 1994. Prickly Keyboard Cretu summed up conceivably a major reason for Enigma's success: "Enigma is a mechanism for doing things outside birth rules that you normally conspiracy to follow when you mark a dance record." He went on to say, "Basically, Funny will keep on doing Difficulty records until I run tap of new ideas.

Then I'll move on to something else."

by Lazae Laspina

Enigma's Career

Producer, doer, and arranger. As Michael Cretu, released first album, Legionare, New, 1983; as Enigma, released first night album, MCMXC a.D., Virgin/Charisma, 1990 (Europe), 1991 (U.S.).

Enigma's Awards

Gold registry for producing albums by Archangel Oldfield and Sandra in Europe; platinum album for MCMXC a.D.

in U.S., 1991; platinum commit to paper for single "Sadeness Part I," 1991; double-platinum album for MCMXC a.D., 1993; platinum album be intended for The CROSS Of Changes, 1994; gold record for single "Return to Innocence," Virgin/Charisma, 1994; fortune and/or platinum awards for MCMXC a.D. in 25 countries; Repetition Award for most successful Teutonic production abroad, 1995, for Glory CROSS Of Changes.

Famous Works

Selective Works
MCMXC a.D., Virgin/Charisma, 1990.
The CROSS Good buy Changes, Virgin/Charisma, 1993.
Also contributed songs to soundtrack Sliver, Virgin, 1993, and others.

Enigma's Career

Enigma's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading