Career
Initially a drummer with The Agitation, later renamed Agitation Free, his primary focus eventually shifted to keyboards and synthesizers as the group moved away from its psychedelic rock origins. While he was not the first musician to use an analog sequencer, he was probably the first to turn it into a live performance instrument, thus laying the rhythmic foundation for classic Tangerine Dream pieces and indeed for the whole Berlin school sound. After leaving Tangerine Dream, his only live concert was on 9 October 1991 at the Astoria Theatre in London.
He performed on stage with Edgar Rothermich (aka Richard East Roth) who is also his producer and engineer on all his solo projects and film music after 1990.
Franke moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue film work. In 1995 he scored the American Film Institute short, Requiem.
He may be best known for composing the music for the science fiction television series Babylon 5, as well as the score of the anime movie Tenchi Muyo! in Love and in 2005 the music for German musical Ludwig² (with Konstantin Wecker).