Pioneering electronic music producer Jean-Michel Jarre has released Equinoxe Infinity, a new album of music that continues themes he explored 40 years ago on his classic album Equinoxe.
The new album is “Equinoxe on steroids,” according to Jarre.
This album is not intended to be a direct follow-up to the 1978 Equinoxe, but rather “a meditation about the ‘Watchers’ illustrated on the original’s album cover”.
Here’s what Jarre has to say about the new album:
“The ‘Watchers’ on the Equinoxe cover have always fascinated me,.
I thought about what might have happened to these creatures in the four decades that have passed. I asked myself too what might happen to them in the 40 years to come. So, I started developing ideas for the artwork of the new album even before starting the recording sessions.
I came across an artist called Filip Hodas on Instagram and asked him if he would be interested in designing two cover versions based on my vision for the record.”
With this in mind, the new album is available with two different covers, reflecting two possible futures. “Equinoxe Infinity is conceived as the soundtrack for both scenarios,” says Jarre.
Equinoxe Infinity is available now on Digipack CD, Standard CD and vinyl, while the Ultimate Project Boxs et holds both the original Equinoxe album and new Equinoxe Infinity on Replica Vinyl CDs, 180g heavyweight Vinyl, Scratchcard for digital download and posters.
Jarre shared this video, looking at the making of the new album:
Equinoxe Infinity Preview:
Lets hope it’s better than Oxygene III… 8-/
@ Coco
# I forwarded my suggestions to improve Oxygene 3rilogy.
Centred primarily on the first track.
There were minor adjustments to the others tracks I suggested as well.
# @ Coco : you need to be more analytical, more specific than making a blanket statement dissing a body of work.
Say you uploaded an album to Synthtopia, YouTube and people completely dissed it with a blanket statement.
Otherwise your comment is to be dismissed.
You are to be dismissed.
# Re: Equinoxe Infinity
There are gorgeous passages of composition.
There is brilliant synthesis all through layer upon layer
weaving analogue CS80, Modular Roland 500, Eurorack Erica synths
with Digital Teenage Engineering OP1, Nord Modular
Virtual Animoog app, NI Reaktor.
JmJ does this layering weaving blending beyond any other synthesists around.
There is fun humour there is emotion there is sensitivity.
There is a narrative there is a story telling.
# Nevertheless some adjustments improves things in some trakcks where improvement required Equinoxe Infinity :
I forwarded my suggestions
nope! rather just listen to Toxygene
Kris Weston (a.k.a. Thrash) left The Orb in 1994.
The Orb’s best stuff owed lots to Kris.
After Kris we can hear the nosedive from The Orb.
Toxygene 1998 just one example nosedive.
Kris rates JmJ extremely highly.
As does Richard Aphex Twin.
Nope! Rather take their opinion over yours.
and that’s why they wanted to do a remix of oxy, nah never mind, if you don’t get it, what’s the point.
Kris Weston said words to the affect : Alex Patterson is a Class A Pratt with little creativity.
Alex Patterson was being a biatch.
He wanted to put Charlotte Rampling on Toxygene cover.
Really ? What if some one put our ex on a cover to take the p”ss.
Kris left years before he would never put up with this.
Nevertheless JmJ forgave Alex and Alex was on Electronica album : Switch on Leon.
Once electronic musicians spend time with JmJ they realise they are hanging onto JmJs coat tails.
This includes current orb members, current tangerine dream members , Gary Newman, Robert Del Naja ( Massive Attack), Air, Hans Zimmer.
It’s a very good album. Best since Oxy 7-13.
The most successful albums of the past 5 years made use of the Wobbulator.
First thing that popped-in to my head when I listened to the soundcloud previews… it sounds cinematic. Then I watched the video above where he describes the departure from previous norm of music before visuals.
Sounds more like “Magnetic Fields” on steroids.
I’m quite fond of JMJ, but he hasn’t had much in terms of ideas since 1984, and most of his product since then has been not good. Some, like “Electronica”, was excrutiating. He thrived creatively in the limitations of the equipment of the 70s and early 80s, but then lost the thread. This just sounds like a lot of noodling and DAW layering with some retro elements and quotations from the earlier work.
So a guy who created his own style of electronic music early on in his career, has to come up with a new style every so often to please you?
It’s like calling out Picasso for painting like .. Picasso. smh
No, it’s like calling out Picasso for repeating his early “rose period” over and over: no blue period, no cubism, no Demoiselles d’Avignon, no Guernica. Just that same rose period stuff. Over and over.
No Dave its like calling out Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Led Zeplin, Prince, for making same types of music over and over.
Before posting a comment without appreciation of an artists diverse body of work you need to step back.
Look at your own body of work.
Are you sure you irony detection circuits are OK?
I am with you. The original albums where iconic concerning the ideas and sounds, and they where concept albums following a guiding line.
His newer works sound like noodling for pop/techno songs or like trying to copy his vintage work with plugin presets.
@Wok
Natural ability JmJ synthesis always been weaving sounds in and out,
“cooking” with many synthesis ingredients.
Isao Tomita only other synthesist to match this.
This natural synthesis Cleverness, Brilliance Equinoxe Infinity has in abundance.
Admin: Personal attack deleted.
Keep comments on topic and constructive.
@Martin
Martin look at every musician you can think of : what ideas have they had.
How many new ideas , diverse ideas have they had.
You need only look at your own music to realise this
There is Nothing new Nor diverse under the sun any longer.
Every musician we can think of is doing what they once did.
Re : Noodling : listen to most modular synth uploads , analogue synth uploads.
Noodlings all of them.
You should upload your noodlings.
Re Equinoxe Infinity :
If you cannot appreciate the diverse sounds analogue Cs80 for instance with digital JmJ blends seemingly effortlessly
Something JmJ does beyond any other synthesists
then its you not the music that’s amiss.
He can’t match even his worst classics. 🙂
Looks like he picked up right where he left off, this album sounds exactly like classic Jarre to me. I would expect nothing less from the master. Almost like being transported to the 1980’s but with better sound quality. Nice.
Well,I’m a big fan,but this is not was I expecting 🙁
Admin : some here are making personal attacks against JmJ
( also attacks against other musicians on other articles)
Why don’t you delete these personal attacks.
Why have you deleted my post responding to these personal attacks.
Admin you need to fix your policy on personal attacks :
such that No poster makes personal attack against any artists.
A fight erupts on Synthtopia over JMJ’s new album. I see slapping, kicking and punching. I am listening to the album… I sit on the fence and try not to fall off.
I’ve always been a big fan of JMJ and held the greatest respect for him, but sorry to say his recent works haven’t been that impressive. I find that even though music technology has accelerated rapidly, his works haven’t really evolved since the early 1990s and somehow sound ‘stuck-in-time’. However, no one here could ever achieve what he’s done and this isn’t an attack, just being constructive and honest.
@ Polarsequence
I been listening to Electronic Musicians from 1990s to now.
Pretty much every genre EM.
Been listening to recent released from Gary Newman, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers :
same stuff as they once did. Brilliant at it.
Aside from Beat Heavy stuff, intentionally Dark stuff
JmJ already done years earlier in some shape or form nearly every other EM genre.
Is the fountain dry at 70.
I don’t know what happens even we reach 50 :
I’m sure creative juices are nowehere near our teens 20s 30s.
Young “guns” are the ones with the flow.
Still listening to young guns uploads on synthopia, YouTube
they are derivatives of what JmJ, TDream, Vangelis, Kwerk, Klaus Schultze, Kitaro did.
Re: Equinoxe Infinity.
I’m listening closely to JmJ blending many synthesis elements analogue, digital, virtual.
This JmJ does beyond any synthesist except Isao Tomita early 1970s may he rest in peace.
This from JmJ is most impressive to my synthesist ears Equinoxe Infinity.
I haven’t heard anyone around capable of doing this.
@ Polarsequence
Re : Utilising Advances in tech to make impressive music
# Young guns are utilising latest tech to do derivates of JmJ, TDream, Vangelis, Kwerk, Kitaro, Klaus Schultze.
# Software does crazy impressive shizzle.
However personal input is merely moving mouse cursor, touching screen.
I did an EM album in one afternoon on software.
# Eurorack does mad impressive stuff.
But we just plugging things in out, turning dials, pressing buttons.
Straightforward to do an album impressive Eurorack in 1hr.
Anyone competent should be able to do this.
Synthtopia, YouTube tonnes of impressive Eurorack noodlings.
Here’s JmJ on Erica Synths Eurorack with Kodek from Erica synths doing the beats
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FlK4IT2xKXU
16.05 noodlings start.
Walk in the park for JmJ.
# However I found it Far Harder to do a structured themed album in the classic style of JmJ.
Many synthesis elements layering blending weaving in and out of each other is pretty formidable.
# Equinoxe Infinity is a structured themed album.
Bending weaving layering diverse synthesis elements setting JmJ apart from any other synthesists around (analogue CS80, Modular Roand 500, Eurorack Erica with digital TeenageOp1 Nord with virtual Reaktor, Animoog)
along with impressive experimentation in the background Equinoxe Infinity.
All in the service of structured themes.
# Whereas I would and perhaps others would taken easy way out :
bypass structured themes, bypass blending weaving layering diverse synthesis elements,
just put advances in Tech “experimentation” at forefront to show how “impressive” “experimental” we are.
Sonically it’s very good. The melodies are rather weak however. This means that the notes variability within the melody is quite high: you could change most of the notes with others and the music would remain the same. To tell you the truth, the last time I heard a song from JMJ which had an interesting melody was in 1997 with Oxygene 8.
I liked it. I listened to it several times, back to back and each time it grew on me. I think more than Oxygene III. Let’s hope he has his mojo back with this sort of avante garde electronic music that originally got me into synthesizers, and he is more creative in the future.