
From The Guardian.
‘Hi-fi shops played it as an example of state-of-the-art music. I didn’t tell them I made it with Sellotape in my kitchen’

Jean-Michel Jarre, musician, composer
I played in rock bands as a teenager and would use a tape machine my grandfather gave me to get processed sounds out of my guitar. During the French student uprisings of 1968, this felt like a way of being rebellious. I loved it when people said: “What is this crap?” But by the mid-70s, I wanted to bridge the gap between experimental music and pop.
I had done production work for some rock artists, earning enough to set up a studio in my kitchen. I didn’t have much equipment, though, just a few guitar pedals and my first synthesiser, an EMS VCS3, which looked like a telephone exchange. I realised that using a Revox tape machine to delay the sound that came out of one loudspeaker created a huge sense of space.
With so little to work with, I had to be creative. My old Mellotron had only a few working keys, but I still managed to write Oxygène (Part II) on it. My primitive drum machine – a Korg Mini Pops – was the sort of thing people played in pubs, but by using Sellotape I could make it play two preset rhythms at the same time, creating cool beats. Part IV, which became iconic, was a mixture of “slow rock” and “rock” , while Part VI combined “rumba” and “bossa nova”.
Nobody knew about synthesisers back then. When I first heard Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, I thought they were a Californian band trying to imitate the Beach Boys. But I still saw Autobahn as a pop song with vocals – and I was into electronic music with no singing. Somehow, I wanted to link it all with nature and environmental issues. Then in an art gallery one day, I saw a painting of the Earth peeling away to reveal a skull and thought: “That’s the album cover!”
For the full article, please see The Guardian website.
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- Jean-Michel Jarre - Amazonia - Sealed - UK - 2-LP vinyl set - £26.99, $36.71, €30.23 (New Item) (arrived 09-Apr-2021 12:36)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Amazonia (2021 UK/EU double album black vinyl 2-LP - Amazonia is a music project with renowned award-winning photographer Sebastiao Salgado about the Amazonian Forrest. The exhibition is commissioned for the Philharmonic Paris, starting there on April 7th, with 52 minutes of brand new music composed by Jean Michel Jarre, especially to accompany the photos. The exhibition will then travel to other cities across the globe including Rome, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and London. Gatefold picture sleeve, factory sealed)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene - 2nd - UK - vinyl LP - £10.00, $13.60, €11.20 (New Item) (arrived 03-Apr-2021 12:32)
JEAN MICHEL JARRE Oxygene (Early 80s pressing of the 1977 UK 6-track vinyl LP - the mainstream breakthrough for the now-iconic French electronic instrumentalist/composer, containing the first six movements to the Oxygene piece. Certainly a must have for any electro fans... this is where it all began! The glossy picture sleeve shows little sign of wear & the vinyl looks barely played)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - The Essential Jean Michel Jarre - UK - vinyl LP - £10.00, $13.60, €11.20 (New Item) (arrived 23-Mar-2021 16:15)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE The Essential (1983 UK 14-track vinyl compilation LP featuring a collection of his much loved recordings. The picture sleeve & vinyl are in Excellent condition with just minor signs of wear or play PROLP3)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £10.00, $13.60, €11.20 (New Item) (arrived 04-Mar-2021 10:39)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Equinoxe (1978 UK 8-track vinyl LP featuring Parts One through to Eight of the classic title composition. The fully laminated picture sleeve shows just a little light shelfwear and the vinyl remains in excellent condition POLD5007)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene - French - vinyl LP - £20.00, $27.20, €22.40 (New Item) (arrived 15-Feb-2021 14:12)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Oxygene (1977 French 6-track vinyl LP, laminated picture sleeves with 'Disques Motors' logo on the back cover. The sleeve has only a few light storage marks whilst the vinyl is near 'as new')
- Jean-Michel Jarre - In Concert 1994 Dusseldorf - German - poster - Promo - £125.00, $170.00, €140.00 (Back In Stock) (arrived 12-Feb-2021 11:59)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE In Concert 1994 (Super rare 32" x 23" promotional-only fly poster for the concert at the Rhein Stadium, Dusseldorf. This event was cancelled amid concerns over Jean-Michel's lasers and lighting affecting the nearby airport! This stunning example was never actually pasted to a billboard or hoarding and remains unused, hence the incredible condition. A rare opportunity to acquire a highly desirable poster)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe - Glossy sleeve - UK - vinyl LP - £10.00, $13.60, €11.20 (New Item) (arrived 10-Feb-2021 11:06)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Equinoxe (1978 UK red label 8-track vinyl LP, the fourth album & second major release featuring some of the composer extraordinaire's most famous work, glossy picture sleeve. The sleeve shows minimal shelfwear & the vinyl looks barely played POLD5007)
- Jean-Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields - UK - vinyl LP - £15.00, $20.40, €16.80 (Back In Stock) (arrived 28-Jan-2021 15:08)
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE Magnetic Fields (1981 UK 5-track vinyl LP with red & purple labels, includes the epic 4-part title track, picture sleeve some signs of wear, however the vinyl looks barely played POLD5159)
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