Album Review: Jean-Michel Jarre – Electronica 1: The Time Machine
2 min read
French electronic mastermind Jean-Michel Jarre stands as one of electronic music’s most influential and important artists, having churned out tunes of the genre for 40+ years and having sold an estimated 80 million albums as of 2004 can back that statement up. Jarre has returned with his 18th studio album Electronica 1: The Time Machine, a collection of tracks featuring collaborations with artists representing different generations of electronic music, such as Moby, Vince Clarke, Pete Townshend, Tangerine Dream and more.
The world of Jean-Michel Jarre is a wondrous world indeed, and working as closely as he did with other influential artists of electronic music has only reinforced his vision. From the dark depths of the eerie The Time Machine (with Boys Noize) to the intriguing and fast paced two-parter Automatic (with Vince Clarke), listeners are in for a hell of a ride. Little Boots lends her voice and poppy touch to IF!…, one of the more fun and mainstream tracks on the album.
Suns Have Gone features Moby and is quite an astmospheric track, while Jarre and Tangerine Dream’s creation Zero Gravity is loaded with edgy sounds and a mysterious environment, something you could easily hear in a sci-fi film. Much like its title, Watching You sounds a little creepy in parts, especially with its distorted vocals and heavy beat. From beginning to end Electronica 1 is an experience.
Jean-Michel Jarre reminds us of how relevant he still is in the electronic genre, Electronica 1: The Time Machine easily has you hooked right through, especially if you are a fan of Jarre’s work and really appreciate what he’s done for the genre. There was not one sound out of place and each track was delivered with passion and purpose, not one song sounded like it didn’t belong and that is a feat.
