Experimental/Electronic charts

Review: French composer Jean-Michel Jarre, world renowned for pioneering electronic music on a grand scale, emerges here in his formative years, already pushing at the edges of sound. Created in 1972 while working at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales, this early studio project captures a young innovator experimenting with an EMS VCS3 and a Farfisa organ. Tracks like 'Music Box Concerto' and 'Synthetic Jungle' weave eerie melodies into mechanical rhythms, while 'Rain Forest Rap Session' and 'Exasperated Frog' embrace playful abstraction. Jarre himself called it a "pirate record," assembled in his student room and smuggled from GRM's studios after hours. A raw, unfiltered glimpse into his early creative instincts, it foreshadows the expansive, cinematic style that would later define his career.

Review: Originally released in 1984, this album remains one of the most experimental and groundbreaking albums in electronic music with Jarre's fans including everyone from Jeff Mills to Eno and Depeche Mode's Martin Gore. With its fusion of cutting-edge sampling techniques and rich, multicultural vocal work, the album stands out as a pivotal moment in both Jarre's career and in the history of music production. For its 40th anniversary, the album has been reissued in a remastered edition, with a bonus track, 'Moon Machine', making it an ideal time to revisit its timeless innovation. The album utilizes the Fairlight CMI sampler to manipulate vocal samples from over 25 languages, creating a truly unique soundscape. Tracks like 'Ethnicolor' and 'Diva' exhibit Jarre's use of avant-garde techniques, blending musique concrete influences with electronic textures and vivid, expressive vocals from artists like Laurie Anderson. The album's surreal qualities are further enriched by its diverse use of genres and influencesifrom the haunting 'Ethnicolor 1' to the funky, upbeat groove of 'Zoolookologie'. Though Zoolook diverges from the atmospheric, space-themed sound of Oxygene and Equinoxe, its experimental nature and complex structure push boundaries and make it an essential listen. While some tracks, like 'Woolloomooloo' and 'Blah Blah Kafe', slow the pace, they provide a contrast to the more intense moments, rounding out the album's broad, eclectic emotional range. Ultimately, Zoolook is a landmark in blending technology, culture and sound, and this anniversary edition is a fitting tribute to an album that helped shape the future of electronic music.

Review: Second time around for Jean-Michel Jarre's 2022 album Oxymore, a loving tribute to French composer and 'music concrete' pioneer Pierre Henry. As the title suggests, this version features new remixes of album tracks (all of which feature sounds originally created by Henry) by a disparate group of musical talents. That makes for an interesting mix of interpretations, with armin Van Buuren's sizable trance translation of 'Epica' rubbing shoulders with a trippy, off-kilter electro take on 'Sex In The Machine' by Nina Kraviz, a moody Martin Gore interpretation of 'Brutalism', Irene Dresel's raw techno revision of 'Zeitgeist Botanica', and ambient pioneer Brian Eno putting his spin on 'Epica'.

Review: He might be in the autumn of his career but Jean Michel Jarre remains an innovator in the field of electronic music. His last album in 2022, Oxymore, was another pioneering exploration of rhythm and sound that has now been reworked alongside a series of collaborators all picked by the man himself. The nine-track selection brings wholly new perspectives to the originals which he calls "a vibrant collection of musical dialogues." An immediate standout for us is the track with Nina Kraviz which is crunchy, distorted minimal techno, while 'Epica Extension' with Brian Eno is laced up with otherworldly melodies. A great work from a mix of great artists.

Review: Allegedly one of the first ever records to make use of sampling, Jean-Michel Jarre's seventh album Zoolook brought with it a unique vibe, one well worth looking back on in light of its latest Sony reissue. In terms of notoriety, Zoolook pales in comparison to the electronic music crackerjack's 1976-8 heyday, which saw to both Oxygene and Equinoxe; but this is understandable, as Zoolook came much later, and sacrificed the grandiose mood of otherworldly space-awe for an eerier menage of playful factory hits and cacophonous dance hubbubery. Perhaps this sound - a jankier one that grew in popularity in the mid 80s - was driven by Jarre's use of the Fairlight CMI workstation and sampler, an example of a piece of gear that had the power to define an entire sound. We'd venture to say that the titular "Zoolook" is a kind of gaze that, by virtue of us living in a machine society, makes animals of us all.

Review: This is surely one of the most classic electronic albums of all time and an oft-referenced inspiration for countless new generations of electronic music producers. It remains a pioneering masterpiece almost 50 years after its original release in 1976 which is why it now gets reissued once more. The album's six interconnected tracks evoke themes of space, nature and environmental fragility which make it as emotionally stirring as it is sonically innovative. Highlights like 'Oxygene Part IV' showcase Jarre's ability to create timeless, hypnotic rhythms that transcend genres and make this a visionary work demonstrating the enduring power of minimalistic yet deeply atmospheric composition. A true landmark in the history of sound design.

Review: Arriving five years after his seminal Oxygene long player, Jean-Michel Jarre's Les Chants Magnetiques again showcases his mastery of synths and his innovative approach to electronic composition. The album's five tracks weave a tapestry of pulsating rhythms, shimmering melodies and experimental textures that reflect Jarre's fascination with the interplay of nature and technology. 'Magnetic Fields Part II' and its infectious sequencer-driven groove became a standout hit while other parts explore ambient and avant-garde realms. Looking back now, the album bridges the gap between the cosmic explorations of Oxygene and Equinoxe and the emerging digital soundscapes of the 80s.

Review: The original soundtrack composed and performed by Jean Michel Jarre for the 1973 French movie 'Les Granges Brulees' (The Burned Barns), directed by Jean Chapot, hears a reissue. The soundtrack was originally released in 1973 by Eden Roc and features experimental electronic music influenced by Jarre's work at the G.R.M (Groupe de Recherches Musicales). Now re-released by Transversales Disques, its various concrete meanderings and mysterious polyrhythmic resonances continue to beguile.