eMusic

Start Your Trial

Equinoxe

by

Jean Michel Jarre

 
Equinoxe
view larger image View Larger

Rate it!

Avg: 4.5 (66 ratings)

The massive follow-up to Oxygène.

  • We Say...

    Review by Chris Roberts

    In 1978 this is what everyone imagined the future would sound like. Frenchman Jarre (son of soundtrack composer Maurice Jarre) followed up his 1977 monster-seller Oxygène with a similar wash of bubbling synths and pulsating electronic soundscapes. This time he introduced more rhythmic, dynamic elements and sequenced bass lines, but the overall feel remains one of aspiration, as if he’s striving to capture every mind-boggling science-fiction concept he’s ever read or seen and sculpt a glowing sonic equivalent.

    It’s customary to downplay his pioneering influence nowadays: as he’s sold over 80 million albums (over 10 million with Equinoxe alone), he doesn’t receive the critical reverence granted to the more enigmatic, elusive likes of Kraftwerk or even Tangerine Dream. Yet Jarre brought the genres of “electronica,” “ambience” and “New Age synth-pop” to the populace before those terms had even been coined. An obsessive customiser of equipment, he used over a dozen synths on this opus. Sure, some of the noises and whooshes seem primitive or showy now, but his influence has been far-reaching. Like Mike Oldfield or later Giorgio Moroder, he was sneered at by purist punks, but was, given the tools of the day, genuinely exploring and attempting to push the sonic envelope, rather than shouting about what should NOT be done.

    There’s a concept of sorts to Equinoxe: although wordless, it follows, in eight parts, a human’s passage from dawn to night. Parts 4 and 5 were refrain-rich singles which have perhaps been devalued by being mimicked by every Olympics theme or NASA documentary accompaniment since. His inventions have sometimes, in lesser hands, been mashed to clichés. The '80s drew good and bad from his templates. Equinoxe however remains a captivating, enchanting journey. The man fully deserves the fact that an asteroid has been named after him.

  • They Say...

    Review by Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide

    As the follow up album to Oxygene, Equinoxe offers the same mesmerizing affect, with rapid spinning sequencer washes and bubbling synthesizer portions all lilting back and forth to stardust scatterings of electronic pastiches. Using more than 13 different types of synthesizers, Jarre combines whirling soundscapes of multi-textured effects, passages, and sometimes suites to culminate interesting electronic atmospheres. Never repeating the same sounds twice, it is obvious that the science fiction hype of the late 70's played a large part in the making of this album. Computerized rhythms and keyboard-soaked transitions scurry by, replaced by even quicker, more illustrious ones soon after. There is always a pulsating beat or a fluttering tempo happening somewhere in each of the tracks, which are titled as a numbered sequence one to eight. Each track harbors its own energy and electronic fleetness, but none are identical in sound or pace. So much electronic color is added to every track that it is impossible to concentrate on any particular segment, resulting in waves of synth drowning the ears at high tide.

  • You Say...

    Write a Review

    I would like to say...

    Artist: Jean Michel Jarre

    Album: Equinoxe

    Review Title: (maximum 50 characters)

    Your Review: (maximum 1,000 characters)

    Cancel

    Please keep your comments to the recordings themselves, and be courteous and respectful. Thanks! For further info, read our Community Guidelines.

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.