Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre’s 22nd studio album is conceptually his most ambitious and groundbreaking to date. ‘OXYMORE’ is the first commercial release of this scale which fully utilises multichannel and binaural sound (spatial 3D), with Jarre not just producing, but also composing and recording and mixed in audio 360 in the “Innovation” studios of Radio France.
‘OXYMORE’ is the first recording project of its scale, entirely conceived and composed in multi channel and binaural formats. The album is designed to give the listener the impression that they are actually in the room with the performers or instruments.
The project launched a groundbreaking new virtual reality universe known as ‘OXYVILLE.’ live performances in spatial audio were held at Palais Brongniart, Paris, on October 23, 24 and 25, and via livestream VR & 2D.
He explains: “In real life stereo does not exist, our audio field is 360 degrees. Today, technology allows us to explore composition in spatial audio and that opens a whole new experience for us musicians in the creative process. Music will be more easily experienced by anyone with regular headphones or the new generations of sound systems, offering a more physical and natural way of listening to sound and music in full immersion.”
‘OXYMORE’ is a tribute to the French roots of electronic music which has had a major influence on the music production of the genre over the years. It’s also an homage to the late French composer Pierre Henry, at the origin of Musique Concrete with Pierre Schaeffer, with whom Jarre had been intending on collaborating for Jarre’s GRAMMY-nominated project album ‘Electronica’. Henry was an iconic figure in electronic and classical music, and one of Jarre’s influences at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) where he studied. Since his death in 2017, Henry’s widow provided Jarre with original sounds which had been intended for use in this collaboration.
The Music encompasses a journey back-and-forth between analogue and digital sounds. Jarre explains: “Pierre’s work inspired me for Oxymore and working around some soundbites of his led me down a creative path that I may not have taken otherwise. I chose some of his sounds precisely from one track to another. Oxymore is also a tribute to the French way of approaching modern music, electroacoustic music, and my early studies at the GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales) where Pierre definitely influenced the future of electronic music worldwide, along with Pierre Shaeffer.”
Jarre’s new project is inspired by the French “musique concrete” movement, which is a type of music composition that uses recorded sounds as raw material. The movement was first developed in the 1940s and went on to revolutionize the way music is produced. With ‘OXYMORE’, Jarre takes this concept and reinvents it with the tools of today. “I always thought that musique concrete, or electro-acoustic music, actually had heavy and delicate aspects,” he expands. “So, in Oxymore, I tried to include those two elements; Pierre Henry’s music, and electroacoustic music. As a kind of oxymoron, it stands on the pillars of delicate, intricate, subtle sounds and stronger, forceful, raw sounds.”
Each single taken from ‘OXYMORE’ will later be accompanied by remixes or reworks by a mix of well-known and up-and-coming artists and producers. The album’s first single, ‘BRUTALISM’ has been reworked in collaboration with Martin Gore and Deathpact, and further collaborations will be announced in due course, notably with Brian Eno and more.
As part of the immersive project, Jarre is also launching ‘OXYVILLE’, a VR world which accompanies the album release, providing a digital stage for him to perform the album live in VR. “OXYVILLE is a virtual music city where I am going to perform from time to time. And in the future I wish to invite other artists to be a part of it, as well as hold masterclasses and other events. I also want it to become a sandbox for new music experiences,” he explains. Jarre is no stranger to pushing boundaries when it comes to VR and the metaverse, having recently performed ‘Welcome To the Other Side’, a groundbreaking livestream broadcast worldwide from a virtual Notre Dame in Paris on New Year’s Eve, 2021; U.S. touring & live entertainment trade publication Pollstar stated that the livestream attracted record breaking audiences of over 75 million viewers worldwide across various platforms, television and VR.
To celebrate the launch of the album, Jarre performed ‘OXYMORE’ live in 360 spatial audio at the prestigious Palais Brongniart in Paris, in partnership with GL Events, to a selected audience at exclusive, invitation-only events between 23 and 25 October. The concert of 24 October was be live and available on invitation to the world in VR within Jarre’s own custom built and designed Metaverse ‘OXYVILLE’. The VR Chat was in partnership with VRROOM, and simultaneously livestreamed in 2D across the artist’s social media channels accessible to all via their individual devices.
Jean-Michel Jarre has always been a futurist in his field. Throughout his illustrious career, the composer, performer, producer, and cultural ambassador has continued to break new ground with his music and his mastery of creative innovation. From his early pioneering role in electronic music, his use of multi-channel audio technology and production, to his recent explorations into the realms of VR performance and the metaverse, technology is at the forefront of everything he does. He is quoted as claiming that “today is the most exciting time to create, to make music, and to share across so many mediums.”
Jarre is also a UNESCO ambassador for education, science and culture, an unconditional defender of the planet and the environment and Laureate of the Stephen Hawking Medal for scientific communication.
Jarre’s current catalog, which now includes 22 studio albums, has generated sales of more than 85 million worldwide to date, and earned him countless awards and nominations. Throughout his career, Jarre has taken as canvas, some of the most iconic landmarks and UNESCO World Heritage sites around the globe for his creative, cultural and environmental message. He has also set new Guinness World Records for live audience attendance at concerts in several emblematic locations. He was the first western musician to be invited to perform in China, and has also created and performed concert-events at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Sahara Desert, the Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square, the Eiffel Towerand the Dead Sea. He has consistently sold-out arena and stadium tours across the continents, as well as performing at major festivals including Coachella. In 2021, he rang in the new year with ‘Welcome To The Other Side’, a groundbreaking livestream broadcast worldwide from a virtual Notre Dame in Paris. U.S. touring & live entertainment trade publication US Pollstar states that the livestream attracted record breaking audiences of over 75 million viewers worldwide across various platforms, including television and VR.
Ever the innovator, Jean-Michel Jarre’s desire to shape the future leaves little room for nostalgia
Prog Magazine
‘OXYMORE’ is out now. The album is available as CD, Double Vinyl and digital in Stereo, Binaural, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos. The physical product includes a code to access the highest quality Binaural master as intended by Jean-Michel Jarre when producing the album.
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