The numbers attached to Jean-Michel Jarre’s decades-long electronic music career are almost too large to comprehend.
The Frenchman – whose works include the wildly successful albums Oxygene (1976) and Equinoxe (1978) – has sold more than 80 million records since the release of his first solo album, Deserted Palaces, in 1972.
His live performances are the stuff of legend – and world records. He was responsible for two of the three biggest concerts in history, performing in front of 3.5 million people in Moscow 20 years ago, and to 2.5m in Paris on Bastille Day in 1990 – and, he says, one of his next concerts might well be in the UAE.
For all the success and accolades during his 45-year career, one thing missing is a Grammy. That could change tonight at the 59th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. He is nominated in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category for Electronica 1: The Time Machine. He faces competition from Flume, Tycho, Underworld and Louie Vega.
Speaking to The National in the run-up to the ceremony, Jarre said that "the nomination is an achievement, not only for me, but because all these fantastic collaborators were involved with the project. Without them, it would not have happened – so it is a double satisfaction".
Electronica, parts one and two, is the project that has defined Jarre's recent professional life. A comeback recording of sorts – his previous album of new material was released in 2007 – Electronica involved touring the world to work with the likes of Moby, Pet Shop Boys, Armin van Buuren, Laurie Anderson, Lang Lang, Primal Scream, Peaches and many others.
"I had no precise plan when I started Electronica," he says, "but I think it has been a very positive journey for me.
“Electronic musicians are quite like writers or painters. They are quite isolated in their home studios. We often don’t have that the opportunity to collaborate with that many people, like in rock or jazz.”
The fact that the project grew to more than 30 tracks across two albums, released a few months apart, is testament to Jarre’s influence and enduring pulling power with generations of artists. “It took me five years to complete because all the collaborators I had in mind said yes,” he says.
He has been variously described as the father of EDM, the godfather of ambient, trance and rave, and even the original superstar DJ. He has little interest in such labels.
“I leave everyone to have their own opinions of my music and my influence, or not, on others,” he says.
He is in no doubt, however, about the ever-growing reach of electronic music.
“If rock and roll was the music born in America that invaded the world, electronic music was born in Europe and then invaded the world,” he says.
"This is probably one of the reasons why Electronica has been nominated for the Grammys. It shows the fact that electronic music today has a legacy, has a family and has a future."
Electronica also spawned another project. In December, Jarre released Oxygene 3, a 40th anniversary follow-up to the album that made him a global superstar.
The germ of the idea was planted when a couple of the tracks he recorded for Electronica appeared more closely linked to Oxygene. His record company was also keen to celebrate the anniversary of the original album. This third instalment – there was also a 1997 sequel, Oxygene 7-13 – is billed as the closing chapter for the series. "There are a lot of series in literature, movies and on television but not that much in music," says Jarre. "I always thought that it would be interesting and fun in my life as a musician to create a series.
"I did the first one in six weeks and after this massive production for Electronica, I needed to go back to this minimalist approach of composition.
"Oxygene was recorded on an eight-track tape recorder and I did the same thing for the new one. I locked myself up in the studio for six weeks and I said I would never use more than eight elements at the same time during the recording process."
How did he approach creating a follow-up, 40 years later?
“This new album has two sides, one dark one and one more sunny and this is what makes the link with the first one – and also at the same time this minimalist approach, both technically and musically,” he says.
"When you listen to the first Oxygene, or the second one, today it doesn't sound dated. It's due to electronic sounds being so much in phase with our times. Today, electronic music is everywhere. Oxygene was one of the first, if not the first, popular electronic music album."
After the Grammys, Jarre, 68, will tour America. He completed a series of critically acclaimed arena and concert-hall dates in Europe last year.
“Playing in front of 200 people or 200,000 people, it is more or less the same thing,” he says. “It is the chemistry between two entities, the link between the audience and the stage – and this chemistry works or it doesn’t. It is very mysterious, very strange. It is not dependent on the number of people.”
His new show mixes throbbing, brooding electronic music plundered from his extensive back catalogue with a visual overload of graphics and effects. Even if the venues are smaller than they once were, the ambition on display in the new shows remains undimmed. He is, in short, still reaching for the stars.
“It is a kind of 3-D project without glasses, something very new that you have to experience live, because if you watch it on YouTube you can’t have a precise idea of what it is,” he says.
He has plans to bring his show to the UAE, and hints at something out of the ordinary happening soon.
This, he says, “would be the next step after the US. I would really like to be able to stage something really spectacular and special in the Emirates.”
nmarch@thenational.ae
SPECS
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
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The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.