Jean-Michel Jarre says “Electronica 2,” just out, is the culmination of his most ambitious project, spread over five years. The French musician, who has sold 80 million records starting with “Oxygene” in 1976, sits down for an interview and quietly speaks about his latest release, which is subtitled “The Heart of Noise” and has a long list of collaborators from Peaches to Gary Numan, and Cyndi Lauper to the Pet Shop Boys. The synthesizer star says he is also showing solidarity with Edward Snowden who makes an appearance on one track, “Exit,” to discuss computer privacy. Freedom is key, says the whistleblower: “If you don’t stand up for it, then who will?” The question is repeated over a pulsating throb of synths, while the video shows an endless vista of security cameras, cyber hackers and digital surveillance. So how did Jarre came up with such a wide-ranging list of collaborators? “They are artists who are a source of inspiration to me and linked in one way or another to the electronic scene and technology,” Jarre says. “I wanted to meet and collaborate with people, wherever they are, and so it became more or less an initiation journey for me as I moved to Germany, the UK and US, everywhere.” Jarre said he was surprised when everybody he asked to help said yes, and he ended up with 2 ½ hours of music which he divided into two albums. For each track, he started with a demo based on his impressions of the artist. He says of Pete Townshend, “He introduced synthesizers and sequencers into rock music with ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Who’s Next’ and he is the inventor of the rock opera as an art form, rather than just playing songs. When I was a young teenager, I had this fantasia of being in the Who!” The Townshend partnership proved to be one of the most fruitful. “When he opened the door, we became instant friends. The process was quite easy. I went with three different tracks and he said very quickly we could do a mini electro rock opera: ‘I can be your lyricist if you want, I could do some (imitates) dagger-dagger-dah guitar processed electronically.’ We had lots of fun making a 30 minute piece and I decided later to keep it as a stand-alone.” Some of this makes it onto “Electronica 1.” Jarre was also delighted to meet with many other artists who are known, like him, for their work in electronic music, from dance to ambient: he has Yello and the Orb on the new release, and Tangerine Dream last time. “Electronic music is a solitary activity. We have our home studios and we are not that used to sharing the creative process like a rock band or like jazz, so I’m really grateful for sharing the creative moments.” With Jarre hitting the road for festivals and a tour, he is convinced he can capture the sound in concerts. Some tracks are instrumental, he notes, and in others he can use samples, videos, or - where they are available – even team up with the original collaborator. He has discovered he shares some festival dates with Peaches, so watch this space. “I am an absolute fan of Peaches,” he enthuses. “I think that she is absolutely brilliant and she has a unique way of mixing rap electro-rock with the wild and burlesque. She is outrageous in her performance and lyrics but absolutely not vulgar. In days when everything is so politically correct and over controlled, it is so refreshing when music pushes boundaries. Very few people are doing this anymore these days.” Jarre – sporting a bright check coat, stubble and dark jeans – says he is enthusiastic about new music: “There are a lot of very exciting things out there. I like the idea that, now, more or less everybody can record a piece of music.” Of modern acts, he is impressed by the Fuck Buttons, and appalled that the group’s name gets a negative reaction: “I was at the BBC. We had to redo the interview because of the name. I said, ‘this is ridiculous - are we in the 1950s and McCarthy?’ But the first time I listened to the band I was absolutely blown away by the instant recognizable sound, I have never heard that before. The track we did together is really one of my favorite pieces of the project.” Jarre has come up with innovative concepts for many of his albums – the environmentalism of “Oxygene,” the samples from 25 languages on “Zoolook,” the documentary of “The Concerts in China,” the oceanic sweep of “Waiting for Cousteau,” the Stephen Hawking idea behind “Chronologie” – though this one is especially innovative. “If you have not convinced yourself that you have something new to say, or a new concept, then why are you doing albums?” he asks. “It is like a movie, you need the right script or right idea. That is the reason why sometimes it took me eight years to do a new album. I think all of these artists that I have worked with - we are all the same. We are all kind of obsessive geeks: You do this because you have no other choice it is not for fame or money; it is not that at all. You do it because you’re obsessed with something. It is like a drug really. You are addicted to it.” It is clear Jarre is more interested in looking forward then back. Asked which of his records he is most proud of, he responds: “Proud? I’m not sure if I am proud of anything I have done, frankly. It is not the right word… I’m not convinced about the value of what I’m doing (laughs). It is like when you look at yourself in the mirror you don’t know exactly what you see. So it is the same thing with my music, I am not someone revisiting my music, when it is done it is done.” Of “Electronica,” he adds: “I feel so honored that so many artists from different generations and origins who I respect all reacted the same way saying, ‘oh yes, we want to do that’ and had trust in me by saying ‘it is your project and we trust you to finish and to do whatever you think is best for the track.’ Maybe it was a way of saying that ‘if it’s not that good, it’s his album not mine!’ But seriously they were all happy and I’m really thankful.” “Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise” was released this month and “Electronica 1: The Time Machine” was released last October, both on Columbia. Jarre headlines festivals starting with Sonar in Barcelona, Spain, in June, with other dates across Europe in July. A European tour starts in October. Details and dates: http://jeanmicheljarre.com/
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