On The Road Again: Jean-Michel Jarre "Equinoxe Infinity (EU, Digipak, Columbia, 19075876442)"

lunes, 25 de mayo de 2020

Jean-Michel Jarre "Equinoxe Infinity (EU, Digipak, Columbia, 19075876442)"

Equinoxe Infinity is the twentieth studio album by French musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released on 16 November 2018 by Columbia Records. It is the sequel to his fourth studio release, Équinoxe (1978), released forty years prior. The artwork was designed by Filip Hodas based on the work of Michel Granger, who also designed the original album.

Jarre used both analog and digital instruments for this album. At first he was going to use the analog instruments that he used in Équinoxe, but then he changed his mind "because if I was once again the young guy I was when I began that LP 40 years ago, I would use the instruments available today." Among the instruments he used was the prototype of a small synthesizer that Jarre discovered on Kickstarter called the granular GR-1 made by the company Tasty Chips Electronics. This instrument was used to process a child's voice giving him a surreal and technological look on the track "If the Wind Could Speak (movement 5)". Jarre explained that he intentionally shortened it to make a link to "Band In The Rain" (from Équinoxe Part 8) from the 1978 album.

Jean-Michel asked an artist from Prague named Filip Hodas to make two covers based on Michel Granger's design, Le trac for the original álbum, one in green and blue to symbolize a peaceful and harmonious future, and another that reflects a more apocalyptic and dystopian world. "The album is the soundtrack to both these futures, with some parts sounding more uplifting and poppy and others more dark."

Aaron Badgley of The Spill Magazine wrote that "What Jarre does on this album, which makes it so great, is to develop a somewhat retro sound. This is electronic music from the ‘70s, with a little technology from today, and it adds to the overall album."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jean-Michel Jarre.