Electronica 1: The Time Machine

Un album moderno, un po' diverso dal solito, che tende molto verso la dance, con collaborazioni anche con il dj producer Armin Van Buuren.
I più tradizionalisti sicuramente potrebbero storcere il naso, ma rimane comunque un album molto curato e godibile, decisamente per un pubblico più giovane.

Un Jarre capace di ascoltare

Tony

Recensito in Italia il 11 novembre 2015

Per me Jarre era ed è l'album "Oxygene" e "Equinoxe", ma in questo disco ho potuto ritrovare l'esperienza di una vita messa a disposizione degli altri. Jarre è uno dei padri a cui la musica moderna deve molto, eppure ha avuto il coraggio di scendere un gradino guardandosi intorno, interpretando le tracce musicali di chi è venuto dopo di lui. Spesso in passato, secondo me, non aveva capito il messaggio e si è ritrovato a doversi cimentare in un compromesso storico musicale, rimanendone incagliato con sonorità grottesche e suoni campionati "maltrattati". Questa volta però, ci mette la faccia e riesce a mescolare sonorità legate a tutta la sua esperienza, accostandosi e amplificando l'ego di tutti i musicisti che incontra. E' in questo secondo me, che gli si deve riconoscere lo sforzo intrapreso in questo progetto, che dai presupposti non nasconde nulla all'ascoltatore, e pianta le buone premesse per l'evoluzione di un'idea, unica e originale che appartiene al passato, ma che non aspetta altro che esprimersi in futuro.....ci riuscirà?

5 persone l'hanno trovato utile

Il viaggio spazio-tempo dell' algoritmo francese

Rocco

Recensito in Italia il 9 ottobre 2016

Chapeau al maestro francese che con la modestia propria dei grandi ripercorre quarant'anni anni di sperimentazioni elettroniche con l' ausilio di tanti ospiti, illustri e meno illustri.
Una sorta di bignami della musica elettronica dal punto di vista di uno che ha contribuito all' evoluzione ed alla diffusione del genere. Grazie all' aiuto di protagonisti di oggi è di ieri, il Maestro rivisita le diverse espressioni del genere alla luce delle nuove tendenze e tecnologie.
Data la presenza di tanti ospiti il disco risente di una certa mancanza di omogeneità di fondo, ma ad eccezione della collaborazione con Little Boots, invero piuttosto debole, il risultato è estremamente godibile con punte d' eccezione ( Air, Moby, Clarke, Tangerine Dream ).
I vinili sono belli pesanti ed estremamente silenziosi, prestandosi in tal modo ad un ascolto ampiamente soddisfacente. Ottime le copertine interne, robuste e protettive.
Per chi come me ha vissuto l' epoca d' oro del vinile, l' ascolto con questo supporto continua a riservare un fascino del tutto particolare. E poi volete mettere l' ascolto della musica per eccellenza digitale su supporto analogico! Fascino senza m tempo. Thanks Master.

Una persona l'ha trovato utile

Mirko M.

5 Stelle perché ...

Recensito in Italia il 9 novembre 2015

Perché "il primo amore non si scorda mai", perché Jarre è Jarre, anche se adesso, purtroppo, non resta molto di quel Jarre che da ragazzo mi ha fatto amare la musica elettronica. Il disco è bello, le collaborazioni sono scelte bene, unica nota semi-negativa quella della Anderson, rifà il verso a "Diva - Zoolook", non so, mi sarei aspettato altro, la voce meriterebbe ben altri spazi.
Molto interessanti la collaborazione con Vince Clarke e carinissimo il pezzo con Little Boots.
C'è di tutto un po', forse esattamente quello che JMJ intendeva realizzare.
Ad ogni modo, nella collezione non poteva mancare.
Consigliato? Si, certo, è pienamente godibile e ben registrato, attendiamo il Vol.2 .

2 persone l'hanno trovato utile

Cliente Amazon

WoWOWOWOWOW

Recensito in Italia il 20 aprile 2016

Da vecchio Fan di Jean Mchel Jarre non posso che essere contento di questo album che dimostra quanto le sue sonorità fossero gia vanti negli anni 70 tant'è che i gioevani Dj e Musicisti con cui ha collaborato hanno attinto e personalizzato secondo i gusti di oggi, e anche i Musicisti più grandi come Vince Clark e l'indimenticabile Edgar Froese hanno realizzato dei bellissimi brani mettendo insieme i loro stile con quello di Jean Michel. e per non sbaglieare ho gia prenotato il volume 2 di Electronica!.

Una persona l'ha trovato utile

Adry

WlaME!

Recensito in Italia il 21 gennaio 2017

Avevo letto delle recensioni di alcuni critici riguardo questo disco. Questa gente dovrebbe cambiare mestiere.
OK, la multicollaborazione è una mossa commerciale ma la musica c'è. . Eccome!
Il mix degli stili con gli altri artisti si sente come ache il proprio (Jarresco)
Bellissimo. ..lo sto consumando aspettando che mi arrivi anche il secondo volume.
Amazon....OK . sempre nei tempi previsti .

Recensito in Italia il 30 ottobre 2015

Grandissimo Album, l ' ho comprato sia in vinile sia in C.D. erano quasi 9 anni che aspettavo questo Capolavoro, dopo la" SOLA " di Teo. Complimenti ad Amazon per la solita puntuale consegna, ma non per il prezzo del C.D.

Alessandro Salina

Album piacevole ma....

Recensito in Italia il 4 gennaio 2016

boh onestamente mi aspettavo di più da JMJ...un album ben fatto, suona bene, ma risulta essere poco omogeneo, una buona compilation.
Do solo 3 stelle perchè dopo averlo ascoltato più volte mi sono reso conto che non mi ha lasciato nulla.... insomma un buon disco, ma non rientrerà sicuramente tra i miei preferiti

Traduci tutte le recensioni in Italiano

Le recensioni migliori da altri paesi

Rose

Definitely different

Recensito in Canada il 13 novembre 2015

This is a very different Jarre and may not be for everyone - is what I originally wrote.
I must revise my original review and admit my error; Jarre is not easy listening, but that is exactly what I attempted to do the first time round. Since then I listened to the album several times, and I agree with the others, it is a contemporary masterpiece.
If you want the most enjoyment out of it, darken your room, sit down and do nothing, just listen and let the music carry you places.
Five out of five!!

Una persona l'ha trovato utile

Namir C. Shammas

SIMPLY THE BEST MUSICAL ALBUM rich with a collective genius of musicians

Recensito negli Stati Uniti il 23 ottobre 2015

I am a fan of JMJ from the 70s and have all his albums. I have been waiting for several years for a new album from JMJ. I almost gave up when I learned about Electronica 1 a few months ago. I must say that this album is THE BEST MUSICAL ALBUM ever published so far!! JMJ took the time to visit in person various electronic music artists to invite them to participate. The result is a collective genius work that is very rare to see, experience, and enjoy. This album is very rich in musical talents, bringing a wide variety of electronic music styles that appeared over several decades. It puts electronic music many bars higher that classical music. JMJ’s genius is twofold—his musical talents and vision of collaborative work. In my book, JMJ is the Beethoven of electronic music! In a world where people easily connect and work with each other using media and smart phones, JMJ has brought us the same spirit of musicians working closer. This album is a must for Jarre fans and for electronic music fans! I salute Jarre and each artist that lent his talents to this collective genius.

9 persone l'hanno trovato utile

Julien LERMITE

Enfin le retour de JMJ!

Recensito in Francia il 14 dicembre 2015

Je suis fan de Jean Michel Jarre depuis tout petit, à l'époque de 'Rendez-vous', 'Révolutions'. J'ai acheté tous les albums, je n'écoutais que lui.
Dans les années 90, les albums étaient tous bons, mis à part 'Odyssey'. Oxygène 7-13 reste pour moi son meilleur album. Dans les années 2000, mis à part Métamorphoses que j'ai vraiment adoré, plus rien... 'Sessions 2000', 'Géométry of love' que je considère non pas comme des albums mais somme des essais ratés, je me demandais ce que devenait mon artiste préféré.
Téo & Téa, assez moyen mis à part 2 ou 3 morceaux, et puis le vide pendant des années.

Lorsque j'ai vu le reportage sur Arte sur le nouvel album, j'étais impatient de découvrir ce que ça allait donner. Il y avait déjà 3 titres sur youtube qu'on pouvait écouter avant la sortie de l'album.

Dès sa sortie, je me le suis acheté (comme tous les autres albums d'ailleurs) , et dès les premières minutes, j'ai retrouvé le JMJ que j'aimais. La première partie de l'album est extraordinaire, on ne veut jamais sauter un morceau. La deuxième est plus inégale, quelques morceaux moyens et d'autres grandioses (Stardust, A question of blood). J'ai vraiment hâte que la 2ème partie sorte!

Je conseille vraiment cet album à ceux et celles qui ne reconnaissaient plus Jean-Michel Jarre depuis Métamorphoses. C'est une renaissance artistique, des morceaux variés, travaillés, un vrai plaisir. Et comme certains l'ont dit, cela m'a donné envie de découvrir des artistes que je ne connaissais pas avant cette collaboration.

Merci Jean-Michel pour ce travail fantastique!

7 persone l'hanno trovato utile

Punch

El esperado retorno de Jarre

Recensito in Spagna il 20 ottobre 2015

Con Electronica Jarre ha dado un golpe en la mesa y ha dicho "quieto parao, que vuelve Jarre". Muchos lo creíamos defenestrado artísticamente, y con razón, tras 15 años en los que discos menores aparte el lanzamiento importante fue ese sebo llamado Teo & Tea, grabación a la que seguro no le dedicaron más de un par de meses de trabajo, y mucho es para lo que salió. Durante años el pozo parecía seco y ya no tenía sentido esperar nada de él.
Ahora saca un disco de 68 minutos, cuando nos tenía acostumbrado a raciones de unos 40 minutos, que encima es sólo la mitad de lo que ha preparado en estos años. Por lo que cantidad tenemos. ¿Y la calidad?
Es la continuación perfecta de Metamorphoses, un estilo compositivo y de producción mas moderno, menos sinfónico, pero no por ello carente de un inconfundible sello jarrero en la mayoría de sus canciones; evidentemente no encontraremos al Jarre de Equinoxe ni de Rendez Vous, tiene un sonido más actual pero salvo en 3 ó 4 temas no me resulta difícil encontrar una fuerte personalidad de Jarre en las composiciones, los sonidos, los efectos...
Ninguna canción me ha parecido realmente mala, aunque por supuesto hay altibajos: el piano de lang lang no termina de encajar con la pieza y los 7 minutos de The Train & The River se hacen algo pesados, el trance de Van Buuren dilapida un tema que se intuye muy bueno sin el acompañamiento machacón, la versión usada de Conquistador es inferor a otra que hizo Jarre para un maxisingle, y el tema con Laurie Anderson, aún siendo bueno es el más flojo de las tres colaboraciones que suman ya estos dos. Pero son muchos más los picos épicos y emotivos del disco, plagado de auténticos TEMAZOS, con todas las letras. Hay claramente un enorme trabajo tras este proyecto, unas ganas de hacer las cosas bien, de no conformarse con algo resultón o normalillo, y sobre todo algo que le hacía falta a Jarre como el comer: ganas de explorar distintos caminos, de renovarse musicalmente y salir del largo parón creativo.
Por eso este disco no sólo llamará la atención del fan de toda la vida, sino que puede incluso gustar más al aficionado a la música que no tiene a nadie en el podio, que no tiene a Jarre como músico favorito y escucha cosas diversas, dada la orientación tan ecléptica que se le ha dado al disco.
Mención especial para el trabajo de ingeniería de sonido, la calidad en ese sentido es superior a todos los anteriores, ni siquiera precisa ecualización, tuve que quitarla, los sonidos están perfectamente diferenciados siendo tan cristalinos como potentes.
En definitiva, creo que estamos ante un disco que merece estar justo detrás de Oxygene, Equinoxe, Concerts in China y Zoolook (clásicos indiscutibles), lo que implica hacer morder el polvo a pesos pesados en su discografía.

10 persone l'hanno trovato utile

An Unalloyed Triumph

Recensito nel Regno Unito il 16 ottobre 2015

Jean Michel Jarre has not released an album of original material since 2007's Teo and Tea, an album whose reception was, to say the very least, mixed. Even Jarre himself seems to have ambivalent feelings about it, thinking of it almost like a mid-life crisis during an intensely turbulent period in his personal affairs.

Now, after nearly five years of work and preparation comes Electronica: vol 1 The Time Machine. Let's dispense with any contrived sense of suspense immediately: this is a good album. A very good album indeed. The main reason why is that it's surprising, and takes some creative risks, which is unusual, not to mention refreshing, for an artist at this stage of his career. It also says something about the overdue appraisal he seems to be getting that the list of collaborators on this album are pretty much top- league players, with some big names in there, as well as some hip young guns.

For an album like this, perhaps the best way to talk about it is by looking at each track individually. So here goes:

The Time Machine (Boys Noize)
In all honesty, I don't know much about Boys Noize, but I do like this track. There are, as in a few other pieces here, subtle (or not so subtle) callbacks to earlier Jarre works, so there there are hints of the early parts of Oxygène, Equinoxe and sounds that are reminiscent of Rendezvous's laser harp.

Glory (M83)
Glory was the first track to surface when the album was announced. And at the time it felt joyful, but a little slight. Now, in its rightful place in the running order on the album it sits perfectly. The chanting chorus that hits you is one of the Jarre hallmarks: the killer hook! There are a few of them on this album.

Close Your Eyes (Air)
A personal favourite. During interviews Jarre has said that Air, like him, do electronic music in a very French, impressionistic way, coming from the influences of composers like Debussy and Satie. This track confirms that, with its ever so slightly mournful piano and a progression of sounds (starting with simple oscillators, to a sound produced by an iPad to close) woven together from the history of electronic music. It's stately, ethereal and very Air-like. This is the song of the synthesiser, and they articulate its siren call.

Automatic (Parts 1 and 2) (Vince Clarke)
This track screams "80s!" at me in the best way. It's really easy to imagine it rendered as an 8bit chip tune, part 1 being used by Ocean as game loading music for a Commodore 64, with part 2 being the actual game soundtrack, a 2d shooter, no doubt. Cracking stuff and, as you might expect from two artists who deal in melody: again, killer hooks!

If...! (Little Boots)
I really like this track. I was aware of Little Boots, but only in a fairly peripheral way. But this is really rather lovely, and reminds me of CHVRCHES too. Her voice is rather delicate on this, especially in the verses, and it works beautifully..

Immortals (F**k Buttons)
Another favourite. I imagine this on some documentary soundtrack playing behind images of flying over ancient Inca cities, slowly panning over the buildings of Cuzco, or even the lines of Nazca. It reminds me of 1991's under-appreciated Globe Trotter, from the Images album, almost feeling like a descendant of that song. I got the steer on f**k Buttons from earlier positive things JMJ had said about them. At which point I discovered I really like some of their stuff, so I was excited when I heard that this was going to be one the album's collaborations. And it hasn't disappointed me.

Suns Have Gone (Moby)
At the moment, this is probably the one I least like on the album. Which sounds fairly harsh because I *do* like it, but right now I like others more. There's lots to appreciate about it. Moby's vocal delivery is ever so slightly detached and understated, which together with the hint of a vintage feeling Wendy Carlos/Terry Riley bubbling rhythm under the melody early on make me think, for some reason, of Berlin period Bowie, like Low. I may grow to like this more than I already do, but for now other treats appeal more.

Conquistador (Gessafelstein)
Another quite cinematic piece of music. This one, in a more literal sense makes me think of the Spaniards, landing in North America, trekking across sun-scorched desert and wide plains, looking for gold and people to give smallpox to. I actually prefer the JMJ remix version that appeared on the EP released earlier, as it has a more rounded and richer sounding bass. There is quite an epic sweep to things. It's certainly made me go and look for more of Gessafelstein's own stuff, which has been illuminating.

Travelator Pt 2 (Pete Townshend)
For the fans who've already heard these tracks, this one has been quite divisive. It's certainly an acquired taste, but also definitely a grower. It deliberately echoes some of the influences Jarre thinks the Who brought, with burbling sequencing sitting underneath Townshend's rather anguished vocal, some guitar and a rather excellently thumping dance beat. Batsh*t bonkers, to be honest, which is exactly why I love it so much. It is apparently the middle part of a trilogy, which may find its way out as an EP later this year.

Zero Gravity (Tangerine Dream)
Because Edgar Froese died soon after this piece was complete, it turns out that this is the last piece of music by Tangerine Dream. In contrast to French Electronica, Jarre did say that he felt the German style was a bit less organic, and more mechanistic in nature. There are certainly signs of that here; it does feel quite spartan and stripped down in places, but it works very,very well. The minimalism gives it a nice sense of space (pun intended). Of the initial bunch of tracks released to the public earlier this year, this was the one I liked most at the time. And I still think it's fitting epitaph for Froese.

Rely On Me (Laurie Anderson)
Another favourite of mine. This is the third track that JMJ and Anderson have worked on together. The first was 1984's Diva, from the album Zoolook (one of the key electronic albums of the 1980s, as far as I'm concerned); the second was on Metamorphoses' Je Me Souviens. JMJ has said he loves working with her, and you can see why. This is, in essence, a love song between a phone and its user. Anderson's voice is a warm, enveloping, seductive presence. In fact, her voice is so wonderful, I want Apple to ask her to be the voice of Siri!

Stardust (Armin van Buuren)
It would be easy to dismiss this as a fairly simple banging Eurodance anthem. And yes, it is definitely that, with anthemic stabs, then the breakdown, to be followed by the hands-in-the-air climax. But, as ever, Jarre's ear for a killer hook works its way in there. And of course it is indicative of one stream of the modern character of electronic music. It certainly got a good reception when AvB debuted it at festivals during the summer. And it's definitely good music to drive to.

Watching You (3D - Robert del Naja)
Of the tracks that were released earlier in the year, this was the one I liked least at the time. And I'm not sure why, because now I really like it. There is a certain fidgety darkness lent to it by 3D, but repeated listening reminds me in places of Moon Machine, a track that didn't make it onto Zoolook, and ended up as a B-side to Fourth Rendezvous, and on 1991 Images best-of collection. I think it's the slightly clattering percussion in the first part of the track that does it.

A Question of Blood (John Carpenter)
Very Carpenteresque this one. And I'd love to see the movie this would soundtrack! If you've listened to any of Carpenter's music, you'll know he has a taste for expansive, sweeping keyboards, and a more than slightly Gothic sense of style. This is no exception: dark, brooding, atmospheric. It's really rather good indeed. It also reminds me of older Jarre work, such as a couple of tracks from Deserted Palace. A treat

The Train and the River (Lang Lang)
To close the album, something slightly different and perhaps surprising (though perhaps not in the context of the previous tracks). A heady mix of the classical, a little of the jazz inflection of JMJ's boyhood, and some echoes of recent work like Paris Bourges (which also cropped up in a slightly different form in the 2002 Aero show), and is probably a result of the percussive train rhythm that runs through the track . Yet again, there are little JMJ callbacks, like the spangly RV5 fragments and laser harp, the droning bass notes of Oxygène 5, and the Equinoxe 4 phrases. Then, as things wind down, there's just the faintest reminder of the Band in the Rain at the fade, which is really rather lovely.

All through the album little callbacks and "jokes" are inserted into the flow for the careful listener to notice and smile. It is a fairly eclectic wander through the landscape of electronic music. And what is great is that, although JMJ's imprint is on all of these tracks, they all reflect the character of the collaborators too. And each collaborator fits. They all bring something fresh, interesting and different to the table. Better yet, this is only the first volume! The second volume supposedly has Gary Numan, Yello's Boris Blank and possibly Sebastien Tellier in the tank. If this is any indication, I can't wait.

71 persone l'hanno trovato utile