"When electronic-ambient-new age pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre was working on 1976's Oxygene, in his makeshift home studio, he often had to tape down two preset buttons of his Korg drum machine to achieve the effect he wanted. Thanks to the breakout success of that record and its winning blend of bright keyboard melodies and warped analog synths, Jarre didn't have to resort to such ad-hoc methods for long."
"And yet the bombast never overwhelms Jarre's natural effervescence. Surrounded by a bank of instruments (vintage analog gear from the from the Oxygene days), Jarre commands the stage, accompanied by a live drummer, a multi-instrumentalist (violin, bass, didgeridoo), and, for a few songs, Queen guitarist Brian May, a small choir, and the brass section of the Slovak Philharmonic. When you throw in the impressively choreographed light show, fireworks, drones, and massive video display, Jarre's magnetism seems like an even more impressive feat."
Jean-Michel Jarre developed the Oxygene sound in a makeshift home studio, sometimes taping down Korg drum-machine presets to get desired effects. Oxygene combined bright keyboard melodies with warped analog synths and became a breakout success. Live in Bratislava was taped last year before more than 100,000 Slovakians and is available in multiple editions, including a concert film and a two-CD set. Jarre performs surrounded by vintage analog instruments, accompanied by a live drummer, a multi-instrumentalist, guest Brian May on a few songs, a small choir, and the Slovak Philharmonic brass. The production pairs choreographed lights, fireworks, drones, and massive video displays with Jarre's melodic, knob-twiddling performance that preserves the primitive charm of his classics while expanding their harmonic scope.
Read at SPIN
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