Entitled Oxygène 3, the new album is being released to mark the 40th anniversary of his seminal classic Oxygène, which was released back in 1976. The legendary composer recorded the first album on a shoestring budget in his own home.
And after it’s release all those year ago, Jean-Michel Jarre went on to become one of the pioneering forces of the electronic music scene during the past four decades.
Oxygène 1 has been described by many critics as without doubt one of the biggest catalysts that set electronic music on its way to becoming the behemoth that it is today.
With over 80 million albums sold worldwide to date, musicians and contemporary DJs often refer to Jarre's influence and innovation, citing Oxygène as “the album” that changed it all for them.
“Oxygene Pt. 17 is the first single and a bright moment of the album: I wanted to create a groove with the melodic part on its own and to also create the real feel of a spacey trip – which is what Oxygène is all about - and with minimalist drums,” says Jean-Michel Jarre.
“What made and makes Oxygène different is probably that an important part of the sound is made of white noise, creating a hazy atmosphere. It is ironic to think back in time when everybody was obsessed by improving the signal to noise ratio, that I used so much noise as part of my music.”
Much like its predecessors, Oxygène 3 is a 40-minute, one-take piece of electronic music, which his fans will be hoping lives up to their expectations of being another masterpiece from the maestro.
Jarre says the inspiration for the newly added parts on Oxygène 3 was “not to go back in time, but to add a sense of now” to his iconic piece of work.
Bu unlike the low-budget original, this time round it’s a state-of-the-art recording, which promises to “embraces both classic and modern ways of music production”, according to his record label, Sony.
The album will feature "seven heavily melodic cuts" (Oxygèn 14-20), and promises to "ideally bring listeners to a space not too dissimilar from Oxygène's 17 vibrant visuals", which you can get a little taste of here on the new video put up on YouTube: