Oxygène by Jean-Michel Jarre

Oxygène is Jean-Michel Jarre's 1976 landmark, recorded in a home studio and built entirely from synthesisers. It helped carry electronic music out of the laboratory and into ordinary homes. I found it long after the fact, and it still sounds like a window opening onto a strange, calm world.

Why listen?

The album is six wordless movements that flow into one another like a single long thought. The production is warm and analogue, full of sighing pads and bright, looping melodies. There is no singing and no story spelled out, so the music leaves room for your own. There is wonder here, the sense of looking at the earth from a great height. It is patient music that rewards a patient ear.

Favourite song: Oxygène Part IV

The most famous movement, and the one that still feels alive. Its rolling melody arrives like sunrise after the darker passages before it.

The moment the main theme settles into its groove feels like cresting a hill and seeing the land roll away in every direction. It reminds me of an early start on the trail, when the air is cold and clean and the day is all ahead. The piece says little in words and everything in mood, which is its quiet genius.

Key takeaway

Oxygène is a founding text of electronic music that still sounds fresh and humane. Give it a quiet room and let it carry you.

Tracklist

• Oxygène Part I
• Oxygène Part II
• Oxygène Part III
• Oxygène Part IV
• Oxygène Part V
• Oxygène Part VI

Details

Listen on

• Apple Music
• Amazon
• Spotify

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