Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Dr_Jones]

My French is not that good, but this sounds really insulting?

http://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/ ... 54986.html

[Herr Dunkel]

Hi Dr_Jones,

Yes, the article is pretty harsh. The journalist is usually either very pro- or anti- in his reviews. It also seems that he doesn't like Jarre personally. (Some of the comments below the article actually question the value of this article that looks more like a personal attack.) But hey, remember it's France and jealousy about success is commonplace there (I know first hand, I'm French) - I think that's what annoys him the most...


========

Regarding the 2 sequences of 32 dots in the frequency diagram I also tried IP addresses but that leads to nothing. If you consider a "low" dot represents a 0 and a "high" dot represent a 1 one gets:

01000010010000110111011000111111 and 01000000000101001000110101011100 which are addresses 66.67.118.63 and 64.20.141.92

Reversing ("low" = 1 and "high" = 0) gives 189.188.137.192 and 191.235.114.163 but still nothing.

Tried Morse code on the second sequence taking into account the vertical lines as separators.

If ("low" = "dash" and "high" = "dot") the Morse code is: n ch ch c q z c b m
If ("low" = "dot" and "high" = "dash") the Morse code is: a h h ä f ü ä j i
Not exactly a successful decoding

Could it be that the sequences are indeed sequences of notes or some kind of beat? Like a mini-partition hidden within the music...

Or it could be that the code is down to groups of 4 dots (or 2 dots like at the beginning and end of the 2nd sequence) that represent a certain letters (irrespective of known computer encodings). A bit like the color coding of New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies.

Or maybe it's just random and designed to keep the fans guessing and looking for a "meaning"

[dlaivison]

I was checking the matrix of line disposal 2xn, and it reminds me Braille.
But there are several types of Braille (Unicode Braille, Ascii Braille, Grade1, Grade2)

The lines seems to match some formation, but I didn't try to translate ...

https://www.branah.com/braille-translator

Or maybe is just my non-sense hypothesis

[Dr_Jones]

Here you can download the Electronica font:
http://drjones.home.xs4all.nl/jarre/fonts/

enjoy!

[Kanta]

vera_dinkle - Dzis w Swiat sie kreci. tvp1 po 18:30! #jeanmicheljarre #swiatsiekreci #electronica - 22 October 2015

Source:
 


Godfather of Electronic Music - Jean-Michel Jarre in the time machine - 23 October 2015

Video: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/jean- ... -1.2704971

[Kanta]

swiatsiekreci - A teraz poważna mina od @jeanmicheljarre – 23 October 2015
#swiatsiekreci #jeanmicheljarre #tvp #tvp1 #rochstar #odc398 #electronic #music

Source:

Świat się kręci TVP Video:

[Herr Dunkel]

@Elf,

I will translate the "review" and post it over the weekend.

Cheers,

HD

[plate of chips]

http://www.lemonde.fr/musiques/article/ ... 54986.html

JmJ is such nice natured he never defends himself .
I'm sure such horribleness hurts JmJ.

:::

When a person expresses such bitterness we can only feel sorry for their bitter heart.
For they are their own poison yet they dont realise.

:::

I shouldn't  give such bitterness the time of day.

What art has this bitter journalist ever produced. What positive impact upon the world has this bitter journalist had.


It is easy to counter such bitterness


1. Every Artist this person lists as being artisitic (Tangerine Dream, Eno, Kraftwerk, Depche Mode) hugely respect JmJ as an artist.
Hanz Zimmer, John Carpenter, Lang Lang Tangerine Dream, Vince Clarke collaborated with JmJ due to their respect.
Edgar wished they had collaborated earlier.

I'd rather take these artists than a bitter journalist.


2. When SoundOnSound
the most highly respected audio magazine in the world  does a 7 page special on JmJ
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov15/a ... -jarre.htm
I'd rather take SoundOnSound than this bitter journalist.


http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov15/a ... quotes.htm
Testimonials from leading audio engineers, producers : 30th birthday SoundOnSound including legendary Rupert Neve.


3. Houston concert comments in YouTube to realise JmJ healed Houston .
This is why Houston is the greatest concert in history alongside Live Aid for healing people.


4. Egypt Pyramid  concert for Arab Spring.
Arab Spring would transform Middle East if it wasnt for what's happening now.


5. JmJ through his music concerts has helped many people to cope with depression, hurt.
JmJ has inspired many people to create, to dream.

6. People feel elated from experiencing JmJ mega concert.
Even the homeless, poor can experience elation and for a while forget their troubles as the mega concerts are free .


7.Cultural significance of JmJ immense worldwide. This is why the Pope, Lech Wałęsa , Morocco to Moscow hold JmJ high esteem.
Pretty much every country from India to Brazil would love to host a massive JmJ concert.

[Robi]

Le Journal de Montreal



Des liens solides se sont noués entre Jarre et les Québécois. Marco G habitait même chez son célèbre patron lorsqu’il a été appelé à se déplacer à Paris. Évidemment, le sujet du Québec et la possibilité d’y présenter des concerts lors de la tournée mondiale qui est en préparation ont été à l’ordre du jour.

«Nous avons eu énormément de projets qui devaient se faire au Québec et ils n’ont jamais eu lieu. J’espère vraiment que ce projet-là va me donner l’occasion de le réaliser», dit celui qui ne dirait certainement pas non à une offre de se produire sur les plaines d’Abraham.

«Je serais absolument ravi si ça devait aboutir. C’est un endroit mythique au Canada. Du coup, ça serait un honneur et même un privilège de pouvoir partager un moment de musique et d’émotion avec le public québécois», dit-il.

[Jote]

The two 32-bit strings are during the final notes of "Automatic pt. 2" (before "If"). When I checked out the regular version the vertical sub-division bars (that separate the dots into groups of 4) doesn't seem to be there, perhaps they are a clue (but I already mentioned that).

There is the sound like a clock ticking/footsteps in that transition. It's fading in and out and corresponds to the vertical bars, so I don't think it's a clue.

I beg to differ. The dots could have been put elsewhere or spaced differently. But they are spaced in a way that makes those quadruplets fit perfectly between those bars.

[Herr Dunkel]

Hello everyone,

Got a bit of time tonight, so here it is: a translation of Le Monde's article:


"

Jean-Michel Jarre: the story of an imposture

Le Monde, 22 October 2015

by Stéphane Davet


It's difficult to deny Jean-Michel Jarre's legitimacy as a pioneer, his media skills, his entrepreneurial efficiency with its grandiose spectacles and millions of records sold, his political intelligence, too - since 2013 he has been the president of CISAC (Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs). It doesn't go the same way regarding his artistic credibility, which has long been disputed, but which the creator of Oxygène (1976) is now seeking to restore.

Since charity begins with oneself, his new album, Electronica 1: The Time Machine, puts him no less than at the center of an epic of electronic musics, which he presents here in a series of duets with several generations of "electronica" artists, whose appearance shows knighting or signs of allegiance.

Could it be that this "time machine" rewrites history a bit? Far from being examples of inspiring innovations the synthetic tunes of the Man have often caused circumspect pouts in the 1890s and 1990s in front of their TV credits lyricism, their megalomania and their stereotypical futurism.

Throughout the interviews of his promotional marathon, Jarre mentions at will his collaboration with Pierre Schaeffer's Groupe de Recherches Musicales from 1968 to 1972. But it's his cunning as producer, lyricist and composer in French pop at the beginning of the 1970s (where he was sometimes brilliant with Christophe and Patrick Juvet) more than his experimental radicalism, that seems to have paved the way for his robotic repertoire.

A collection of soppy tunes

Before, during and after the phonographic beginnings of Jean-Michel Jarre, there have been many musicians more able to dream, move and dance than him: from Tangerine Dream's spatial onirism (Alpha Centauri, 1971) to Kraftwerk's ironic minimalism (operational from 1974), from Brian Eno's magic to the synth pop verve of Depeche Mode, The Human League or New Order, let alone the physical and carnal release of house and techno generations.

This gap is again perceptible with the collaborations on Electronica, supposed to increase the aura of the dashing sexagenarian. The best pieces of the album bear the mark of the guests more than of their host, whether it be M83's exaggerated romanticism (Glory), Air's elegance (Close Your Eyes) or even Moby's dark melancholy (Suns Have Gone).

The rest oscillates between insignificant pop (If..! with Little Boots) and complete failure (Travelator with The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend - the author of a synthetic intro of anthology in 1971 on Baba O'Riley). In addition, a collection of soppy tunes for yesterday's merry-go-rounds (Automatic pt. 1 with former Depeche Mode's Vince Clarke) and today's EDM (Stardust with Armin van Buuren), which are even able to make Massive Attack (Watching You) or Laurie Anderson (Rely on Me) seem old-fashioned, doesn't dispel the general impression: the story we are told here is less that of a musical genre than that of an imposture.

"



Feel free to comment...

By the way, I found another not-so-good review (but more "objective") in a French paper. Any masochist interested in a translation?

Enjoy the weekend nonetheless

HD

[Finaero]

I think at this point it's safe to say that Jarre will never get past Kraftwerk, pronto. Even in the US, where Jarre held a concert with 1.3 million spectators, you can probably find 1.3 million people who know (and revere, as it nearly always goes) Kraftwerk and 1.3 people who know who Jarre is.

For example, you can find (non-glorifying, in fact!) reviews of Kraftwerk's albums from the ultra-famous Robert Christgau's website, but not a single one for Jarre.

Anyway, I'm still a major Kraftwerk fan but even I found it somewhat refreshing to overhear someone dissing their latest concert in Finland (with the 3D glasses and stuff) at a bar one year ago. Of course, the rest of me thought "this fool knows NOTHING!".

In fact, I'm currently expecting one of their most sought-out releases - the red vinyl version of the original Die Mensch Maschine album to arrive here... the annoying thing is that I got it for 250 € which is very cheap for it these days, so it will remain to be seen what the catch is gonna be (I already know the cover's not in that good condition but since the red edition's cover is identical to a black-vinyl version's cover, I could just switch them if I really felt like it). Maybe I'll get a bobcat in the post instead of the record. : P

[Dr_Jones]

Hello everyone,

Got a bit of time tonight, so here it is: a translation of Le Monde's article:

Thanks for translating. It's as bad as I was fearing but, like Elf said, it's interesting to read these reviews too.

[plate of chips]

. Not one single Norwegian newspaper have been very interested in my interview with Jarre. But when it was announced that Kraftwerk would hold 8 concerts over three days in Oslo, it was on the front page of every single online version of all these papers.

Afrika Bambaata, Grandmaster Flash : two of the founding fathers of HipHop made KW hip.
Body Popping Breakdancing early 80s kids from ghettos to KW Computer World.
Reasons KW gets kudos.

KW music commented on modern life making us as robots : more kudos.

Also KW showed you don't have to have lots of musical ideas, you don't need complex musicality :
just four simple catchy ideas per song is enough.
This gave hope to millions who wanted to make music yet had limited, little traditional musical ability.

This is still seen in HipHop, House, Techno, 80s synth pop.


JmJ too much musical ability : pretty unreachable.
Furthermore JmJ no vocals.




These days it's hipster to bigup name check KW.
Its the only link these hipster have to cool black hippop culture
Therefore if I like KW I'm cool.




JmJ is as that monk in Golden Child.
The monk is on the street playing the joker on Eddie Murphy.
Eddie Murphy doesn't realise the deepness behind the lighthearted jokery from the monk cause Eddie is hipster superficial.
Only later does Eddie Murphy realise.

There is a depth underlaying JmJs music which speaks to those who get such things.
Speaks to those who may not yet get it, yet something inside feels attracted to the truth of JmJs music.
The truth of travelling inside ourself beyond ourself .


There is also joy in JmJs music.
JmJ wants us to feel elated, to escape from our troubles worries even for a while.

These reasons millions upon millions worldwide will have bought JmJs albums, attended JmJs concerts.
Plus of course many of us are EM Synth geeks

[Black Bird]

Properly explosive is only the last sentence. He assumed JMJ is cheating (ie a criminal offense), but has no evidence to support his accusations. So it's an assumption or slander, which would be a criminal offense (at least in Germany) This Journaltist expresses not only his personal opinion about the album (which he can do and it´s not reprehensible) but insinuations JMJ does not have to put up with. He could sue him for compensation, then the journalist must bring forward evidence. Otherwise JMJ is is to compensate, and he has restore his reputation publicly.
These things happen in Germany quite often with celebrities. Some stars are going to court, other don´t.
Bad publicity is better than None

In Germany there were two bad reviews. One was really stupid, the man had complained that there is no "red line", and the pieces are long under 7 minutes . ...He has never spoken to JMJ or read through one of the most competent interviews of his colleagues. Then he would have known what the concept behind the project.

Perhaps we should not take it so seriously that. I know these bad reviews also from the theater scene. Often these pieces were the best.