Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Kanta]

Jean-Michel Jarre’s Listening Chair

Released On: 13 Jul 2023 Available for 29 days

French composer Jean-Michel Jarre is a pioneer of electronic music renowned for his groundbreaking use of synthesisers and tape loops as well as his innovative audio-visual performances. He sits in the Unclassified Listening Chair to share music from his latest release Oxymore, a tribute to the great Pierre Henry, one of the trailblazers of musique concrète, a sound collage and compositional method in which music is created from the cutting, splicing, stitching and manipulation of raw recorded materials.

Elsewhere in the show, Elizabeth serves up music from a range of artists who also take inspiration from similar creative techniques. The selections include abrasive work from the legendary William Basinski, the wonky and playful electronic sounds of Bernard Parmegiani (a protégé of the late Pierre Schaeffer), and the emotive musical results of a collaboration between the Californian sound artist Claire Rousay and composer Emily Harper Scott.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001nh9j

[Richard-Eastham]

I've enjoyed listening to Unclassified with Elizabeth Alker for over 3 years now and have discovered some great new music and new artists through her podcast. She’s a fantastic broadcaster. So it was amazing and thrilling to hear JMJ on the show.

I’d encourage all on the forum to listen to Unclassified. There is a really interesting mix of materials on there and so it’s a shame the show disappears off the BBC Sounds app after a certain time.

My only disappointment with this episode was that she chose to play the oh so obvious hit of Oxygene Pt 4 on the show, rather than something more unusual, low-fi, ambient and experimental from JMJ. Such as choice would have been much more in keeping with the show’s ethos about experimental music than his greatest and most recognisable song.

Something from Zoolook, Rendezvous Pt 5, Oxygene 6, Equinoxe Pt 2, Millions of Stars, or Close Your Eyes would have all been a more adventurous choice.

Anyway, great to have JMJ on a BBC show like this and be regarded as a pioneer and a legend.

[Dr_Jones]

I did enjoy this great selection of tracks they had in the show, I probably will listen to more of this.
What is the audience for BBC Radio 3?

[Richard-Eastham]

I did enjoy this great selection of tracks they had in the show, I probably will listen to more of this.
What is the audience for BBC Radio 3?

BBC Radio 3 is classical music daytimes but in the evenings, especially late at night, they broadcast electronica, experiemental and spoken word shows. Unclassified goes out 11pm to midnight I think (when broadcast) but I only ever listen to as podcast. It's a real shame they are time limited because there has been some really great playlists over the years I've been listening.

I discovered Lucette Bourdin through BBC 3 Unclassified: https://lucettebourdin.com/