BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Really curious how Jarre is gonna celebrate it.

I expect a tour (I remember he hinted at that during his facebook stream)

Hoping a full on analogue tour, but time will tell.
I'd kill for a new audio mix that does surround sound/Atmos, but Jarre killed off that dream during one of the streams a while ago

This is what I’d like to see happen for the 50th anniversary of Oxygene. I doubt any of this will happen, but doesn’t stop me dreaming

City In Concert – Not a tour, but instead, for one last time, a one night only spectacular in Place de la Concorde, back where it all started. Revisit the venue from 1979 but using all the latest technology. See the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Paralympics as an example for how that civic space can be transformed using the latest audiovisual and staging techniques. This is a landmark album in French recording history, and the city authorities should close the streets for this important anniversary. He wants a band on stage with him, and some special guests too. Track list heavily skewed towards fresh, up-tempo version of Oxygene and Equinoxe, and few other classics. But please, nothing from the Electronica era – just won’t fit and we’re bored of it now.

Street In Concert – Before JMJ takes to the stage in Place de la Concorde, he does a mini street performance, using just an Eminent, a VCS3 and a Korg Minipops on the street out the apartment on Rue de la Trémoille where he composed Oxygene in the summer of 1976. Think of the mini concert at Tiananmen Square as a precedent for this. This concert will sound like Prelude on Oxygene, Live in Your Living Room – in effect a warm-up for the main Place de la Concorde show. Instead of a motorcycle sidecar, this time he can be taken from Rue de la Trémoille to Place de la Concorde in an open top Renault.

Oxygene Infinity – An app for iPhone and Android, a bit like EōN but this app just includes Oxygene-like sounds, those white noise swooshes and mini-pops to allow the users to experience non-stop new versions.

Oxygene @ 50 – A reissue of the Oxygene Trilogy, with sound levels corrected, and a new Dolby Atmos continuous mix. Also, bonus track – Oxygene Part 21. This is a 21 minute, ambient piece – think WFC, Bridge From The Future – but very much using the tones and textures of Oxygene.

Oxygene Works – Similar to Oxymore Works, or Odyssey Through O2, a remix album of various of the twenty Oxygene movements.

Merchandise – High quality art prints of the Michel Granger’s original, 7-13 and 3 cover art. Also, a limited edition 3-D printed skull/globe sculpture.

Documentary – A one hour TV special, inc. interviews with Michel Granger, Michel Geiss, Charlotte Rampling and more who were around at the time. Including archive news articles and press from across Europe around the time Oxygene became a big hit in 1976-77. Also featuring interviews with young, contemporary musicians who cite Oxygene as an inspiration. This film included as a bonus disc with Oxygene @ 50 release.

Photobook – Released later in the year, including images from the two anniversary concerts, and behind the scenes archive images from the 1970s. A lovely contrast of hi-res digital colour photos from 2026 with the black and white film photos from 1976. Think of the hardbook souvenir photo books from PLD, EIC and more recently Bratislava.

Richard-Eastham wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 6:10 pm This is what I’d like to see happen for the 50th anniversary of Oxygene. I doubt any of this will happen, but doesn’t stop me dreaming

You ought to send these ideas to Aero Prod. and Sony. I couldn't see any or either bettering these ideas

Richard-Eastham wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 6:10 pm This is what I’d like to see happen for the 50th anniversary of Oxygene. I doubt any of this will happen, but doesn’t stop me dreaming

[...]

"Oxygene 21" track was an idea that I pitched 10 years ago for the 50th anniversary

Merch-wise - bring back the Oxygene scarf.

I'd really love a compilation of various Oxygene versions: O4 from PLD, O4 from EiC etc. MF2 from Oxygene Tour would be a stretch, but it would be really great to have it as something else than a poor audience recording.

New or unreleased music is what interests me the most, but this will likely not be happening. At most we'll get Epica Oxygene and JMJ's Rework of Astral Projection which we already have.

I honestly don't expect much, esp. given the 40th Zoolook anniversary fiasco.

Richard-Eastham wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 6:10 pmOxygene @ 50 – A reissue of the Oxygene Trilogy, with sound levels corrected, and a new Dolby Atmos continuous mix. Also, bonus track – Oxygene Part 21. This is a 21 minute, ambient piece – think WFC, Bridge From The Future – but very much using the tones and textures of Oxygene.

Thinking about this one specifically, I'm curious why Jarre seems so steadfast against someone else doing a new mix of these albums. Every time it's been brought up it's a matter of him not having the time to sit back and redo old work when there's still so much new work to be done. Which, I can totally understand to a certain degree. But why not hand the project off to someone close and just overlook the project from time to time to see how progress is going rather than doing it yourself? I'm fully aware this will absolutely never happen, but, why not have Michel Geiss go about a new mix? I know they haven't worked together in some three decades, but still. If anyone knows the album inside out besides Jarre, it has to be him. But alas...

I get the impression that Jarre is surrounded by people with an outdated boomer mindset, both at Sony and Aero Productions. As much as I enjoy his contemporary music (regardless of whether it's created by him or his ghostwriters) I find some of the marketing and organizational decisions completely baffling. Everything seems to be done with minimal effort and as cheaply as possible.

I believe Jarre would greatly benefit from replacing his inner circle with a much younger team. However, that's unlikely to happen, as the record label seems determined to cash in on him with the lowest possible investment while he is still an active performer.

I can't imagine ghostwriting is being involved that much, I mean I (just) guess the synth lines / melodies are much of him, but the bass line or drum programming, instrumentation is from partners certain times.
My turn...

Xyxophas wrote: Wed Oct 01, 2025 2:09 pm I get the impression that Jarre is surrounded by people with an outdated boomer mindset, both at Sony and Aero Productions. As much as I enjoy his contemporary music (regardless of whether it's created by him or his ghostwriters) I find some of the marketing and organizational decisions completely baffling. Everything seems to be done with minimal effort and as cheaply as possible.

I believe Jarre would greatly benefit from replacing his inner circle with a much younger team. However, that's unlikely to happen, as the record label seems determined to cash in on him with the lowest possible investment while he is still an active performer.

Agree.
However, JM will never split up with Fiona, simply no way.
Things weren't going better when Louis was still in the team..?
Though, a team-update would be good.

An exhibition of his instruments... ok, nice. Nothing on the Thames & Hudson site yet though

Thames & Hudson Publishing


https://www.thamesandhudson.com/

Book looks great, would love it on my coffee table. But I expect it’ll have random typos and weird nonsensical glitches like you turn over a page and it’ll won’t have been printed properly.