Jean-Michel Jarre: "I sleep there when I produce a new record", his incredible house-studio in the suburbs of Paris
By Julie Martin
Published on 12/03/2026 at 11:50
In his house-studio in the suburbs of Paris, Jean-Michel Jarre composes surrounded by legendary synthesizers. Diving into a unique place of life, which does not resemble anything known.
Pushing the door of Jean-Michel Jarre's studio is entering a living museum of electronic music. It is in this place that the French pioneer of electro composes - and lives - for years. The 77-year-old musician, famous worldwide for his album Oxygène released in 1976 and sold more than 18 million copies, introduced his little musical cocoon.
In Jean-Michel Jarre's house-studio, a temple of synthesizers
The visit, as told by the Tribune de Genève, begins on the porch of this house nestled between a busy road and a peaceful river arm, in the suburbs of Paris. Jean-Michel Jarre welcomes his guests with simplicity: "Thank you for making the trip here." Inside, the main room looks like a forest of machines. Vintage keyboards, sequencers, drum machines and walls of potentiometers make up an almost hypnotic decor. In this space, the legendary ARP 2600 and EMS VCS3 are enthroned among other legendary instruments.
These machines participated in the creation of Oxygene and accompanied the artist during gigantic concerts organized all over the world, from Place de la Concorde to China, via Egypt and the United States. Faced with the sound system installed for the listening session, Jean-Michel Jarre slides with humor: "The record should be heard on studio equipment, and they are concert speakers."
Jean-Michel Jarre: a place of creation where he sometimes spends the night
Behind the listening room is the real work studio. In this room is a simple red sofa that has become almost as mythical as that of Michel Drucker. Patrick Pelamourgues, a faithful collaborator of the musician since 1978, reveals its use: "Jean-Michel sleeps on it when he produces a new record. That is to say, many nights." Acquired in 2006, the house still has a bedroom on the first floor.
In the shadows, this technician also watches over the composer's historical machines: "I maintain the equipment and, on tour, I make sure it works properly." It is in this unique environment that Jean-Michel Jarre continues to shape his vision of electronic music. A vision born in the 1960s alongside the pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen, before conquering the crowds during spectacular concerts.
A cave of Ali Baba where a very personal album was born
The musician then presents the titles of his project at the time, Electronica 1: The Time Machine (released in 2015), an album in which he collaborated with several major figures in electronic music. We meet in particular Moby, Vince Clarke, Massive Attack, Gesaffelstein, M83 or Pete Townshend, historical guitarist of the Who.
For Jean-Michel Jarre, this album has a particular dimension: "This project is so personal that it seemed very important to me to carry it to the end. I went to meet so many musicians..." The decoration of his house-studio reflects this curiosity, with guitars and pianos used to "create sounds", according to the maestro.
Source: https://www.lejournaldelamaison.fr/le-j ... 38606.html