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Nov 17, 2015 Web Exclusive By Lily Moayeri

The original electronic music artist, Jean-Michel Jarre, brings the past to the present with an ambitious project, a double album of collaborations with current electronic music superstars—and The Who’s Pete Townshend—entitled Electronica 1: The Time Machine (part two will be released within six months). The collaborators on this project—Air, M83, Little Boots, Moby, Boys Noize, Fuck Buttons, John Carpenter, Massive Attack’s 3D, Vince Clarke, among others—follow Jarre’s lead, sounding more like him than themselves. Not to say that they don’t leave a mark on these co-writes, but you wouldn’t find these songs on their own artist albums.

On M83’s contribution, the elaborate “Glory,” they reach for lofty heights. On the other hand, the track with Air, “Close Your Eyes,” has the duo’s signature vocodered voice and chiming tones, but Jarre’s input digitizes what’s already very digital even further. His two-song collaboration with Vince Clarke is too predictable and indulges in excessive, cheesy trance flutters, which also occur on his collaboration with Armin Van Buuren, “Stardust,” which is to be expected. “Suns Have Gone,” Jarre’s song with Moby, has some gravity to it, which makes it more like something Moby would produce rather than Jarre. Pete Townshend’s voice is angry against the driving rhythms of “Travelator Part 2.” “Zero Gravity” a contribution from the late Tangerine Dream, provides respite from Townshend’s wrath with soothing ambience. Laurie Anderson continues the soothing with her calming tones on “Rely on Me.” Despite its proliferation of modern day input, Electronica 1 sounds dated. (http://www.jeanmicheljarre.com)

Author rating: 4/10