OXYGÈNE 7-13

Jean Michel Jarre has to be one of the most undisputed pioneers of electronically based musicspheres. Indeed the Oxygene original vinyl sat proudly on my turntable as I grew up as an impressionable teen and it had an enormous impact on my music tastes and ushered me into the world of electronic music and especially Mellotron soaked and Analog driven instrumental music. Oxygene 2 and 4 are still quintessential Jarre treasures and I did not expect anything on his latter followups to measure up to this genius. I was hoping to have my ears caressed with the gentle warmth of Jarre's synthesizers and in this case I was not disappointed.

There are layers of synths on offer here such as the 2600 ARP synthesizer, VCS3 synthesizer, and Theremin sounds among the majestic Mellotron M400 and Digisequencers. The sound has a crystalline clarity that simply throbs in the ears and by the time Oxygene 12 and 13 entered I was entranced by the beauty and captivating rhythms.

It is an album that deserves the Oxygene title though of course it is not the masterpiece of the original. As a follow up it is worthy of listening from start to finish and has some mesmirising passages and recognizable Oxygene nuances such as the breathing effects and droning Trons that are an eargasm in themselves. Definitely check this out and treat your ears to some heavenly sounds.