Search - Jean-Michel Jarre :: Rendez Vous

A fine work of brooding electronica from the mid 1980s

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 01/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In spite of its release date (1986) this is an especially fine album of electronica that is at times reminiscent of classic works including Oxygene (1976) and Equinoxe (1978). Rendezvous is a special album and is commemorated to the memory of the astronauts that died in the terrible Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986. In fact, the track Last Rendezvous (Ron's piece) was written with the intent of having astronaut Ron McNair play the saxophone part while on board the shuttle.



Jean Michel plays a wide assortment of equipment on the album including a mix of some classic 1970s gear and pieces of equipment from the 1980s (Fairlight; Seiko DS 250; Roland JX BP; Synthex, Emulator II, Laser Harp, Prophet and mini moog amongst others). He is accompanied by Michael Geiss (ARP 2600), Dominique Perrier (memory moog); Joe Hammer (drumulator and percussion), the Choir of Radio France, Pierre Gossez (saxophone) and even Jean Michel's son David Jarre (baby Korg).



I love the synth textures that are used on this album. While they are somewhat 1980s sounding, they are also very organic - I was actually surprised at just how organic everything sounds on this album.



Musically, this is a great selection of (mostly) gloomy synthesizer pieces loaded with sad and sweeping atmospherics, with the occasional brisk and upbeat track featuring bright/cheery melodies and synthesized percussion (Fourth Rendezvous is a good example). The choir parts are wonderful and add soft textures to this album, which seems to have more than its fair share of classically influenced passages (some of which are fairly dark). The closing track is especially haunting and features a soft saxophone part beneath which dreamy synthesizer pads are layered. Whether intentional or not, the saxophone part seems disembodied and floating; the effect is very eerie.



All in all, this is a fine example of electronica and is recommended along with Oxygene and Equinoxe."