OXYGÈNE 7-13

Jean Michel Jarre's 'Oxygene 7-13' is the 1997 follow-up to the Frenchman's ground breaking 'Oxygene' album. The 7 tracks presented on the album are utterly sublime and near perfect in their execution and composition. Melodic themes develop during the tracks, but never outstay their welcome. Twists and turns occur at the perfect intervals and keep the listener engaged thoughout. In short this is a masterpiece of electronic music.

Its safe to say I have a real soft spot for electronic music and I think of this album as one of the reasons for that. It is hard to compare this to the original work as they were composed and recorded in very different times. 'Oxygene 7-13' does sound much more modern, which of course it is. It is interesting to note, however, that Jean Michel Jarre actually went for a full-on analogue only approach to recording parts 7-13, which of course harks back to the days of 'Oxygene' and 'Equinoxe'.

Musically, we have some stunning soundscapes, up-beat melodic synthesizers and some trance-esque percussive beats at times. I do have to wonder how an album such as 'Oxygene 7-13' can feature on the prog archives, as I don't really consider this progressive, per se. In terms of genre its a far better fit in the chill-out / intelligent dance music camp rather than progressive. But who cares, its still an absolute joyous ride whatever genre it is, and I can't imagine anyone who loves music not loving 'Oxygene 7-13'. Unlike the original 'Oxygene' album, which I think has aged pretty badly, I think parts 7-13 really are a 5-star effort from the electro-wizard that is Jean Michel Jarre. Highly recommended!