Machines

Jean-Michel Jarre is a true pioneer of electronic music, and this book invites readers into his formidable archive, one of the world’s most significant collections of electronic and electroacoustic instruments. Through 150 of these extraordinary machines – from iconic modular synthesizers to rare prototypes and bespoke one-offs – Jarre guides us across a century of sonic experimentation, tracing the ideas, technologies and cultural movements that shaped electronic music. Brimming with deeply personal anecdotes, from Jarre’s childhood fascination with reel-to-reel tapes to his early musical studies, Machines is the account of an artist whose life and work are inseparable from the history of electronic music itself. His story is accompanied by reflections from fellow pioneers and collaborators, including Armin van Buuren, Vince Clarke, Gillian Gilbert, Nicolas Godin, Richie Hawtin, Johnny Marr, Gary Numan, Benjamin John Power, Nick Rhodes, Pete Townshend and Hans Zimmer. Alongside rare archival material, recreations of groundbreaking sonic experiments and sequenced stills from legendary live performances, these voices place Jarre’s work within the broader evolution of electronic music. With layer upon layer of rich content, Machines offers a spectacular exploration of electronic music’s past, present and future – seen through the eyes of one of its defining visionaries.