Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene LP

Oxygène (French pronunciation: [ɔksiˈʒɛn], English: Oxygen) is the third studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976 by Disques Motors, and distributed internationally in 1977 by Polydor Records. Jarre recorded the album in a makeshift studio that he set up in his apartment in Paris, using a variety of analog and digital synthesizers, and other electronic instruments and effects.

French sound engineer Michel Geiss helped Jarre in the purchase, recording and programming of some instruments used on the album. Jarre’s musical style was influenced by musique concrète, developed by Pierre Schaeffer. The album was supported by two singles, “Oxygène (Part II)” and “Oxygène (Part IV)”. Following the international success of the latter, the album became Jarre’s breakthrough, reaching number one on the French Albums Charts. It was inspired by the track “Popcorn” by German-American electronic composer Gershon Kingsley.

Oxygène has been described as the album that “led the synthesizer revolution of the Seventies” and “an infectious combination of bouncy, bubbling analog sequences and memorable hook lines”. The album influenced later artists such as Moby and Brian Canham of Pseudo Echo. In 1978, it would be followed by Equinoxe and in 1979, Jarre held an open-air concert at the Place de la Concorde, causing the sales of both albums to increase, reaching worldwide figures of 15 million copies. As of 2016 it had sold an estimated 18 million copies and is one of the best-selling French, electronic and instrumental albums in history.