Nearly four decades after the release of his landmark proto-electronica album Oxygene, and almost 20 years since its sequel Oxygene 7-13, Jean-Michel Jarre will now release Oxygene 3. The album, due for release on December 2, contains seven newly composed and recorded pieces, titled parts 14-20. In a press release Jarre says that his inspiration for the newly added parts on Oxygene 3 was “not to go back in time, but to add a sense of now” to his iconic piece of work. On the new release, Jarre references some of the music from his entire body of work.
“I don’t necessarily like anniversaries that much,” said Jarre in the announcement. “But when I was recording Electronica, two years ago, I did a piece of music that made me think about what Oxygene could be if I was composing it today. Then I took the 40th anniversary of the first album as a deadline to push myself to see if I could compose this new chapter in six weeks, just like I did for the first one: probably to avoid thinking too much about whether it was a good idea or not, and also to record everything in one go…
“The idea was not to copy the first album, but rather keeping the dogma of embarking listeners on a journey from beginning to end with different chapters, all linked to each other.”
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The new album, the release continues, is “further exploring the ambivalence between outer space and our vital living space.” The album art is a take on Michel Granger’s work for the first Oxygene album.
Jarre will embark on his Electronica Tour starting on October 4 in Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena and visiting most of the Europe’s biggest arenas before finishing off the first leg at Paris’ Accorhotels Arena on December 12. During the Electronica shows, excerpts from Oxygene 3 will be premiered.
The new album will be available on CD, vinyl and in the Ultimate Oxygene Trilogy Box Set, combining all three Oxygene albums on CD and vinyl, with an attached coffee-table-book featuring rare photos and notes on the story of Oxygene.
Watch Jean-Michel Jarre perform “Oxygene 7” live in Moscow
Jean-Michel Jarre European Tour Dates
October 4—Cardiff, United Kingdom, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
October 6—Brighton, United Kingdom, Brighton Centre
October 7—London, United Kingdom, O2 Arena
October 8—Birmingham, United Kingdom, Barclaycard Arena
October 10—Dublin, Republic of Ireland3, Arena
October 13—Leeds, United Kingdom, First Direct Arena
October 14—Glasgow, United Kingdom, The Sse Hydro
October 16—Frankfurt, Germany, Festhall
October 17—Strasbourg, France, Zenith
October 19—Hamburg, Germany, Barclaycard Arena
October 20—Berlin, Germany, Mercedes Benz Arena
October 22—Dusseldorf, Germany, Electricity Conference @ Iss Dome
October 23—Brussels, Belgium, Palais 12
October 26—Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark Falconer Theatre
October 28—Oslo, Norway, Spektrum
October 29—Stockholm, Sweden, Hovet
October 31—Helsinki, Finland, Ice Hall
November 2—Tallinn, Estonia, Saku Arena
November 3—Kaunas, Lithuania, Kaunas Zalgiris Arena
November 5—Łódz, Poland, Atlas Arena
November 6—Katowice, Poland, Spodek
November 8—Prague, Czech Republic, O2 Arena
November 9—Bratislava, Slovakia, Nepela Arena
November 10—Budapest, Hungary, Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena
November 11—Cluj, Romania, Polivalent Hall
November 13—Skopje, Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski Arena
November 15—Ljubljana, Slovenia, Arena Stozice
November 17, Vienna, Austria, Stadthalle
November 18—Zurich, Switzerland, Hallenstadion Zurich
November 19—Nuremberg, Germany, Arena Nürnberg
November 21—Munster, Germany, Munsterlandhalle
November 22—Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Heineken Music Hall
November 24—Lyon, France, Halle Tony Garnier
November 25—Geneva, Switzerland, Arena
November 26—Dijon, France, Zenith
November 28—Clermont Ferrand, France, Zenith D’auvergne
November 29—Nantes, France, Zenith Metropole
December 12—Paris, France, Accorhotels Arena
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