Overview
“Oxygène” is the third studio album by Jean-Michel Jarre, a French composer, musician and record producer known as one of the pioneers of the electronic/new-age/ambient music genres.
Commentary
The album was recorded in 1976. It was released in France in 1976 on the Disques Dreyfus label, and was released worldwide on Polydor Records in 1977.
It is spacey and ethereal electronic music produced by use of analog synthesizers, such as EMS VCS 3, electronic organs, Mellotron, and Korg Mini Pops drum machine.
The album consists of a suite of six tracks titled “Oxygène Part I” to “Part VI”. “Part IV” was released as a single too.
The album is a synthesizer music classic, which had a vast influence on electronic music since the late 1970s, including synth pop, techno, ambient, electronica, and ambient house such as The Orb.
The album reached number one on the French album charts, number two on the UK album charts, and number 78 on the US Billboard 200.
French visual artist Michel Granger’s watercolor painting “Oxygène” (1972) is used as the album cover.
