Equinoxe
Encyclopedia
Équinoxe was the second major-label album release by French
musician
Jean Michel Jarre
, released on Disques Dreyfus
(with license to Polydor) in late 1978.
The album reflects a day in the life of a human being, from morning to night. Parts 1 to 4 (i.e. side A) and tracks 5 to 8 (side B) segué smoothly from one to the next.
Jarre had developed his sound, employing more dynamic and rhythmic elements, particularly a greater use of sequencing on basslines. Much of this was achieved using custom equipment developed by his collaborator Michel Geiss
.
The release was followed by a concert on the Place de la Concorde
, Paris
on July 14, 1979. The concert attracted 1 million people, becoming Jarre's first entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd for an outdoor concert.
Two singles were released from the album, "Équinoxe Part 5" first, and then "Équinoxe Part 4". Part of "Équinoxe Part 8" has been played live with different arrangements, including a version for an acoustic street organ
, under the title of "Band in the Rain".
The album reached #11 in the UK charts and #126 in the US charts.
During the 1980s, Équinoxe Part 4 was used in the opening credits of the TVNZ documentary series Our World.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
, released on Disques Dreyfus
Disques Dreyfus
Disques Dreyfus is a record label which is currently home to artists such as Klement Julienne. Jean Michel Jarre was part of the label for more than 20 years.Francis Dreyfus founded Disque Dreyfus in 1985...
(with license to Polydor) in late 1978.
The album reflects a day in the life of a human being, from morning to night. Parts 1 to 4 (i.e. side A) and tracks 5 to 8 (side B) segué smoothly from one to the next.
Jarre had developed his sound, employing more dynamic and rhythmic elements, particularly a greater use of sequencing on basslines. Much of this was achieved using custom equipment developed by his collaborator Michel Geiss
Michel Geiss
Michel Geiss is a French sound-engineer, instrument designer and musician who was a long-time collaborator of Jean Michel Jarre.He has also collaborated with different famous French artists such as Marc Lavoine, Patrick Bruel or Laurent Voulzy....
.
The release was followed by a concert on the Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on July 14, 1979. The concert attracted 1 million people, becoming Jarre's first entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd for an outdoor concert.
Two singles were released from the album, "Équinoxe Part 5" first, and then "Équinoxe Part 4". Part of "Équinoxe Part 8" has been played live with different arrangements, including a version for an acoustic street organ
Street organ
A street organ is a mechanical organ designed to play in the street. The operator of a street organ is called an organ grinder. The two main types are the smaller German street organ and the larger Dutch street organ....
, under the title of "Band in the Rain".
The album reached #11 in the UK charts and #126 in the US charts.
During the 1980s, Équinoxe Part 4 was used in the opening credits of the TVNZ documentary series Our World.
Track listing
- "Équinoxe Part 1" – 2:23
- "Équinoxe Part 2" – 5:01
- "Équinoxe Part 3" – 5:11
- "Équinoxe Part 4" – 6:53
- "Équinoxe Part 5" – 3:47
- "Équinoxe Part 6" – 3:23
- "Équinoxe Part 7" – 7:25
- "Équinoxe Part 8" – 5:02
Personnel
- Jean-Michel Jarre – ARP 2600ARP 2600The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer, designed by Alan R. Pearlman , and manufactured by his company, ARP Instruments, Inc...
Synthesizer, EMS Synthi AKSEMS Synthi AKSThe EMS Synthi A, first available in May 1971, and then in March 1972 a version of it with a built-in keyboard and sequencer, the EMS Synthi AKS, a portable modular analog synthesiser made by EMS of England. Most notable for its patch pin matrix, its functions and internal design are similar to the...
, VCS 3 Synthesizer, Yamaha CS-80Yamaha CS-80The Yamaha CS-80 was a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 1977. It supports true 8-voice polyphony as well as a primitive settings memory based on a bank of micropotentiometers , and exceptionally complete performer expression features, such...
, Oberheim TVS-1A, RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, RMI Keyboard Computer, ELKA 707, Korg Polyphonic Ensemble 2000, Eminent 310U, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, ARP Sequencer, Oberheim Digital Sequencer, Matrisequencer 250, Rhythmicomputer (KorgKorgis a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...
MiniPopsMinipopsMinipops was a television series broadcast in 1983 on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Focused primarily for younger viewers, it consisted of music performances on a brightly coloured set, featuring preteen children singing then-contemporary pop music hits as well as older classics...
7), EMSElectronic Music Studios (London) LtdElectronic Music Studios Ltd. is a synthesizer company formed in 1969 by Dr. Peter Zinovieff, Tristram Cary and David Cockerell....
VocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
External links
- Équinoxe at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Équinoxe at JarreUK