Oxygène

In The Meaning of Liff, a book by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, the authors take placenames from around the world and redefine them as words for things and events that don't have a word, but should. For instance, Shoeburyness, formerly an English village, gained the meaning "the vague uncomfortable feeling you get when sitting on a seat that is still warm from somebody else's bottom." Chicago now also refers to "the foul-smelling wind which precedes an underground railway train." The relevant one for today is Zeerust, a South African town and "the particular kind of datedness which afflicts things that were originally designed to look futuristic." Take the original Star Trek, where communicators only performed one task (unlike your phone), and a female uniform ended an inch below the knicker. Jean -Michel Jarre's Oxygène embodies the zeerust of 70s synth pioneer records, but this is not to its detriment. The public perception of Jean-Michel Jarre has always struck me as dissonant, but that could be the Anglo-American perception. Everyone aged 35 or over knows exactly who he is, but they would only be able to name one song (Oxygène Part 4, obviously). Owning this album would make you seem buffy, and any other album smacks of obsession. Yet he holds the world record for the most attended concert, a 1997 Moscow concert celebrating the 350th anniversary of the city, where over 3,500,000 attended: that's more than the populations of Estonia and Latvia combined. Three other concerts of his have previously held that record. So does Europe adore Jean-Michel Jarre? Dunno: I asked a Francophone friend, and he told me that whilst he has some kudos in France as a trailblazer, nobody would be able to tell you a track of his from the 80s or 90s. Anyway, back to the zeerust of Oxygène. The European synth pioneers who have attracted by far the most acclaim are the Germans: Kraftwerk, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, those chaps. The French, whilst not seen as inadequate in the field, have never attained anything like the veneration their synthy krautrock rivals command. But these synth pioneers, regardless of origin, all now sound affectionately quaint. By pursuing the future in their present, they would become anchored to their present, our past. Partly this is just the gamble you take on when you prognosticate so; much of New Romanticism's futurism hasn't bourne out in its favour. Partly this is a side-effect of influence: when others build on your innovations, they will inevitably progress beyond you. But whereas one might presume Oxygène has dated, I don't find that the case. Yes, it's evocative of a specific 70s era I never experienced, but that just adds to the charm. A 6-track, wholly electronic instrumental album by a French avant-garde composer becoming a worldwide smash? That sadly just doesn't happen anymore. Thanks, Adele! But is Oxygène actually good stripped of context? It wholly depends on how beautiful you find it. Eventually, I found it very beautiful indeed. Yes, it may take some time to appreciate this album fully, but by my third listen it had become a treat. I'm happy giving it 5 stars, but that just reflects my impression. If you consider it a bore and a chore, I won't argue to the contrary. See, we can all just get along!

Let's all put on clothing made of foil and zoom around on our hoverboards

Can go toe to toe with anything Ambient that Brian Eno ever did. incredibly powerful mood.

When I saw that all songs were called Oxygène, I knew it would be shit...

1. Don’t be a dummy like me, listen to this record at night. This is night music. 2. The French are better at electronic music than just about anyone else on the planet (with the possible exception of the Germans in the 1970’s). 3. Why the fuck don’t I own this on vinyl? Discogs, here i come.

Doctor Who backing music made by some dude in his kitchen. No thanks.

Fancy hold music

I kept waiting for this album to begin and then it was over. C

Definately like if i was being abducted by an alien play this please

Jarre is one of the godfathers of electronic music, and this early album is one of his best. Its best known part is certainly Oxygène 4, but one really should listen to this album as a whole, not for individual tracks. Jarre is weaving a tapestry of ever-repeating patterns and introduces gradual over time, so it never gets boring. A classic masterpiece of electronic music. 5/5

Inject this shit directly into my veins

One of the OGs of the style. Still incredible even all these years later.

This almost put me to sleep like 8 times - and I was driving while I was listening to it. Maybe that's on me, but this album could have gotten me killed.

This was a real gem, never heard of this cat before and had no idea how big he was. Some really interesting beats and sounds.

Not as good as The Specials

Absolutely wonderful, a rich futuristic cityscape of an album. Definitely going to revisit.

Like listening to a lukewarm glass of water, but sure, it passes.

New space music for coding, blessed

Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.

Far out!! Would enjoy on shrooms!!! 🍄🍄‍🟫

Oxygene Part II features prominently in the climactic scene of Gallipoli, which is a 1981 film little known in the rest of the world, but an important and ubiquitous part of Australian culture in the 1980s. Do people still watch it? It felt like a cornerstone of our national identity at the time -- fuckin' Pommy bastards drank tea on the beach while the ANZACs died! Died for nothin', mate, for nothin'! I'm sure either Gallipoli or maybe hearing Part IV on the radio was my initial exposure to Jean-Michel Jarre as a child, and it would be fair to say that I became a fan. I own most of his 70s and 80s albums, usually purchased mail order from the World Record Club catalogue and then obsessively played. But my interest started waning in my mid-teens as I discovered more rock. I don't think I have spun this album -- or any Jarre record -- in over 35 years. They just collect dust in the backwaters of my collection. History seems to have relegated him to the "naff" bin. Tangerine Dream and Eno and Neu! are all cool, but Jean-Michel Jarre is not. I suspect that is because he was popular. He sold a lot of records and he played some very big concerts. He wasn't afraid of comprehensible harmonies (there is a strong classical influence in his work) and catchy melodies or exploiting the novel sounds of the synthesizer. Listening today, I kind of wish he hadn't leaned so heavily on the tweedily-deedily-deedily noises or the whooshing sounds or fake waves or birds or the LFO sweeps. But I found the listening experience holds up. Oxygene sounds of its time but still sounds great. It is a now quaint idea of what the future would sound like -- although, in fairness, people are still producing electronic music with cheesy drum machines, big washy synth pads and LFO sweeps. And it has some cracking tunes and it aims to please. It gave me a nostalgic buzz. Maybe it was too popular to be cool, much the way that Mike Oldfield isn't cool. It's an instrumental, ambient synthesizer album that lots of people liked -- improbable, but it happened. More power to him. 4.5 stars, rounding up.

I got Gary Numan through this project recently, and was bemoaning the lack of Vangelis on the list, so awarded him the title of "main source of synthesizer soundtracks of the future, from the past". That was shameful Jean-Michel Jarre erasure, and for that, I apologize. Oxygene is great! Exactly my jam. On the one hand, it's the scifi soundtrack to the future TV and movies have been promising me my whole life. On the other hand, it's a nostalgia machine that whisks me back to my childhood. Fave track - well, "Part IV" is the famous, nay, iconic section, but I really enjoyed the frenetic mania of "Part II" this time around. The second half of "Part V" is pretty badass, too....

Ambiance heaven

My first impulse is to start a punk band called Jean-Michel Jarring. Or maybe a Pere Ubu cover band called Jean-Michel Jarry. This whole album sounds like the thing they play over the public address system right before the thing you came for happens. This album is the thing before the thing. Once you accept that, it becomes much more interesting. So instead of following your instinct to punch Monssiuer Jarre in the face, just imagine this is a brilliant exploration of anticipation. An extreme elongation of what is normally a matter of seconds, enabling a deep examination. Or fuck it. This is annoying.

I can respect the inspiration this album had and how groundbreaking this album may have been for its time, but definitely not for me. Sounds like a killer video game soundtrack maybe? I LOVE the album art though, would make a cool tattoo.

Superb. The most beatiful electronica soundscapes put together as a classic symphony, with its different themes being repeated in variations and mixed up maintaing an exciting atmosphere throughout the whole album

Really liked this surprisingly. I'm guessing pretty revolutionary for its' time? Listened with headphones so that made it a beautiful sci-fi soundscape journey.

Kill jester.

What a delicious album! The songs are very atmospheric, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. Instead, it's a complex album that is mainly just one song with different sections. And they are all so hauntingly beautiful and so immersive. It's the kind of electronic music I love, one that evolves and evokes different things, but also being so beautiful and, at times, even progressive, without feeling repetitive at all. I'm impressed, this album is brilliant.

El álbum clásico de Jarre. La 1 es un tanto lúgubre (como la 39 y etérea abre paso a ese jardín que es la 2 y sobre todo la 4. La 5 es tecno antes del tecno, claramente infuido por Tangerine Dream. La 6 hace de perfecto cierre de un álbum magnífico. Luego vendrían sus conciertos multitudinarios, espectaculares, algunos discos muy buenos (todos los que hizo en el siglo 20) y una recuperación en forma de homenaje con el siglo 21. Más allá de la broma (cierta) de haber usado Popcorn para su melodía más conocida, el disco es fundamental y además se sostiene con el paso del tiempo. La portada también.

Definitely a night time gift wrapping album. I’ll revisit this so I think it’s good enough for a 5.

Oxygène is one of those albums that seems simple when it starts, almost fragile in how minimal it feels, but then it opens up into a whole world. It is electronic music at its most atmospheric and elemental, yet somehow it never feels cold. Jarre builds these long, flowing movements that seem to breathe on their own, and the synth sounds still feel strangely alive even after all these years. Every section drifts seamlessly into the next, and the whole album becomes this continuous experience that pulls you into its space without ever needing to raise its voice. What resonates most is how emotional it manages to be while using such a limited set of textures. There is wonder, stillness, tension, release, all being painted with synth tones that glide and ripple like light on water. “Oxygène IV” is the obvious standout because of how iconic it has become, but the quieter movements are just as powerful. They create a sense of drifting through something vast and unknowable, yet also peaceful. It is music that works whether you are lying in the dark with headphones or walking outside and letting the environment mix with it. There is very little to criticise, because this album achieves something so specific and does it with complete confidence. It does not rush. It does not clutter itself. It trusts the listener to settle into the atmosphere and stay there. For an album built entirely from synthesizers in the mid 70s, it feels timeless, and that is a rare thing. Oxygène is not just a landmark in electronic music, it is a genuinely beautiful piece of art, the kind you can return to endlessly and still find yourself sinking into its world all over again.

Electronica has been one of my lowest rated genres in this project so far, largely because it has been dance/clubbing rubbish rather than the real thing. This is the real thing.

Incredible work. Atmospheric, cinematic. Very unique ethnic sound blended with very eclectic synth melodies

It's impressive how little it takes sometimes for music to be fantastic. Just some looping synths and drum beats manages to make this a fun album to listen to. Great atmosphere.

Interesting and unique! I enjoyed the psychedelic, floaty nature of it. Fun instrumentals overall. It did hang out in each section a bit too long at times, but it didn't annoy me too much. 'Oxygéne, Pt. 5' was my favorite, it got kinda funky.

This is an album I've meant to listen to for literally 5 years, when it was first recommended to me. Once I saw it was on the list, I decided to wait. I would say it was worth the wait. I didn't really care for Pt. 1 but it picked up for me with Pt 2 and stayed great through to the end. Pt 4 was the highlight for me, which I understand led to Jean-Michel Jarre's breakthrough. Would rate 4.5 but going to round up because I think it deserves it.

Liked it! Bit trippy

Dramatic, cinematic.I remember watching his outdoor light spectacles on TV as a kid - Oxygene Part 4 brings back those memories. Rich textures, Spacemen 3 learnt from this. It’s very different to Kraftwerk, this is more like waves, more atmospheric. No words, this is music to make you wonder. Dreamy. I love it. Nice to hear an album without lyrics that still very much holds the attention.

I think this album might be directly responsible for the entire sound of 80s sci-fi and some mainstream sound that's seen even today. For 1976, this shit feels way ahead of its time and it's also super enjoyable to listen to. Parts 3 and 6 are the best ones

Incredibly cool, it felt like I was on a musical journey. Particularly loved parts 2, 3 and 4. The section of 5 where you could hear the music going back and forth from ear to ear was rather fun as well

I liked this album. Listened to some of his work for the rest of the day, and this was probably the best.

awesome album, beginning to end 10/10 based af honestly can’t decide what my favorite song is

Obra maestra.

A cracking album!!

A masterpiece!

a cosmic journey

Awsome ambient electro album

It’s so cool to me how this album is from 1976. It sounds so futuristic. From the first moments of this album it felt like I was transported into a sci-fi movie. The soundscapes are really pretty and dream-like, but can be tense at moments as well.

greetings traveller, my name is falconhoof and i will be your guide on your quest

The top review says more or less everything I would say. Everyone my age knows his name and this record, to a greater or lesser degree. A synth and electronic pioneer, and something I wouldn't think of listening to nowadays, I think of it in similar terms as Tubular Bells, except this is better as a whole piece. Some of it brings to mind Vangelis also, and could complement the Blade Runner soundtrack. Definitely feel like it holds up. And should be listened to as a whole.

In middle school I watched a lot of British stand up comedy DVDs. One of them was a Bill Bailey special with a lot of musical bits. In one of them he sampled himself saying "Jean Michelle Jare is a fraud. I never knew who that was until this album came up. So thank you 1001 Album Club, for answering a question I've had for many years. I listened to this in the shower, and it was excellent shower music. I'm giving it 4 stars for shower excellence. In most other contexts it would probably be a 3, but that was a really peaceful and bubbly sounding shower. I still don't know why he's a fraud though. Album cover: (A-) Cheesy but very rad.

I normally can't stand listening to straight up electronic music, but this album is genuine art. It is very well composed rather than feeling like it's testing out all the noise settings on a synthesizer. The album listens like a suite from start to finish, so picking a favorite track feels disingenuous. But I really enjoyed this

Ayo this is pretty fucking neat. Early electronic that feels like floating through space? yes please, it's solid as fuck.

This album, for not being made for a soundtrack, was incredibly soundtrack-like for the first few songs. I enjoyed the 5th track the most as it reminded me of a lot of songs that have come out in the past decade

The inspiration for countless infomercial and documentary soundtracks. Despite a bit too much theremin vibrato and vaguely muddy mixing, this album is simultaneously the sound of the past and the sound of the future.

One can only imagine the audiophiles of 1976 popping this on their turntables for the first time and immediately creaming their pants. Burbling bases, whooshing filter sweeps, light speed arpeggio sweeps - all made with peculiar synths like the EMS VC3. It was truly the future, and it created the template for science documentary sountracks well into the 80s. Unfortunately, the album is light on tunes, with Part IV, the one everybody knows, having a strong motif. Amazing as it was back then, a bedroom producer could bash it out over a log weekend these days.

Kind of forgot about Jean-Michel Jarre, though the album I used to listen to was Equinoxe. Still, part IV was familiar to me, and it was fun to listen to him again, though it sounds a little dated in parts (gotta watch it with the mellotron).

It was a jam. 3.5/5

Kill jester

Yeah this was cool from a sort of historical perspective. Clearly impactful, and yet I wouldn’t say this is something I’ll be eager to throw on in the future.

A different listen for me. This album used a lot of the ethereal sounds I associate with sci fi and space-themed movies. It was fun to have on in the background as I drove around on a rainy day but it's not my favorite type of music.

All the songs have the same name,so I kind of knew that it was not going to be impressive. This is music that you hear at a spa or massage parlor

This is the day that Shane MacGowan died, so i have to admit i only made it through 3 of these Oxygene tracks before needing to bail out and listen to the Pogues for the rest of the day at full volume.

A masterclass of '70s synthwork. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. Mileage, of course, will vary on how much you like ambient music & 1970s analog synthesizers. I happen to enjoy both a lot, so this is 40 minutes that feel pretty tailored towards me. It’s not quite as isolated & transcendentally centered as an ambient Eno project may feel, but the sense of scale & perseverance that comes through with these soundscapes, assuming you can imagine such things, feels just as vibrant as I was hoping for going in. The rhythm in each of these tracks drives everything nicely; this feels just a bit closer to a Jean-Luc Ponty at times, though with a minimalism to the actual amount of instruments used that evokes Kraftwerk. These are somewhat simple in nature, but the broad sweeping notes & the way they’re mixed together with microscopic percussion & bass creates a super cool dichotomy that allows you to focus on one or the other at any given time, yet still retain the entirety of the track as it’s happening. All of that is to say, this album is hypnotic as fuck, easy to vibe out to, and yet it subconsciously demands your attention. Very few ambient-ish albums on this list tend to balance those aspects engagingly & evenly, and this feels like one that nails it almost perfectly, at least for my tastes. The purpose & determination that comes to mind is what makes this album stand out from some of its peers, and I think Jean-Michel Jarre did a hell of a job here. I need to listen to more of this guy. It’s a very nice 5 for me, and I’m very glad it’s on the list.

It’s a pioneer in electronic music so yes it belongs. The album is amazing - iconically used in Peter Weir's Gallipoli. Given some of the crap we’ve had - another repetitive d and b anyone? - this restores my faith in the synthesiser. 5 stars

One of the early essentials. You need to let this one grow, and build so hang in there. Its a full compositional experience. Track one is for presence. The MDMA feels really kick in on track 2, so such a blissful intelligent lift. To be discovered alongside other classic and timeless works like Kraftwerk, Brian Eno (music for airports, ahhhhhhh ) , Vangelis (another Maestro! Check Bladerunner & Chariots of Fire). I must go get on education and listen to Wendy Carlos (1968 - album Switched-On Bach), Tangerine Dream for the "Berlin School" of electronic music, and Isao Tomita, (1972 release Electric Samurai: Switched on Rock & Snowflakes Are Dancing. From Italy there is the well sampled Giorgio Moroder the "Father of Disco" and EDM - do go and enjoy Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". These all paved the way for everything from New Order and Daft Punk among others Back to oxygene - Maybe its time for this to be remixed, given the way current techno music is going with ravishing large soundscapes - even Openheimer has been set to massive danceable beats. Would love to hear him on the airwaves in updated form so he is heard by the modern ear. Sweeping atmospheric soundscapes is on apt cliche here. Analogue and digital mastery and creation by an uncompromising and influential Master on innovator . I wonder though - is the kaleidoscopic and even more original and seminal but also quite NAFF (its just too boringly British to work) album “Music to Moog By” by Gershon Kingsley credited on his album - this is SUCH a rework of his ideas, its uncanny (but Jarre improved on it. Sooo well. He stood on a shoulder for this catch!). a bit slow at times for me, but I'm rounding it up to a 5 for track 2 & 4 alone. essential.

Worth noting deadbeats that 2 and 5 have a special place in the hearts of Australians due to their placement in Gallipoli, by the way how fast are you going to run? The overall soundtrack is quite eclectic but Peter Weir uses this very post Space Odyssey 70's era sound to great effect, especially as Archie and Frank run across the desert, good grief I love that film! This is a masterpiece, Jarre created an astonishing and beautiful landscape. An absolute stonking pleasure to listen to deadbeats, highly recommend.

I achieved ear-gasm on part 5. That should tell you all you need to know. Great meditative album. I love the textures

Part four seems the most popular but this might even be my least favourite track. I loved the whole album.

I needed a cosmic concerto in my life today. My first encounter with Jean‑Michel Jarre wasn’t through these recordings at all — it was a chiptune cover of “Oxygène II” on my Commodore 64 in the late 80s. It came from one of those floppy‑disk music compilations kids traded like contraband. And unlike the usual pop‑song transcriptions, this one was Oxygène II. Hearing Jarre’s cosmic glide rendered through the SID chip’s buzzing waveforms was a revelation. It wasn’t disposable; it was architecture, melody as machinery, space rendered in square waves. Oxygène is weird, floaty, semi‑ambient — but not in the “new age wallpaper” sense. It feels more like chamber music reimagined as electronica, a suite of movements that breathe and expand like a living organism. Jarre’s analog synths wobble and shimmer, giving the whole thing a tactile, human warmth. This isn’t essential listening for everyone, but it’s absolutely key to electronic music. It’s one of the albums that taught the world what synthesizers could feel like, not just what they could imitate. My Rating: 5/5

this is the third album by french composer jean-michel jarre, and it's a very fascinating early electronic record. the whole thing was recorded in his own home, pretty much making a studio in his home and surrounding himself with all sorts of synthesizers... sounds like the dream. it released in france in '76, and released internationally a year later. the record is composed of six movements. this is arguably his greatest and most famous album. holy cow, we wanna talk about groundbreaking stuff? this is up there. this is another one of those albums where you gotta sit down, put on headphones, and immerse yourself in the soundscapes. synth music, especially around this time tend to sound really tinny and dated, but this record is quite the opposite, at least for the most part. the steady drum-machine beats and the REALLY wide, almost galactic synthy symphonies put on display throughout the record's runtime... i think this record is amazing. it's super ambitious and futuristic. to put it plainly, this is a record you definitely want to keep in your collection if you like electronic music in any capacity.

Fantastic electronic music maestro! Great LP.

Really brilliant. Incredible sounds for so relatively kind of early in popular synthesiser use. The compositions feel very classical in parts, and prog rock in other parts. Really compelling and beautiful throughout

Artiste connu, et album qui fait partie de mes préférés. Ce disque fait partie des 2 premiers albums que j'ai eu sur cassette (le second étant 'Équinoxe' du même artiste), et que j'ai écouté en boucle à l'époque. Une vrai pépite, très différente de tous ce qui passait à la radio : complètement instrumental, avec des sonorités totalement nouvelles et des compositions vraiment originales. Une invitation au voyage : il suffit de fermer les yeux et se laisser emporter. 50 ans après j'aime toujours cet album, et je l'écoute encore avec plaisir. =>5/5

En av dom största electronica-pionjänernas bästa album. Helt magiskt fin atmosfär <3

Timeless ambient classic

More of this

I still dream of the future, of space, and of the sea.

If Kraftwerk’s vision of the future was icy and robotic, Jean Michelle Jarre’s music had a uniquely Gallic sensibility that was more like the comics created by French artist Moebius with curvaceous spaceships floating in the sky over impossible landscapes. We also get more Earthly concerns with the ominous cover of a ruined planet and the synthesised sounds of crashing waves and electronic bird song evoking fears of environmental doom. This soundscape was created in Jarre’s kitchen studio using a mix of wonky, cobbled together synthesisers with effects created with magnetic tape loops and the innovative technique of taping down certain keys on the keyboard with sticky tape. The overall effect is rather charming and certainly caught the public imagination at the time - parts of this album were a regular feature on TV themes and even background ambient music for The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Needless to say this was hugely influential, notably on bands like The Orb, Air and System 7 who built on these warm and squelchy sounds to great effect. Frog-tastic!

Now that’s ambient electronica I can get behind.

Very interesting

Klassiker der elektronischen Musik. Yes! Qui!

Love this!

4.6 3x cool old school electronic. it's timeless and feels modern. edited this up to 4.6 from 3.8 on initial listen. listened several times since + Max really likes it as well

One way road to a shape I have rarely heard before.

I know I'm predictably easy to please when it comes to this genre, but seriously, even if this isn't your thing, you've still gotta have respect for that 1976 release date. The "I Feel Love" vibe on the 5th track predates Donna's hit by a year, and the smooth, almost house-like trance on track 6 is decades ahead of its time. The new age space chill of side A had me feeling 4ish, but side B cliched the deal.

Fantastic! Really groundbreaking electronic work for its time

still a phenomenal album

Favourite Songs: Oxygène, Pt. 1 Oxygène, Pt. 2 Oxygène, Pt. 4 Oxygène, Pt. 6

The retro-spacey synth thing is definitely right up my alley.

Groovy space music

This album could be released today & it would still sound wildly ahead of its time- imagine how it sounded to listeners in 1976 (France) 1977 (internationally)? I can't begin to imagine other than imagining minds being blown just as they are blown today by this majestic album. To me it sounds like Star Wars music. I can see the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2D2, C3P0, Obi Wan & the whole gang while this album plays. I had a wonderful time with Oxygen- so far (and by far) my best discovery in the 1001 project- an album I likely never would have heard if it wasn't for the book/generator 1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die. Here's to more great discoveries in the months to come!

Because I listened to it a long time ago

It is 1976. I have sat and dwelled. Dwelled and sat. A decision has been made. I am a man. I, am a psychonaut. I ingest strange fruit. I circumvent the natural order of things. Or do I? Do I offend god, or do I entice the gods? Have I sealed my fate? My doom? Or have I, as is my desire, cracked this bored sky and set upon a path of infinite possibility. My couch dwelling self is shed like the skin of a tired snake. I emerge from a warm sea. Vibrating. Energized. Ready. The sun is unfamiliar. The shore is strange. I am new. I am Empty. I desire to be filled. Infinite paths lie before me. I contemplate. I step forward. I am fulfilled. I contain multitudes. Anyways, I had no idea what this was before today. Pretty fucking pumped for it though. More please.

Refreshing, cool, surreal... I can't believe this was 1976. I can feel optimism for space voyage here. Might replay this album in the near future.

For 1976 this is a groundbreaking recording by the (latterly crowned) ‘Father of Techno’. One can’t help but identify the influences of some progressive rock acts in some of the more expansive tracks. Parts 1-2 became used in tv and film and part 4 was a hit single, learnt by many new owners of Casio keyboards in the 80s. The only thing that dates it is the relatively basic programmed percussion. A defining sound of my young life.

I don't know why I like this album so much. Maybe it's because of the awesome album cover, maybe it's because I used to listen to it with my dad. I don't know. I really dig it, though. It's the perfect length for an album— it never really gets boring, and there are plenty of small earworms and hooks throughout its quite airy compositions. The album still manages to feel fresh and different today. I guess it was something completely new when it was released in the ’70s. There’s something really cool about early electronic music, and while it’s experimental, it never falls for cheap tricks or loses its musicality. I also believe this really benefits from being listened to as a whole album to get the full effect. The soundscapes flow into one another in a really satisfying way when you listen from start to finish. 5 stars.

Inscrutable