Équinoxe



Équinoxe (Equinox) is the fourth studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released in December 1978 on the Disques Dreyfus record label, with license to Polydor.

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 album is presented as two suites of music, each consisting of 4 parts and taking up one side of the vinyl release of the album. The separate tracks on the record smoothly segue into each other to this effect.

The album reached number 11 on the UK Album Chart and number 126 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

During the 1980s, "Équinoxe Part 4" was used in the opening credits of the TVNZ documentary series Our World.

Release and promotion
Two singles were released from the album, "Équinoxe Part 5" first, and then "Équinoxe Part 4". The short piece of music at the beginning 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 release was followed by a concert on the Place de la Concorde, Paris on 14 July 1979. The concert attracted a million people, becoming Jarre's first entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd for an outdoor concert. As with Jarre's previous album, Oxygène, the album cover art was provided by Michel Granger.

Critical reception
Davitt Sigerson of Melody Maker scorned the record, saying "it is as slushily, pseudo-galactically crass and vapid as last year's Oxygène. The melodies are trite, harmonies predictable, textures almost determinedly hackneyed (even down to artificial 'weather' effects to generate mood). There isn't even much that's danceable." In Record Mirror Steve Gett considered the album to be "very artificial, and as a result quite emotionless ... As far as I was concerned the effect was one of sleep inducement, basically because it seems so lifeless and infinite, never reaching a specific goal but merely drifting on."

A retrospective review by Allmusic commented, "As the follow up album to Oxygène, Équinoxe offers the same mesmerizing effect, with rapid spinning sequencer washes and bubbling synthesizer portions all lilting back and forth to stardust scatterings of electronic pastiches. Using more than 13 different types of synthesizers, Jarre combines whirling soundscapes of multi-textured effects, passages, and sometimes suites to culminate interesting electronic atmospheres... So much electronic color is added to every track that it is impossible to concentrate on any particular segment, resulting in waves of synth drowning the ears at high tide."

Track listing
All tracks composed by Jean-Michel Jarre.

Side one
 * 1) "Équinoxe Part 1" – 2:25
 * 2) "Équinoxe Part 2" – 5:00
 * 3) "Équinoxe Part 3" – 5:09
 * 4) "Équinoxe Part 4" – 6:54

Side two
 * 1) "Équinoxe Part 5" – 3:54
 * 2) "Équinoxe Part 6" – 3:28
 * 3) "Équinoxe Part 7" – 7:06
 * 4) "Équinoxe Part 8" – 4:57

Equipment

 * ARP 2600
 * EMS Synthi AKS,
 * EMS VCS 3
 * Yamaha CS-60
 * Oberheim TVS-1A
 * RMI Harmonic Synthesizer
 * RMI Keyboard Computer
 * ELKA 707
 * Korg Polyphonic Ensemble P Polyphonic Ensemble 2000
 * Eminent 310U
 * Mellotron
 * ARP Sequencer
 * Oberheim Digital Sequencer
 * Matrisequencer 250
 * Geiss Rhythmicomputer (a custom designed programmable rhythm box)
 * EMS Vocoder