Electronic Music Pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre to Serve as SXSW Panelist

Acclaimed electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre will make his SXSW debut on Tuesday, March 17 as a panellist for "Music Copyright & AI: Who Owns Code-Created Songs?" The panel, moderated by The Verge's Dani Deahl, will explore the new field of music copyright and AI. Jarre comes to SXSW in support of his latest project, EōN: a dynamic music app available now via iOS which produces infinite, ever-evolving music, accompanied by a constant progression of organic visuals. More on the panel can be found here.

EōN - named after the ancient Greek god of time and eternity - made its global premiere at Web Summit in Lisbon this past November. It is a work of art designed to be played endlessly. Using original musical elements composed by Jarre specifically for the project, the app creates a never-repeating and completely unique musical experience for every user, every time. Jarre's SXSW participation marks his first U.S. appearance since the app's release.

A world-first due to its sheer scope and scale, the app combines man and machine as the algorithm weaves together original material - beats, melodies, chords - which Jarre composed, performed and recorded in his studio. A stark difference to other generative-music apps, EōN is not limited to a linear, 'ambient-music' style, and is instead more like a never-ending album with a rich variety of tempo, tones, and rhythms.

Upon completing his compositions for the app, Jarre approached Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Tokyo (SONY CSL) researcher, Alexis André, to bring the music to life visually by creating an intricate and elaborate flow of ever-evolving graphics. The encoding and final algorithm was delivered by Alexis Zbik and Vianney Apreleff from French music tech company BLEASS who, with Jarre's artistic direction, defined the rules of the app and how it orchestrates the music.

Delivering an unrivalled experience through endless hours of original music, EōN produces an individual piece of art for every user. They are able to listen to music generated by EōN both online and offline as the algorithm and audio engine are built directly into the app.

Composer, performer, producer. Visionary, innovator, cultural ambassador. Any list of Jean-Michel Jarre's countless facets would inevitably come short of his actual significance in music history. "JMJ" is a living legend and often referred to as the "Godfather of Electronic Music". When Jarre launched his landmark debut album Oxygene in 1976, he opened a new chapter in music history. Today, he has sold more than 80 million albums and his pioneering work gave birth to a veritable cult and the fastest-growing trend the music industry has ever stood to witness: the rise of electronic music.

Jarre's unparalleled creative output is perpetually linked to his innovative exploration of new technological trends. From the first modular and polyphonic synth and drum-machines to digital keyboards, plug-ins and apps, JMJ is always at the forefront to use them. He was the first to popularise the laser harp, he transformed the Houston skyline into a projection surface for the first-ever large-scale laser-mapping performance at a gigantic outdoor concert in ´86 and set up a live video connection to the MIR astronauts in space during his epic Moscow concert in 1997, witnessed by a record-breaking 3.5 million spectators. His millennium concert in Egypt was the first concert ever to be streamed live on the internet.

In 2019 Jarre released his all-encompassing 'best of' album Planet Jarre - 50 Years of Music as well as his new studio album Equinoxe Infinity, a concept album around the influence of Artificial Intelligence on human mankind and the use of technology in our day to day life.

Photo Credit: Tom Sheehan

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