Jean-Michel Jarre is set to publish his first book this fall, adding a new title to his long career in electronic music. According to Billboard, Machines: A History of Electronic Music arrives on Nov. 24.
The book focuses on Jarre’s collection of electronic and electro-acoustic instruments and uses them to trace how electronic music developed over the past century. A press release said the project follows the technologies, ideas and cultural movements that helped shape the sound of modern electronic music.
Machines: A History of Electronic Music will take readers through subjects including Surrealism, the Bauhaus, avant-garde radio labs and influential studios such as Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Radio France and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. It also looks at breakthroughs ranging from tape manipulation and analog synthesis to digital tools, 3D recording, immersive multimedia and AI-assisted performance.
The book includes 130 specially shot images, featuring everything from classic modular synths to rare prototypes and custom one-offs. It also features contributions from artists including Armin Van Buuren, Richie Hawtin, Vince Clark, Gillian Gilbert, Nicolas Godin, Johnny Marr and Nick Rhodes, among others.
Jarre announced the project on Instagram and said the machines in the book tell part of the story of his musical language. Machines: A History of Electronic Music is available for pre-order now, according to Billboard.
