Jean-Michel Jarre's 'Electronica 2: The Heart Of Noise' Now Available

Following on from the unparalleled success of Vol. 1., JEAN-MICHEL JARRE's second and final part to his ground-breaking 'Electronica' series, VOL. 2: THE HEART OF NOISE, is out now.

Much like its predecessor, THE HEART OF NOISE is teeming with some of the greatest musical talents on earth, with a mind-blowing 15 collaborators featured on the 18-track album that was masterminded by JARRE himself.

This time around, Rone, Pet Shop Boys, Primal Scream, Julia Holter, Gary Numan, Jeff Mills, Peaches, Siriusmo, Yello, The Orb, Sebastien Tellier, Hans Zimmer, Cyndi Lauper, Christophe and none other than Edward Snowden have all been handpicked by JARRE to complete his ELECTRONICA double album project. As with Vol 1., JARRE personally connected with each of his collaborators and travelled extensively to work together on the music, taking him everywhere from Moscow to see the ostracized Snowden to Los Angeles with Gary Numan.

States JEAN-MICHEL JARRE:

"I can't believe today is the day that Electroncia Vol 2: The Heart of Noise is finally out. It's been a long journey.

Six years ago I had this idea of merging DNA with musicians and artists of different generations, linked, directly or indirectly, to electronic music and beyond to modern technology one way or the other. In electronic music, unlike rock or jazz, we artists are isolated, like painters in their ateliers. That's something I wanted to explore, to really collaborate in person, rather than just share sound files on email. To combine my world with those of other people whom I respect, love and admire from more than four decades. The idea is very much in phase with our times, to merge communities, celebrate the connections, but in a real, physical, organic, natural way.

I had no idea it was possible to work with so many great artists on an album and still have a unity and cohesiveness of colors and sounds. For me, music is the most interactive mode of expression in ways that don't depend on a narrative. You can create your own film in your imagination. The kind of artists I worked with are more than just people writing music. They create their own, very specific world. They are not telling a story, but allowing you to create your own. Every track on Electronica is an invitation for a journey, not in a new age sense, but in a very dynamic, dark, edgy, joyful or melancholic one. It's a trip where you visit different tribes of people, but at the end of the day, they're all part of the same family.

Electronica is a once in a lifetime project for me. It means the world to me to be trusted by so many incredible artists and human beings who became part of this journey. It's not over yet - See you on the road!"

Having started work on the two-part project almost five years ago, JARRE's ELECTRONICA has evolved since day one into its current format. Perhaps the biggest surprise--on an album that features rare contributions from musical legends such as Primal Scream, Peaches, Jeff Millsand The Pet Shops Boys--is the Edward Snowden-featured track, "Exit." A United Nations ambassador for UNESCO, JARRE somehow added to his legend even further with one of the most surprising partnerships in recent memory, and released the official video for the track last week.

THE HEART OF NOISE is a tribute to Luigi Russolo, Italian composer and builder of experimental musical instruments, who proposed in 1913 in his Futurist manifesto 'Art of Noises' a number of conclusions about how electronics and other technology would allow futurist musicians to "substitute for the limited variety of timbres that the orchestra possesses today the infinite variety of timbres in noises, reproduced with appropriate mechanisms." Russolopredicted the dawn of the synthesiser and electronic music.

JARRE's illustrious career has spanned over four decades and he is considered one of the founding fathers of electronic music. Just a few of his feats include selling over 70 million albums worldwide, holding the Guinness World Record for playing to the largest attendance in history (3.5 million in Moscow) and becoming the first Western musician to be invited to perform in post-Mao China in 1981.

The release of VOL. 2 marks a historic moment in the career of JARRE, who having released his most ambitious project to date, will now set his sights on his upcoming live shows and world tour.With a unique and brand-new super production in tow, JARRE will kick things off this summer with a string of outdoor shows at Sónar in Barcelona, Melt! Festival and Bluedot at Jodrell Bank, after which he will move onto major venues across Europe like the 02 Arena in Londonand AccorHotels Arena in Paris as part of his Electronica World Tour. He will play further dates in Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and more. See all of JARRE'sofficial dates here.

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