Jean Michel Jarre has announced a collaboration with Edward Snowden, Exit.
The track will appear on Jarre’s forthcoming album, Electronica Volume II: The Heart of Noise, due out May 6th.
Jarre has also teased the single as a limited-release item for Record Store Day.
The collaboration came about after Jarre gave an interview to the Guardian last year and asked if he could be put in touch with Snowden.
Here’s a preview:
“I wrote a speedy techno track evoking the constant and hectic production of data and the obsessive quest for more information,” notes Jarre. “I then linked the music with this mad hunt and chase in order to get hold of people like Edward Snowden.”
“One of the recurrent themes of Electronica Vol. 1 & 2 is the ambiguous relationship we have with technology,” he adds. “On one side, we have the world in our pocket. On the other side, the world is spying on us constantly. Edward Snowden became a modern hero, not by saying ‘stop’, but to be careful regarding the (ab)use of technology. Our future needs brave people like him.”
Jarre’s collaboration with Snowden continues work he’s done to support the right to free speech as a UN Ambassador for UNESCO and activist for Human Rights.
Electronica Vol 2: The Heart Of Noise is available on iTunes and Amazon.
Tracks:
1. The Heart of Noise Pt. 1: JM Jarre & Rone
2. The Heart of Noise Pt. 2: JM Jarre
3. Brick England: JM Jarre & Pet Shop Boys
4. As One: JM Jarre & Primal Scream
5. Exit – JM Jarre & Edward Snowden
6. These Creatures: JM Jarre & Julia Holter
7. Here For You: JM Jarre & Gary Numan
8. The Architect: JM Jarre & Jeff Mills
9. What You Want: JM Jarre & Peaches
10. Circus: JM Jarre & Siriusmo
11. Why This, Why That, Why: JM Jarre & Yello
12. Switch On Leon: JM Jarre & The Orb
13. Gisele: JM Jarre & Sebastien Tellier
14. Electrees: JM Jarre & Hans Zimmer
15. Swipe To The Right: JM Jarre & Cyndi Lauper
16. Walking The Mile: JM Jarre & Christophe
17. Falling Down: JM Jarre
18. The Heart of Noise (The Origin): JM Jarre
I dunno this is awesome and weird at the same time! This better be good! (Haven’t viewed the clips yet though).
$13.99? this should be free …
Actually, it should be $13.37
Luckily Edward did not leak any stuff 😀
The most Jarre’ing news I’ve heard today.
This is great. Hoping Obama pardons Snowden before he leaves office.
Oh my god, a musician and composer that has gone political….
finally someone with a synthesiser has the balls to make a political statement about the crooks and gangsters that lord over our lives. At last.
J.M.Jarre my not be in the same league as some musical commentators (usually with guitars) but it has been a long time since The Shamen.
Guitars?
That was way to long ago.
And for whistle blowers,
The US needs more of those.
Just don’t go to other countrys thinking we will hand them over so you can stick them in Guantanamo.
And point, music nd politics don’t go well together.
Way to go JM.
I’m not sure if whistles make the best musical instruments, though…
Can you name any really popular whistle blowers? I haven’t seen any of THOSE in the Rock n Roll hall of fame!
Jethro tull?
uh…. what music have you been listening to? the list is pretty long in terms of political music “with synthesizers.” A good place to start is Snog. My suggestion is Third Mall From the Sun. Negativland is another one. Youth Code..etc. etc.. even bigger name projects like Skinny Puppy have plenty of politically inspired tracks. Not sure why it’s relegated to guitar based projects.
OK OK sure people do make politically motivated music (not many)
that much is true, but with due respect to your listening palette,
Negativland don’t exist much anymore and haven’t done anything of merit since the late 90’s,
and Snog and Third Mall from the Sun don’t really command a large audience, do they?
The reason behind the synth reference was due to the fact that the news was reported on Synthtopia.
It just appears to me that most angry people grab a guitar not a Eurorack module.
And yes you are right Skinny Puppy make a lot of noise about censorship and animal rights I stand corrected. I will listen to your suggestions thanks.
third mall from the sun is one of Snog’s albums.
Pretty much all Industrial music makes commentaries on politics and most of the bands heavily use synths and samplers.
Skinny Puppy
Throbbing Gristle
KMFDM
Psychic TV
Ministry
etc etc etc
They also comment on technological change in society.
So, if anything, this new album is normal content.
I left Ministry off of my list of examples, since Al has descended into the terrible world of speed metal and hasn’t put out a good album in 20 years. That said, there are too many examples to list to prove this original comment off base… winterkaelte (stop exxon), f242, FLA, COIL, Asche, Chrysalide, etc. etc.
Public Enemy plus loads of other hip hop.
Kudos to Jarre for using his position to help educate folks of the importance of their basic human rights!
Could do a great remake of “Revolution” if you’d ask me
Snowden should be in jail instead of living the life. I served my country for 42 years, he violated a sacred trust. He put countless people’s lives at risk.
Arnie would you explain how
“He put countless people’s lives at risk.”
I have a feeling you are confusing Edward Snoden with Bradly Manning.
Oh yes, I am so on board for this.
Best most unexpected news in a long time.
Way to go, JMJ. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of the importance of music.
Does the Kremlin get a cut of the royalties? They really should, they’ve worked very hard to make this happen
Music transcends the barriers between nations nationalities and religion….
– not my quote, forgot who said this, sorry….
I believe in this….music brings folks together….it doesn’t divide….
I admire JMJ most highly…
This endeavor is interesting, n worth noting…
As a track, this is awful.If Jarre wants to go all political, then I’m not against this at all. Just dont use a mind-numbing techno track as a basis for its mouthpiece. I would expect better music from someone of his calibre.
It does sound like many of the club hits from late 90s EBM doesn’t it.
VNV Nation especially.
Snowden speaks very well. I like his voice.
the actual track sounds more like a collaboration between Jarre and Infected Mushroom
Really, Snowden should be working with Robin Rimbaud/Scanner…. he’d get it right…