Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Kanta]

Michel Geiss Synthspotting Q&A

Michel Geiss #synthspotting Q&A: Part 1 – Hardware sequencers and modifications
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How did the Geiss Matrixsequencer come about?
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"During the making of Oxygene, in our conversations, Jean-Michel Jarre was discussing the electronic musical instruments he had used at Le Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM, INA GRM) at Radio France. Some of those instruments used a matrix as their programming system. He said to me, “You know, Michel, I would greatly appreciate using a sequencer based on a matrix”, I said "Okay I will make it!"."

"With no precise instructions from Jean-Michel, I started from scratch. I was left to my own devices. I started elaborating. Then, I wired a basic electronic circuit to test my idea. I was excited to discover that it was meeting my expectations."

"The next step was to decide on a full concept: precise semitones, and for each note, octave choice, duration, portamento, etc. The making of the machine was a Herculean work! After several months of perseverance, I presented the finished machine to Jean-Michel. He showed his enthusiasm, mainly when he discovered that he could transpose the sequences in real-time, and last but by no means least, a tape synchronising function."

"The Matrixsequencer was part of exhibition ‘Electro’ (9-11 August 2019) at the Philharmonie de Paris, next to Kraftwerk and Daft Punk items."
Michel Geiss

https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/electro-exhibition 9-11


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What other hardware have you designed?
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"Well, I also designed a computerised drum machine, which I gave the name ‘Rythm Computer’. The sound generation was all my own, using only analog circuits. The programming used a microprocessor, with a large matrix of LEDs as the display. The software and the programs were stored on standard audio cassettes. No floppy discs were available yet, and hard discs even less! The drum machine had a tape sync feature as well. It was used on Equinoxe."
Michel Geiss

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Tell us a little about your hardware modifications
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"About the Eminent, we thought that the analog "ensemble" effect was quite interesting. So, I suggested to Jean-Michel to add an external input to the Eminent to use the effect with other instruments. We used this feature in Equinoxe on some of the tracks."

"On the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone, I noticed that when the battery was almost discharged there was a special unusual quality to the sound. To use this effect with new batteries, I added a serial resistor in the power supply chain, which did the job perfectly. We also needed to get a slower adjustable phasing effect, and I added another setting to get it."

"At the request of Jean-Michel Jarre, I wired separate outputs for all internal sounds of the KORG Mini Pops 7, so that we could record and process all individual instruments."
Michel Geiss

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Up next in September, Part 2 – Working with Jean-Michel Jarre and the Houston concert.

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[matt222]

Fantastic info - thank you

I would have a thousand questions for Michel Geiss, though mostly related to Jarre's music

I often wonder if his collaborators get annoyed when constantly asked about Jarre related matters?

[jeanbatman]

Fantastic info - thank you

I would have a thousand questions for Michel Geiss, though mostly related to Jarre's music

I often wonder if his collaborators get annoyed when constantly asked about Jarre related matters?

I can't imagine Michel Geiss angry towards anyone… He's the most chilled person ever…

[Analog-Umph]

Fantastic info - thank you

I would have a thousand questions for Michel Geiss, though mostly related to Jarre's music

I often wonder if his collaborators get annoyed when constantly asked about Jarre related matters?

Hey, are you up for asking those questions still?
Synthspotting just told me to send any over.

[matt222]

Yes - I've sent him some questions...........

[Finaero]

Hopefully he'll upload new tracks to his SoundCloud one day! https://soundcloud.com/michel-geiss

[kubrick]

I'm pretty sure that Michel Geis the sound of Oxygene, Equinoxe etc... is. Jarre was (maybe) only the composer. I'm also pretty sure that Jarre didn't played and recorded Oxygene and Equinoxe by him self.

[jeanbatman]

Jarre was the only composer. But Geiss pushed him to keep certain things Jarre alone would have left off… ie parts of face B of Equinoxe.

[Robi]

Jarre was the only composer. But Geiss pushed him to keep certain things Jarre alone would have left off… ie parts of face B of Equinoxe.

JB!
He is kubrick! No need to explain him things.

[Kanta]

Michel Geiss #synthspotting Q&A: Part 2 – Working with Jean-Michel Jarre.
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How did you first meet and start working with Jean-Michel Jarre?
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"In 1974, I decided starting a radical change in my life. I had been working as an electronic designer in an industrial MODEM company, then as a teacher in mathematics and electronics in a secondary school, but, as a musician I was much more attracted to electronic music. I discovered the Arp 2500 and ARP 2600 in an American magazine. It was a shock! I immediately ordered the 2600 user's manual and the vinyl demonstration record.”

“I manually translated the manual into French from the first page to the last.”

“I felt I fully understood its working and decided to offer the Audio Engineering Society (AES) a conference on music synthesis, based on the ARP 2600 the French importer had lent to me for the event.”

“I was not a good speaker, and to me, my presentation was not very good. But at the end, someone came to me and said: “I know a musician who would be interested in meeting you. His name is Jean-Michel Jarre". I said, "Why not?". I had no idea of who was this musician, as he was mainly a writer for song lyrics at that time.”

“Further on, he called me, and we met in his apartment in Paris. His ARP 2600 was sitting in a corner. I gave some explanations on the programming to him.”

“Later, in 1976, while I had a job in a famous recording studio, Barclay Studios in Paris, Jean-Michel offered for me to join him in his personal studio. He said: "I am starting my big own project. Can we work together?” The project was "Oxygene"! That was the start of my new life!”
Michel Geiss

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Tell us about your involvement in the Houston concert with Jean-Michel Jarre?
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"The Houston concert was an extraordinary adventure for me, a once in a lifetime story.”

“It started in 1985. I invited Jean Michel for a lunch in very nice place. The weather was beautiful. We started discussing, and he said to me "Michel, I have been invited to setup a huge concert in Houston, Texas. It would be held for the occasion of the 25th anniversary of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's creation, and the 150th anniversary of the city of Houston, and I would like you to be fully involved". Can you imagine the shock?”

“Then everything began. There was a requirement to make an album linked to the concert, and to set up the concert itself."

"The challenge was enormous, as time was quite limited.”

“First of all, we had to select musicians. Dominique Perrier was an obvious choice for Jean Michel, as they already knew each other, since studio sessions on J Michel's song productions, before Oxygene. More performers were needed. I suggested Joe Hammer as the drummer, who I met during my short collaboration at Fairlight, France. I also added to the list Sylvain Durand, a pianist à the Opera de Paris to whom I gave mathematics lessons when he was a teenager. Consequently, his wife Christine Durand was chosen as the singer. I knew Francis Rimbert since he was an excellent performer when he was a demonstrator for Roland synths in music fairs. Jean Michel agreed to select him as well. And finally, I proposed to hire Pascal Lebourg a demonstrator of Cavagnolo button keyboards to integrate our temporary band, who himself proposed Dino Lumbroso as the percussionist. I also was involved as a stage performer, you know that.”

“So, the full team was gathered. At this point more or less a recruitment role.”

“Jean Michel was also suggested to try using a telemetry laser at the McDonald Observatory in Texas using light echoes from the Moon to translate them into music. I travelled to the observatory, which was far away from Houston, with Michael Woolcock. Michael, conductor at the Houston Symphony, was the one who suggested to Jean Michel to make a concert in Houston.”

“So, we reached the place after two days of driving and a night stop in a ranch. I had long and fascinating discussions with the scientists operating the laser. But finally, I couldn't find an idea to link the received data to music. A fantastic adventure at a fantastic place anyway!”

“Moreover, as Jean-Michel wished to display the music scores on computer screens, I asked a friend of mine, Loïc de Montaignac if he could help.”

“As he was Jean Poncet's collaborator they designed the whole setup of the score display.” Incidentally, in Houston I met Loïc's wife, the young Fiona, whom I selected later as my assistant in UK when I was directing the editing of the Lyons concert. And Jean-Michel discovered Fiona at
the editing suite and decided to hire her as his permanent assistant.”

“But I digress ”

“In addition, one of Jean Michel's ideas was to involve the astronaut Ron McNair to play and record a song in the Challenger Space Shuttle. He asked me to visit Ron in Florida. I met him at his family house to discuss details of his performance. You know the rest! I was in Jean-Michel's kitchen on January 28, 1986 when the telephone rang. I hung up. That was Francis Dreyfus calling. He said, "The space shuttle exploded!". That was like a clap of thunder!"
Michel Geiss

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