Metamorphoses

After twenty-five years of instrumental records, Métamorphoses arrived with voices on it — including Jarre's own, processed through a vocoder, which he uses as another instrument rather than as a frontman's microphone.

The guests set the range. Laurie Anderson opens the album on "Je me souviens". Natacha Atlas brings her Near-Eastern phrasing to "C'est la vie", set against percussion from the same region and trance-leaning keyboards. Sharon Corr's violin threads through "Rendez-vous à Paris". Dieirdre Dubois appears courtesy of Sony Classical. Around them the music shifts between modern techno pop, ambient and electro, with "Bells" among the few fully instrumental pieces.

It was also a technical turning point: the first album Jarre built on a DAW rather than entirely on hardware. Produced with Joachim Garraud, who handled drum programming, sound design and additional keyboards. Recorded and mixed at JMJ Studio and Square Production, mastered at Whitfield Street in London, with strings for "Millions of Stars" and "Gloria, Lonely Boy" recorded at Studio Davout.

Released 31 January 2000.