Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre will release a new book, Machines: A History of Electronic Music, on November 24, 2026.
The publication explores the evolution of electronic music, from early 20th-century sound experiments to today’s AI-assisted production techniques.
The 368-page hardcover draws from Jarre’s extensive collection of electronic instruments, which is considered one of the largest in the world.
The book features 130 specially photographed pieces. They include modular synthesizers, rare prototypes, and custom-built machines.
Many of these instruments are rarely seen by the public.
Inside Machines: A History of Electronic Music
The book opens with Luigi Russolo’s 1913 manifesto, The Art of Noises, a landmark work that influenced noise music and early sound art.
The story continues by exploring the evolution of electronic music.
It highlights the impact of Surrealism, the Bauhaus movement, and avant-garde radio laboratories.
Each played an important role in shaping the genre during the mid-20th century.
Readers will also explore influential studios that helped define electronic music.
These include Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Radio France, and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Each played a key role in advancing synthesis and tape-based production.
Read more: Electronic Music Gains Cultural Heritage Status in France
Jean-Michel Jarre Explores the Evolution of Electronic Music
The book follows the evolution of electronic music technology.
It explores tape manipulation and analogue synthesis before moving on to digital technology, 3D recording, multimedia performance, and AI-assisted production.
It follows the technological journey from reel-to-reel experimentation to the modern tools used by today’s producers.
Jean-Michel Jarre also invited contributors from different generations of electronic and alternative music.
The lineup includes Armin van Buuren, Vince Clarke, Gillian Gilbert, Nicolas Godin, Richie Hawtin, Johnny Marr, Gary Numan, Benjamin John Power, and Nick Rhodes.
Their perspectives broaden the book’s scope.
It covers genres ranging from trance and techno to synth-pop and post-punk, offering a wider view of electronic music beyond Jarre’s own career.
A Personal Look at Jarre’s Early Career
Jarre also reflects on his early years as a musician.
Jarre reflects on his childhood experiments with reel-to-reel machines.
He later studied under Pierre Schaeffer at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales in Paris.
The institute played a major role in the development of musique concrète during the 1950s and 1960s.
Although Jarre has often acknowledged Schaeffer’s influence, this book provides one of his most detailed written accounts of that important period.
Machines: A History of Electronic Music is now available for pre-order through Thames & Hudson ahead of its official release on November 24, 2026.
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