Jean-Jacques Perrey
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Jean-Jacques Perrey (January 20 1929) is a French electronic music producer and was an early pioneer in the genre. He is best known within the sphere of popular music as a member of the influential electronic music group Perrey and Kingsley.
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Biography
Perrey was born in France in 1929. He was studying medicine in Paris when he met George Jenny, inventor of the Ondioline. Quitting medical school, Perrey traveled through Europe demonstrating this keyboard ancestor of the modern synthesizer. At the age of 30, Perrey relocated to New York, sponsored by Caroll Bratman, who built him an experimental laboratory and recording studio. Here he invented "a new process for generating rhythms with sequences and loops", utilising the environmental sounds of "musique concrète." With scissors, splicing tape, and tape recorders, he spent weeks piecing together a uniquely comique take on the future. Befriending Robert Moog, he became one of the first Moog synth musicians, creating "far out electronic entertainment". In 1965 Perrey met Gershon Kingsley, a former accomplice to John Cage. Together, using Ondioline and Perrey's loops, they created two albums for Vanguard: The In Sound From Way Out (1966) and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations (1967). Perrey & Kingsley collaborated on sound design for radio and television advertising. Perrey returned to France, composing for television, scoring for ballet and continuing medical research into therapeutic sounds for insomniacs.
Trivia: The rap group Beastie Boys released an instrumental CD titled, as a tribute to Perrey & Kingsley, The In Sound From Way Out.
- Two themes from Perrey, "The elephant never forgets" ans "Barroque Hoedown" were used in Mexico by the writer/ comedian Roberto Gomez Bolaños , "Chespirito" as the main themes fron his comedy shows "El Chavo" and "El Chapulin Colorado" .
Discography
As Perrey and Kingsley
- The In Sound From Way Out (1966)
- Kaleidoscopic Vibrations (1967)
As Jean Jacques Perrey
- Prelude au Sommeil (1957) [France only]
- Cadmus, Le Robot de l'Espace (1959) [France Only]
- Musique Electronic Du Cosmos (1962)
- The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean Jacques Perrey (1968)
- The Happy Moog (1969)
- Moog Indigo (1970)
- Quadraphonic Demonstration Album - Program 2 (1972)
