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 JARRE COMPETITION                                                            
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           Jean-Michel JARRE Competition / KEYBOARDS Magazine

        In July 1990, Keyboards, a french and good magazine of music had 
started a competition which attracted a lot of people.
The most important prizes were:

1st prize: A day with Jean-Michel JARRE in his studios and to play with him.
2nd to 6th prize: Integral dedicated collection of his CD albums.

        The competition was for everyone. To win, it was - almost - simple:
record on a cassette a personal interpretation of one of his musics,
without restriction. A board of examiners composed of 'Disques Freyfus'
components and members of Keyboards Magazine would choose the best music.

        I'm born in the music and I like what Jarre plays (especially the 
first albums). So I had to have a share in his competition. At the age
I hadn't any Amiga computer. I had only AMSTRAD CPC on which I coded a lot
(I had made a musical logiciel which is now a commercial program). So I 
decided to borrow a AMIGA 500 from a friend (without upgrade memory).
Using this computer wasn't a big problem because I did some self-education.

        So I decided immediatly to use OKTALYZER: horrible sound, but
eight voices tracker (in fact, I only needed 6 voices...I'm mad, I Know!).
I hadn't a sounddigitizer and only a few samples. So this was a complete
challenge for me. But if creativity could be acknowledged and not only
quality of record, perhaps I could  have a little chance.

        And now another problem: which title to choose? I didn't want
'Rendez-vous 4', 'Oxygene 4' or 'Equinoxe 5': too classics. Suddenly,
an idea: the soundtrack of french movie 'Les granges brulees', made in
1977. I used thoroughly my brain 'cause I haven't any record of this
title and I had seen this film ten years ago!!! Long live my memory!...
Only three evenings was needed to finish the module. The original sound-
track was very synthetic and soft, my module was beat-up and only a 
little synthetic (compared with the original).

        Waiting for the results took quite long. In one issue of Keyboards
(I don't remember which one), Keyboards gave us the latest news about
the competition: several THOUSANDS cassettes had been sent from all
around the world(!). I knew lot of musicians that won big synthesizers
and my hope to have a little prize was off!

        Then (at last), Keyboards announced that ten percent of the 
sent cassettes was reserved to be listened by Jarre and the board of
examiners. My stress was enormous.

        Finally, the issue of MARCH 91 announced results. With the
impossibility to decide between the two best cassettes, musics with
a great quality of interpretation and good record, without leaving
out creativity, Jean-Michel JARRE had decided to attribuate TWO
first prizes. Consequence: the second prize was out and was in fact
transformed in third prize. And about me? Well, I WON THIS THIRD PRIZE.
I was stunned. So, now I've the compilation of his CD, dedicaced with
a gilded pen.

        If sound-quality of Oktalyzer had been better (like Protracker), 
perhaps could I had meet Jarre. But I'm not displeased. I saw that with
a little thing every one can do great things, and Amiga computer is
able to equal lot of other computers in several ranges.

        Now, I'm waiting for the new version of Amiga-computer with maxi-
Paula (44khz-digital-48 tracks) and 20 gigabytes of memory. And then
my great-grand-son will have a share in Jarre's great-grand-son
music competition. Wait and see...

 
               Frederic BELLEC / ABSYS - Amiga Beat SYStem

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 JARRE COMPETITION                                                            
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