Jean-Jacques Perrey

Jean-Jacques Perrey (born 20 January 1929, France - died 4 November, 2016, Switzerland) was a French electronic musician, composer and an early pioneer in the electronic music genre.

He was studying medicine in Paris when he met Georges Jenny, inventor of the Ondioline. Quitting medical school, Perrey travelled throughout Europe demonstrating this keyboard ancestor of the modern synth. At the age of 30, Perrey relocated to New York City, sponsored by Carroll Bratman, who built him an experimental laboratory and recording studio at 209 West 48th Street. 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 comic take on the future. Befriending Robert Moog, he became one of the first Moog musicians, creating "far out electronic entertainment". In 1965 Perrey met Gershon Kingsley, a former collaborator of John Cage. Together, using an Ondioline and Perrey's loops, they created two albums for Vanguard: Perrey - Kingsley* - The In Sound From Way Out! (1966) and Perrey & Kingsley - Kaleidoscopic Vibrations(1967). Perrey & Kingsley also 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. Some of his compositions on library labels like Editions Montparnasse 2000 are credited to his daughter Pat Prilly. He said in an interview that she didn’t compose as such, but provided him with ideas and inspiration when she played on the organ. For this he gave her recognition.

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