Electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey dies at 87

by: Toby Reaper Nov 6, 2016

French electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey has passed away due to lung cancer. He was 87.

As half of the duo Perry and Kingsley, which was formed in 1965, he was an extremely important figure in the early beginnings of the electronic music industry. The formation of the duo helped move electronic music from an avant-garde form of music into the popular music canon.

After meeting the inventor of the Ondioline, a precursor to the modern synthesizer, Perrey dropped his studies at a medical school in Paris to travel around demonstrating and working with the new instrument. He ended up in New York, where he made friends with Robert Moog and became one of the first musicians to utilize Moog‘s emerging technology.

During his long and illustrious career in the burgeoning electronic music industry, Perrey would play his part in inspiring entire generation of future artists (such as the Beastie Boys). He composed music for television and ballet, and even aided in medical research into the use of music and sound as therapy.

Jean-Jacques Perrey may be gone, but his legacy will live on for years to come.