Jean-Michel Jarre brings out Armin van Buuren at ADE opening night

Jean-Michel Jarre played AFAS Live in Amsterdam on the opening night of Amsterdam Dance Event, which marked its 30th edition in 2026, and brought out Armin van Buuren as a guest to perform “Stardust” together, according to Festileaks.

The show also fell in the year that “Oxygène”, the Frenchman's best-known work, turns 50. The venue was full, with an older crowd that mostly stayed seated. Jarre pointed out that in ADE the letter “D” is a very important one, and from then on many people stood up. Ambient music was kept to a minimum, and in Festileaks' view the passages leaning towards EDM and trance were weaker than those built around his vintage synthesizers. He performed part 2 of “Oxygène” fully live and asked the technician for more light on stage.

Van Buuren called Jarre “the king of electronic music”. The French musician repeated his long-held view that electronic music was born in Europe, pointing to pioneers such as Pierre Schaeffer, with whom he studied. The same night, Chicago house pioneer Marshall Jefferson played the club BlendXL, while New York's Todd Terry performed at a free party in a hotel bar.

Jean-Michel Jarre is a French composer, performer and record producer, born in Lyon in 1948. His newest studio album is “OXYMOREWORKS” (2023), according to MusicBrainz. In October mbuzz reported that a 50th anniversary edition of “Oxygène”, with a Steven Wilson mix, is due on 20 November via BMG Records. Jarre plays BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca on 27 September 2027 on his “Oxygene & Beyond” tour, according to the artist's official site.