“One second you speak to the driver, and next, you are up there in the air”: It’s ‘Jean-Michel flying car’ as the French electronic music pioneer becomes the world’s first passenger in the KleinVision AirCar

Ahead of his opening night concert at the forthcoming Starmus festival, which will feature a guest spot from famed astrophysicist Sir Brian May, electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre has been reaching for the stars himself by taking a ride in KleinVision’s AirCar, an actual flying car.

It’s not quite Jeff Bezos in his phallic rocket, but this slice of aeronautical retro-futurism seems a good fit for Jarre, who has been making new-age ambient synth jams since the ‘70s, when the instruments he was using were seen as slightly other-worldly. The soundtrack to the video of him taking a flight - a track called The Opening (movement 8), from his 2018 album, Equinoxe Infinity - provides an extra frisson of excitement as the composer is seen taking flight.

Jarre completed two successful trips in the AirCar, both beginning and ending at Piestany international airport in Slovakia. “It is like being in a Jules Verne book, but for real!” he enthused. “One second you speak to the driver, and next, you are up there in the air - an amazing experience!” 

“AirCar’s addition to Starmus is a fantastic complement to our festival experience,” added Garik Israelian, PhD, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands and co-founder of Starmus, alongside Sir Brian May. “It mirrors the exhilarating journey we embark on, starting with Jean-Michel and Brian's monumental concert that propels us to new heights, soaring alongside artists and inspiring thinkers like Jane Goodall, and coming back to Earth with the wisdom of astronaut Chris Hadfield once the festival concludes.”

“AirCar will not only be part of the Starmus opening concert, it will also be showcased at Starmus Camp, which, together with the Stephen Hawking Medal Ceremony and nine Nobelists giving lectures, will turn Bratislava into the world capital of science.”

You can find out more about AirCar on the KleinVision website.