Jean-Jacques Perrey, Electronic Music Pioneer and Early Moog Musician, Has Died

Rolling Stone has confirmed the death of French composer and electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey today. Perrey, who had lung cancer, died at his home in Switzerland on Friday at the age of 87. Patricia Leroy, Perrey's daughter, confirmed the news to the magazine.

Perrey was a medical student in Paris when he quit after meeting Georges Jenny, the inventor of the Ondioline, a precursor to the modern synthesizer. Perrey eventually moved to the United States where he had an experimental laboratory and recording studio in which he created rhythms and sequencing loops. Perrey became one of the first Moog synthesizer musicians after befriending Robert Moog.

Throughout the course of his life, Perrey created numerous compositions and records. As one half of Perrey and Kingsley (with Gershon Kingsley), he released the experimental records The In Sound From Way Out! in 1966 and Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Electronic Pop Music From Way Out in 1967. The latter included the track, "The Savers," one of the first ever to use a Moog synthesizer. "Baroque Hoedown," which appears on side two of Kaleidoscopic Vibrations, became the feature song in Disneyland's Main Street Electric Parade in the early 1970s.

Perrey's work was frequently sampled in hip-hop recordings as well, most notably on Gang Starr's "Just to Get a Rep." According to Rolling Stone, other artists who sampled Perrey's work include Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest and the Beatles, who sampled "Baroque Hoedown" in their track "Helter Skelter."

Perrey continued to release music throughout the course of his life. Most recently, Perrey released ELA with David Chazam in 2015.

"If he were here today, there is nothing that Jean-Jacques would like more than to think that his fans were playing his crazy, funny, catchy Moog music right now – and smiling, instead of being sad," wrote Dana Countryman, a frequent collaborator of Perrey. "His motto and creed in almost every interview that he gave, was 'Keep smiling, and be happy!' He was the master of happiness."