Air (French band)

Air
Air performing in London in 2010
Air performing in London in 2010
Background information
OriginVersailles, Île-de-France, France
Genres
Years active1995–present
Labels
Members
Websiteairfrenchband.com

Air is a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel.[1] Their debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy", was released in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola's first film The Virgin Suicides. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum. The band is influenced by a variety of musical styles and artists.

History

Formation

Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Versailles, and Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics, before forming a band in 1995.[2] Before founding Air, Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange[1] with others such as Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Jean de Reydellet. The former two subsequently contributed to remixes of tracks recorded by Air.

Initially Godin worked alone, recording a demo with members of Funkadelic as his backing band before releasing his first entirely solo effort, "Modular Mix", which featured production by Étienne de Crécy.[3][1][4]

First Works

After making several remixes for other acts in the early 1990s, Air recorded their first EP, Premiers Symptômes, in 1997. The band would sign to Virgin Records and Astralwerks following the EP's success. The band's debut full-length album, Moon Safari, was released on 16 January, 1998.[5] Air would find major international success with their song "Sexy Boy", which was released as the album's lead single.[6] The album would produce two more chart topping singles "Kelly Watch The Stars" and "All I Need". As of February 2012, the album had sold 386,000 copies in the United States.[7] Following the album's international success, the band would pursue a world tour, which was documented in their film Air: Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing, directed by Mike Mills.[8]

In 2000, Air composed the original score for Sofia Coppola's debut film The Virgin Suicides. Shortly after the release, the band would go on to produce their second studio album, 10 000 Hz Legend, which released on 28 May, 2001. The album features American musician Beck as well as suGar Yoshinaga of Japanese band Buffalo Daughter. Produced by Tony Hoffer, the album went on to receive polarizing reviews from both critics and fans. The album spawned four singles, of which the majority of them failed to chart internationally. According to a 2012 Soundscan, 10,000 Hz Legend sold 600,000 copies worldwide. In 2002, the duo released remixes of the album under a release titled Everybody Hertz, which featured the bonus song "The Way You Look Tonight". In 2003, the duo worked with Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, on the album City Reading (Tre Storie Western). The album started as an idea for a collaboration with Baricco, who is known for his unusual characterizations and lyrical, poetic style. Baricco contacted Air in summer 2002 with the idea to marry narration of texts from his book City with live original musical accompaniment. The performance premiered live in November 2002 at Rome's Teatro Valle and was deemed such a success that both parties resolved to make a full studio recording.[9][10] In 2003, the duo worked with film director Sofia Coppola on her film Lost In Translation, where the duo provided the song "Alone In Kyoto".

Later Years

On 26 January 2004, the duo released their third studio album Talkie Walkie. Produced by Nigel Godrich, the album spawned three singles: "Cherry Blossom Girl", "Surfing On a Rocket", which peaked at number 31 in the Billboard Top 40,[11] and "Alpha Beta Gaga". Shortly after, the band went on to pursue solo projects and work with other artists. In September 2006, the duo worked with British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg on her second studio album 5:55.[12] Dunckel released his solo album Darkel that same year. The duo was a feature on the DJ Mix series Late Night Tales, and released their set Late Night Tales: Air. The soundtrack to Coppola's October 2006 film Marie Antoinette features Air's "Il Secondo Giorno". Air would work with producer Nigel Godrich, as well as feature Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon on their 2007 album Pocket Symphony.

In 2009, the duo released their self-produced fifth studio album Love 2. [13] In 2012, Air released their second film score, and sixth studio album, Le voyage dans la Lune. Air would further work on an ambient based soundtrack for the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille with their 2014 release Music for Museum. [14] In 2016, the compilation album Twentyears[15] was released, with the band pursuing a world tour which ended in 2018. Shortly after, the band went on to pursue solo projects with various releases. In 2020, Nicholas Godin released his second studio album Concrete and Glass. In 2023, the band pursued the Moon Safari tour, which was completed in 2025.

Influences and musical style

Air is associated with a variety of musical styles: electronica,[16][17] space pop,[18][19] dream pop,[20][21] progressive rock,[22][18] downtempo,[23] chillout,[18] trip hop,[24] ambient,[25] electronic pop[18] and space rock.[26] Dunckel grew up listening to both classical and electronic music, especially Kraftwerk,[27] as well as the 1960s and 1970s music of Serge Gainsbourg.[28] He later took an interest in what he called the "English dark rock" of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division, while being a fan of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.[27] Brian Eno and Cluster were two of the electronic acts who inspired him the most.[29] He cites among his favorite artists: Maurice Ravel for classical music, François de Roubaix for music soundtracks and Siouxsie and the Banshees for pop music.[30] Dunckel shared with Godin a special liking for the music of Michel Legrand, Philip Glass and Grace Jones. During his childhood, Godin was fascinated by the Beatles before later discovering the soul of Sly and the Family Stone,[31] and film soundtracks like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone.[28] The duo were influenced by progressive rock pioneers Pink Floyd.[31][32]

Air uses many of its studio instruments (including Moog synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, Wurlitzers and vocoders) on stage. The band performs tracks from their albums live as extended or altered versions. Air often collaborates (both in the studio and live) with artists like Beth Hirsch (Moon Safari), Françoise Hardy ("Jeanne"), Jean-Jacques Perrey ("Cosmic Bird"), Gordon Tracks ("Playground Love" and "Easy Going Woman" – Gordon Tracks is a pseudonym of the French singer Thomas Mars from Phoenix), Beck (10 000 Hz Legend)[33] and Jean-Michel Jarre ("Close Your Eyes" from Jarre's Electronica 1: The Time Machine). They also invited Dave Palmer on their 2004 tour and drummer Earl Harvin, Vincent Taurelle and Steve Jones on their 2007 tour.

AIR as an acronym

The band has given conflicting information about whether Air is an acronym. In a clip aired in 2022, Godin told the BBC, "AIR is an acronym. I don't know if you have the same word in English, but it's, uh, 'amour, imagination, and rêve'." Dunckel apparently said the same thing, as the interview cuts to a separately filmed portion where Dunckel says "...which means 'love, imagination, and dreaming'."[34]

However, in a 1998 interview for Australian magazine Rave, Godin reportedly denied the claim, saying "No. Someone made that up, but it was a really nice thing to do. I wish I could have that idea."[16]

Equipment

The group has been using vintage synthesizers since their inception,[35] and like to mention their passion for instruments in interviews, defining themselves as musicians first and foremost and combining acoustic and synthetic sounds as well as analog and digital. Air's sound identity is based on a core set of instruments that never change, such as bass, the Solina String Ensemble, the Rhodes electric piano, and the Korg MS-20.[36]

Here is the list of stage equipment for each album tour.

The group uses samples in their tracks:

Discography

Awards

Air won the award for Best Music Video at the 2011 Byron Bay International Film Festival for their video to "So Light Is Her Footfall".

Documentaries

Air: Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing (1999)

In 1999, American film and music video director, writer, and graphic designer Mike Mills released a 75-minute black-and-white documentary titled Air: Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing. The film, shot during Air's 1998 tour, captures band members Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel during stops in New York, London, and Paris. As suggested by the title, the documentary's tone and form focus on the drudgery and banality of real-life touring for music artists.[47]

Mills had previously collaborated with Air on their music videos.

The documentary was distributed by Source - une division de Virgin disques as a Stereo DVD.[48]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 12. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  2. ↑ "Air: Twenty Years review – Fantastique? Absolument. Rêveur? Oui" Archived 16 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Irish Times, Tony Clayton-Lea eJun 8, 2016
  3. ↑ Lesieur, Jennifer: "AIR de A à Z". Étudiant, L', 2002
  4. ↑ James, Martin (2003). French Connections: from discotheque to discovery. London: Sanctuary Press. ISBN 1-86074-449-4.
  5. ↑ Chris Nickson (March 1998). "Space is the Place | CMJ New Music Monthly". CMJ New Music. CMJ Network, Inc.: 16–. ISSN 1074-6978.
  6. ↑ Sexy Boy - Air | AllMusic, retrieved 3 March 2026
  7. ↑ Mapes, Jillian (4 February 2012). "Air Over 'The Moon' About Film Score Turned Full Album". Billboard. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  8. ↑ www.imdb.com https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229965/. Retrieved 3 March 2026. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ AIRfrenchbandofficial (13 March 2008). AIR - About "City Reading" project (Official Video). Retrieved 6 July 2026 – via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Richardson, Mark. "Air / Alessandro Baricco: City Reading". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "SURFING ON A ROCKET". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 22 August 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Atlantic Records :: Charlotte Gainsbourg News". www.atlanticrecords.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Love 2", Wikipedia, 30 August 2025, retrieved 6 July 2026
  14. ↑ July 25, Kayla Reed |; 2014 | 5:25pm. "Air's new album is a soundtrack for a museum". AV Club. Retrieved 6 July 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (19 April 2016). "Air Announce Hits and Rarities Compilation Twentyears". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  16. 1 2 Parkhill, Chad (18 March 2008). "Air". Rave Magazine. Brisbane Street Press. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  17. ↑ Bush, John. "Air". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "The Virgin Suicides-Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  19. ↑ Aaron, Charles. "Air, Moon Safari – 100 Best Albums of the Nineties". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Air to Release Album Inspired by Silent French Film From 1902 – Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Murray, Robin (16 April 2010). "Dream Pop". Clash. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Jones, Chris. "BBC – Music – Review of Air – Talkie Walkie". Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "Bent: The Everlasting Blink". PopMatters. 19 October 2003. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  24. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 427. ISBN 0634055488.
  25. ↑ "Air With Alessandro Baricco — City Reading: The Western Story – Chart Attack". 25 March 2003. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  26. ↑ Bevan, Wendy (31 January 2012). "Air". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  27. 1 2 Brinn, David (23 September 2008). "A breath of Fresh Air". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2008. I grew up listening to all kinds of music, classical but also a lot of electronic music like Kraftwerk, then all the English dark rock like Joy Division, Siouxsie And The Banshees, and of course I was a big fan of David Bowie Iggy Pop and Lou Reed
  28. 1 2 Perry, Kevin (9 January 2012). "Air interview". GQ. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  29. ↑ Richard, Benoit (11 April 2016). "5+5 = Jean-Benoît Dunckel [interview]". Ben. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  30. ↑ Dufresne, Charles (27 May 2010). "Vous avez interviewé Air". 20minutes.fr. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  31. 1 2 Matthew Perpetua (12 October 2009). "Air Interview". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  32. ↑ Sam Pryor (1 November 2009). "AIR: Studio Symmetry". Electronic Musician. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  33. ↑ "Air: 10,000 Hz Legend | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". M.pitchfork.com. 28 May 2001. Retrieved 4 July 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  34. ↑ "The Story of 1998". Top of the Pops. 21 May 2022. (Video on YouTube).
  35. ↑ "Nicolas Godin & Jean-Benoît Dunckel (AIR): Building Atlas Studio". Soundonsound.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  36. ↑ "Air Equipboard". Equipboard.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  37. ↑ spotwelders (3 April 2019). Air - Eating Sleeping Waiting And Playing. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  38. ↑ bruno dunckel (4 October 2020). AIR ELECTRONIC PERFORMERS LIVE 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  39. ↑ "AIR in concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, UK. 25 April 2001 Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  40. ↑ "AIR in concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, UK. 25 April 2001 Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  41. ↑ "AIR in concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, UK. 25 April 2001 Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  42. ↑ Davidekap (10 April 2017). Air - Talkie Walkie - Live 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  43. ↑ bkordel (22 September 2010). AIR - Don't Be Light ( LIVE Concert Prive 2007 ). Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  44. ↑ AS (23 December 2009). AIR - People In The City (Live in France, 2007). Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  45. ↑ bkordel (31 March 2010). AIR - Don't Be Light (LIVE@KCRW March 29, 2010) HD. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  46. ↑ bkordel (31 March 2010). AIR - Venus (LIVE@KCRW March 29, 2010) HD. Retrieved 10 April 2026 – via YouTube.
  47. ↑ "Air: Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing". IMDb. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  48. ↑ DVD back cover
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