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Final 12 months, Air’s landmark 1998 album Moon Safari turned 25 — and, very fittingly for a band who’ve by no means been fairly in keeping with the order of time, Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin are simply getting round to celebrating the event. Along with the deluxe version of Moon Safari out at this time, which options an additional disc of rarities, the pair — who’ve been largely defunct as a musical unit for a decade-plus — are at the moment in the course of taking part in the album in full for a sequence of European tour dates, that are half of a bigger outing that can stretch nicely into the autumn and throughout North America. After loads of solo initiatives and scoring excursions, it actually does appear to be Air are literally again, though for a way lengthy stays to be seen.
Of all of the albums in Air’s different catalog, it does take advantage of sense to revisit Moon Safari in such a trend: Despite the fact that it’s barely consultant of what adopted of their careers, the report’s lush and uncannily pristine melding of a number of kinds — record-collector lounge, soft-focus ’70s psychedelic rock, the optimistic glow of early digital music, the wistful fromage of classic TV and movie themes — proved extremely influential when it got here to the wave of downtempo digital music that adopted in its wake. Amidst their French contemporaries, Air have been merely completely different proper from the start, whilst their music so exuded the identical Gallic je ne sais quoi that was noticeable amidst the work of acts like Etienne De Crecy and Daft Punk.
Stereogum caught up with Dunckel and Godin over Zoom to revisit the album’s track-by-track composition and legacy, in addition to what is perhaps in retailer for Air’s future.
1. “La femme d’argent”
JB DUNCKEL: This tune is like an journey. The music is sort of a loop of chords the place we’re improvising and turning round. The monitor is a development to a peak, to an orgasm. It’s a bit like an Andy Warhol portray, the place you could have the identical motifs repeating on a regular basis. It creates a sense of absurdity. We wished to have that in a loop that was consistently repeating — turning into psychedelic and orgasmic on the finish.
Inform me about how sexuality and sensuality performs into your work with Nicolas, in addition to your solo work.
DUNCKEL: There’s somewhat little bit of erotism in all music. Music has principally been made for seduction because the starting of humanity. The benefit of Moon Safari is that it’s an album the place it helps in the event you’re round somebody — to ask them to a restaurant or your house. It creates a pleasant, informal, comfy ambiance. It’s the sound of what I wish to get, and what Air needs to get, which is one thing comfortable, comfy, sensual, and somewhat bit erotic — however at all times with a type of magnificence. The music has to make you float in a type of ether or parallel dimension to make you are feeling good. That’s why our music is softly psychedelic. You’re feeling such as you’re in a dream, or such as you’re a bit excessive — not an excessive amount of, however in a cheerful approach. It’s a sense that was in our thoughts once we have been doing Moon Safari, and it’s a sense that carries into my solo initiatives too. There’s a variety of ambiance, however a variety of melancholia too. I feel that melancholia is essentially the most shared feeling on Earth. Persons are rather more melancholic than they’re pleased of their lives. [Laughs] It’s a sense that’s understood by all individuals.
After I consider immediately memorable album openers, this one is up there for me. What makes the right opening monitor for a report? Are there any opening tracks you’ve notably revered?
DUNCKEL: I take into consideration the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Membership Band. The primary monitor, it’s like an anthem — a declaration of what the album is about. You have got the primary theme in the beginning, and it comes again on the finish. It provides it an idea album feeling, and “La femme d’argent” is a press release. It begins softly and brings you right into a comfortable hearth. It’s an invite, and it says to the listeners, “Now we’re gonna journey laborious and put you in one other dream. We wish to get excessive with you.”
2. “Attractive Boy”
NICOLAS GODIN: The humorous factor about “Attractive Boy” is that it nearly didn’t make it to the album. It’s not like the remainder of the tracks — it has a verse and refrain. We didn’t know what to do with it, as a result of we didn’t know learn how to embrace it inside the remainder of the music, which is extra mellow and atmospheric. This monitor is extra upbeat. It didn’t sound like the remainder of the album. On the finish, it was the largest monitor on the report, which may be very unusual.
Within the years after Moon Safari got here out, I felt like I used to be listening to “Attractive Boy” as a needle drop fairly a bit. It was in 10 Issues I Hate About You, too. As somebody who’s very accustomed to your music, it’s humorous to listen to it in that context. Inform me in regards to the life this tune took on, and what occurs when your music will get folded into a unique context.
DUNCKEL: We like when individuals use our music so much, however we’re cautious about context, as a result of it may be a bit vulgar. Prior to now, we refused a variety of synchronizations as a result of they have been misunderstanding songs like “Attractive Boy.” “Attractive Boy” is a seduction tune, and it’s about how heterosexual males may be pleased to have a look at different males as a result of they wish to verify they’re dressed. It’s extra a couple of trend factor. “OK, we’re males, and we wish to look attractive for the women, and anyone else.” It’s about this taboo concept that males may be erotic too. It’s not about homosexuality or heterosexuality — it’s about trying good. Males, too, prefer to be well-dressed. They prefer to be checked out, and to be paid consideration to the best way they give the impression of being in terms of the clothes that they put on. In 1998, it was taboo to talk about males’s sexuality. “Attractive Boy” isn’t a really male-attitude tune, it’s a bit borderline, and it creates a wierd feeling. We preferred that. It was disturbing, and we like disturbed. [Laughs]
GODIN: Motion pictures, TV reveals, commercials — once I was younger, I found a variety of music by means of that. I feel it’s an excellent factor, in the long run.
Mike Mills did the video for this tune in addition to the opposite songs on the album, and he additionally dealt with artistic design for Moon Safari.
GODIN: The thought was to work with him on every little thing visible — album covers, single covers, movies, merchandising. I feel part of us was very drawn to the USA, and part of him was very drawn to France and Europe. We met in the course of the bridge, and it was the right mixture. We have been each magnets to every others’ tradition. It was the fitting combination.
3. “All I Want”
DUNCKEL: We did this tune with Beth Hirsch. She’s American, and he or she had a really people sound as a result of she was used to taking part in acoustic guitar and singing. We preferred that American angle so much, so once we met her we fused the monitor together with her voice. That was excellent, as a result of the tune was actually mellow. We wished a conclusion on the finish that was mellow and somewhat bit darkish — melancholic. Within the tune, she talks in regards to the planets and being behind the solar — the truth that you float across the planets — and we talked about that for Moon Safari so much.
This tune makes me assume so much about chillout.
GODIN: Ah!
That darkish melancholia on the finish of the tune is what units this tune other than a variety of chillout, for my part — however you’ll be able to hear the roots of the subgenre, what different artists would ultimately elevate from, throughout this one.
GODIN: After the success of Moon Safari, lots of people put us in that field. In some unspecified time in the future, we felt somewhat bit aggravated by that. We felt extra like composers than musicians. So proper after Moon Safari, we determined to get out of that field and alter our manufacturing fashion into one thing with a darker power. We did Virgin Suicides and 10 000 Hz Legend as a result of we have been getting eaten by the vibe of Moon Safari. It was taking on us. Moon Safari was simply the temper we have been within the late ’90s. There was that vibe within the air. We didn’t wish to get caught with that picture or that sort of music, so I believed, “That is too limiting for us. I don’t wish to turn out to be a one-vibe band.”
Listening to these data, it’s very apparent that you’re a group that wished to do far more than simply Moon Safari.
GODIN: Talkie Walkie, too. Every time individuals assume we’re doing one thing…as a baby, I’d get very bored, very quick, whereas taking part in video games. I wished to vary video games on a regular basis. I really feel the identical about making data.
4. “Kelly Watch The Stars”
DUNCKEL: Kelly is that this character in Charlie’s Angels, and on the time we stated she was essentially the most stunning lady on the earth. In order that’s why we sung about Kelly. There was at all times this concept for us to get excessive and float in house — to really feel good — in order that’s the message of “Kelly Watch The Stars.” Don’t lose your feeling, don’t overlook who you might be and what you wish to obtain in your life. It sat nicely with the Moon Safari idea. It’s quite simple. [Laughs]
JB, you’ve talked about getting excessive a number of occasions in affiliation with this report. I feel it’s secure to say that lots of people who hearken to Air additionally love to do medication. What function has medication performed in your lives?
GODIN: We did the everyday medication as youngsters, however once we have been doing Moon Safari, we have been doing much less medication. Once we have been going out at night time or mixing the album, possibly, however in the course of the conception — the large work periods — we have been clear. We prefer to get excessive naturally. [Laughs] We have been the common suburban youngsters. Smoking pot and that’s it, like everyone else. Nothing much less, nothing extra.
DUNCKEL: We’re so clear in comparison with the remainder of the individuals we knew round that point. [Laughs]
5. “Talisman”
This tune represents a giant, luxurious activate the report.
GODIN: Yeah, it’s a pivot monitor — a turning level. It’s one of many quickest tracks we did, together with “Le voyage de Pénélope.” We have been engaged on one other monitor and we couldn’t get impressed, so we determined to vary our minds and jam somewhat bit. This monitor was accomplished in 4 hours. It was somewhat riff, and we gave it to David Whittaker, who did an exquisite association. For some motive, the strings give one thing very luxurious and soundtrack-y — Hollywood-style, like the nice soundtracks. It’s very summary, it started with nearly nothing and ended up with essentially the most beautiful monitor on the album.
DUNCKEL: We’ve an attraction to Black music typically, and we have been actually fascinated by Isaac Hayes at the moment.
GODIN: Yeah.
DUNCKEL: We wished to have one thing actually groovy with some strings and keyboards within the background, in order that’s why the monitor is like that.
A lot of Moon Safari is enjoyable to choose by means of in terms of eras of time that the music remembers. Inform me in regards to the perform of nostalgia throughout your careers.
GODIN: That is our nostalgic album, actually. It’s once we have been dreamers by way of the longer term. We had a dream of the longer term which turned fairly completely different once we have been ending Moon Safari. Once we have been kids, we have been considering of one thing actually superb — like within the cartoons, or the science fiction motion pictures. We have been dreamers, and in 2000, nothing actually occurred. We wished to return to that point, which is the definition of retrofuturism. That’s what Moon Safari is. It’s pre-2001, pre-9/11. We have been in a mind-set the place we weren’t so pessimistic in regards to the future.
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