Air (French band)

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. Before founding Air, Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange Recording Career After making several remixes for other acts in the early 1990s, Air recorded its first EP, Premiers Symptômes, in 1997. The band would sign to Virgin Records and Astralwerks following the success of their first EP. The band's debut full-length album, Moon Safari, was released on January 16, 1998. Air would find major international success with their song "Sexy Boy", which released as the album's lead single. 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. 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. In 2000, Air composed the original score for Sofia Coppola's debut film The Virgin Suicides. With further success, the band would go on to produce their second studio album, 10 000 Hz Legend, which released on May 28, 2001. The album went on to receive polarizing reviews from both critics and fans. Dunckel and Godin also released three other studio albums in the 2000s, including Talkie Walkie (2004), Pocket Symphony (2007), and Love 2 (2009). In 2012, the duo released their second score and sixth studio album Le voyage dans la lune, and later would soundtrack for the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille with 2014's Music for Museum. Other work Air has often collaborated with film director Sofia Coppola. Air drummer and former Redd Kross member Brian Reitzell put together the soundtrack to 2003's Lost in Translation, including one original contribution by Air titled "Alone in Kyoto". The soundtrack for Coppola's October 2006 film Marie Antoinette featured a track by Air ("Il Secondo Giorno"). Air wrote and played the music of the album 5:55 by Anglo-French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, which was released in August 2006. Air has recorded a DJ mix album, Late Night Tales: Air, for Azuli Records' Late Night Tales series. The release was initially scheduled for October 2005, but was delayed several times. It finally was released, complete with a new sleeve design, in September 2006. Darkel, a solo album by Dunckel, was released that same year. City Reading (Tre Storie Western) (2003) started as an idea for a collaboration with contemporary Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, 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. == Influences and musical style ==

Air is associated with a variety of musical styles: electronica, space pop, dream pop, progressive rock, chillout, ambient, electronic pop Dunckel grew up listening to both classical and electronic music, especially Kraftwerk, and also the 1960s and 1970s music of Serge Gainsbourg. 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. 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. 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, 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) 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'." 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." == Sounds ==

The group have been using vintage synthesizers since their inception, 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. Here is the list of stage equipment for each album tour. • Moon Safari (JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin, Brian Reitzell, Roger Manning Jr., Brian Kehew, Justin Meldal-Johnsen) • Moog Source, Roland JX-3P, Minimoog, Wurlitzer 200A • Solina String Ensemble, Yamaha CS1x • Hammond XB-2, Roland PC-180, Fender Jaguar guitar, E-mu SP-1200 • Fender Rhodes Suitcase Mk I, Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus, Korg MS-20 • Moog Theremin • 10 000 Hz Legend (JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin, Brian Reitzell, Jason Falkner, James Rotondi) • Roland VP 330, Roland PC-200, Fender Rhodes Mk II, Moogerfooger MF-103, Solina String Ensemble, Korg MS-20, Akai MPC 2000 XL • Alesis A6 Andromeda, Kurzweil keyboard • Korg CX-3 (with EHX Memory Man), Roland PC-200, harmonica • Boss Dr Sample SP-202, Boss VT-1 Voice Transformer, EHX Delay, Moogerfooger MF-104 • Gibson SG, 70's Guild D35 acoustic guitar • 70's Fender Mustang Bass, Ashdown amplifier • Talkie Walkie (JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin, Dave Palmer, Earl Harvin) • Yamaha CP-80, Nord Lead 2, Korg MS-20, Solina String Ensemble, Fender Rhodes Mk I, Roland AX-7 keytar • Sequential Circuits Six-Trak, Hammond XB-2, Roland SH-101 (blue version), microKORG, Minimoog Voyager • Pocket Symphony (JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin, Steve Jones, Vincent Taurelle, Earl Harvin) • Yamaha CP-80, Korg MS-20, Solina String Ensemble, Fender Rhodes Mk I • Roland VP-550, Fender Mustang Competition Red bass, Höfner Club Bass 500/2, Guild acoustic guitar • Love 2 (JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin, Alex Thomas) • Korg MS-20, Solina String Ensemble, Manikin Memotron, Wurlitzer, Moog Source • Roland VP-550, Fender Mustang Blue Competition bass, Guild D35 The group use samples in their tracks: • Remember: The Beach Boys - Do It Again • ''La Femme d'argent: Can - Future Days, Edwin Starr - Runnin''' • Modular Mix: James Brown - I Got Ants In My Pants, Gil Scott-Heron - We Almost Lost Detroit, Miles Davis - So What • Brakes On: Odetta - Hit or Miss • Dirty Trip: Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Dawn of Another Day • ''Don't Be Light: Jean-Pierre Decerf - Arabian Era'' == Discography ==

• Moon Safari (1998) • 10 000 Hz Legend (2001) • Talkie Walkie (2004) • Pocket Symphony (2007) • Love 2 (2009) • Le voyage dans la lune (2012) == Awards ==

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

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. 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. == See also ==