Air | Artist
Air is a French Ambient Pop music duo formed 1995 in Versailles, France, by vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Versailles, and Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics, before embarking on music careers. Before founding Air, Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange. Air's critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari was an international success in 1998. They have collaborated often with director Sofia Coppola, at first was the soundtrack to the movie Virgin Suicides (2000). Again they worked with Coppola and former Redd Kross member Brian Reitzell on 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 also featured a track by Air ("Il Secondo Giorno"). Air also 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 is associated with a variety of musical styles including electronica, dream pop, progressive rock, trip hop and ambient. They use a variety of instruments like Moog Synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, Wurlizer and Vocoder both in the studio and on stage. Their musical collaborations extend to artists like Beth Hirsch (Moon Safari), Françoise Hardy ("Jeanne"), Jean-Jacques Perrey ("Cosmic Bird"), Thomas Mars from the band Phoenix ("Playground Love" and "Easy Going Woman"), Beck (10 000 Hz Legend) and Jean-Michel Jarre ("Close Your Eyes" from Jarre's Electronica 1: The Time Machine). They also invited session player Dave Palmer on their 2004 tour and drummer Earl Harvin, Vincent Taurelle and Steve Jones on their 2007 tour. Air has to-date released nine studio albums plus the 2021 archival compilation More Hertz. Standout releases include the early EP Premiers symptômes (1997), and the albums Moon Safari (1998), 10 000 Hz Legend (2010) Talkie Walkie (2004), and the film score The Virgin Suicides (2000). The band name AIR is an acronym for the french terms 'amour, imagination and rêve' which in English means ‘love, imagination, and dreaming’.
Artist Website: aircheology.com
Featured Albums: Air
Related Artists: Charlotte Gainsbourg
