| Dotmusic (Nov 1997) |
| The mainstream appeal of Daft Punk may have paved the way for French producers to have hits in Britain, but Parisians Air are set to succeed on their own terms. The duo's debut album, Moon Safari, which is released by Virgin on January 19, comes out three weeks before first single Sexy Boy. The ploy is intended to both distance Air from the new wave of club-based, electronic acts currently emerging from France and establish them as adult album artists. With forthcoming features in publications as diverse as Muzik, Q, The Face, GQ and Elle, it appears to be working. "Because our songs are modern and futuristic, we tend to be classed with techno producers," says Jean Benoit Dunckel of himself and partner Nicholas Godin. "But we share nothing with the new French scene and we have never made dance music. Our songs are more slow-tempo and led by melody than the records played in clubs." "Air have a very different musical horizon to artists like Daft Punk," explains Marc Teissier Du Cros, Air's A&R at Virgin France imprint Source. "Their background is rock. Their favourite band is The Beatles and they don't care about dance. When Air signed to Source, no-one on the Paris scene knew who they were." Air, however, already have a reputation among clubbers in Britian, thanks to a series of beautifully-structured singles such as Casanova 70 and contributions to two SourceLab compilations. The pair have also remixed both underground artists like France's Ollano and Bristol's Crustation, as well as chart acts Neneh Cherry and Brendan Lynch, at his own reqest. "Air appeal to the club crowd because, like Daft Punk, their sound is completely new," says Du Cros. "But they also fit with indie fans because they have a lot in common with the likes of Stereolab. In France, people are saying that Air's album will be even bigger than Daft Punk's because it has a broader appeal." Based on simple Sixties melodies, but boasting open-ended, soundtrack-style song structures, classical instrumentation and the gentle ambience of French composer Serge Gainsbourg, Air's spacious, lightweight songs defy categorisation. I find it almost impossible to describe Air's sound," admits Du Cros. "My job is not only to A&R the band, but also to sell their records to retail. I usually describe them as a cross between Serge Gainsbourg and Massive Attack. You can tell that they love old records. The only new productions they like are Portishead, Beck and Bjork. But their main influence is definitely Gainsbourg." Source: Dotmusic |