AIR Announce Deluxe 25th Anniversary Moon Safari Reissue & Tour Dates
Celebrating their seminal debut turning 25, the French duo release a deluxe reissue & tour the album live
From Daft Punk to Justice, France has given birth to their share of powerhouse electronic duos, with the music of AIR proving some of the most influential and enduring. Previously performing together in the band, Orange, alongside the likes of Alex Gopher and Xavier Jamaux, the team of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel formed their new project in 1995 and hit the ground running. With Godin initially working solo, “Modulor Mix” was the first single attributed to the AIR moniker and featured a remix by French touch pioneer, Étienne de Crécy. In 1997, that track would be compiled alongside the pair’s other singles and released as their debut EP, Premiers Symptômes. It was a respectable effort in its own right and, when their first studio LP, Moon Safari dropped the following year, it garnered immediate praise and established Godin and Dunckel as a pair to keep your eye on. Moon Safari was not only a new refreshing take on electronic music, it was one of those rare releases that make it clear you are witnessing a new creative force with the potential for genuine impact. An instant classic upon its release, Moon Safari has maintained its relevance for over 2-and-a-half decades. Today the group announces a limited edition 25th Anniversary deluxe reissue of their seminal debut, as well as a string of North American tour dates in its celebration.
Godin and Dunckel followed up Moon Safari by composing the critically acclaimed soundtrack for Sofia Coppola‘s directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides, continuing to collaborate with the filmmaker on notable future projects like Lost In Translation. With nearly 30 years as a duo and an enviable resume filled with several albums, collaborations, and untold influence, AIR continues to leave their indelible mark on the musical landscape, while, Moon Safari, a project they made as young adventurous artists in their twenties, remains an inarguable high point in their career. Although they have never truly “fallen off,” the fact that this was the album that introduced them to most of the world is something that continues to be celebrated. Speaking on the impact of the release on himself and Godin, Dunckel states, “We were a duo doing some electronic thing, dreaming of selling 10,000 copies and being recognized by other musicians as cool. Then suddenly, we met the world.”
As an avid vinyl collector, I don’t buy a lot of compact discs these days, but the features offered on this new reissue could easily change that. The press release breaks it down as follows:
The album re-issue (a Deluxe 2CD/Blu Ray Audio-Video) will include a Spatial Dolby Atmos audio version of the original album along with super rare or previously unreleased tracks as well as Mike Mill’s 1998 documentary film Eating, Sleeping, Waiting & Playing filmed during the band’s first ever worldwide tour and more.
Below is the tracklist of material that makes up the Moon Safari rarities.
01 DIRTY HIROSHIMA (DEMO)
02 NEW STAR IN THE SKY (DEMO)
03 CE MATIN LÀ (DEMO)
04 MAGGOT BRAIN (LIVE)
05 J’AI DORMI SOUS L’EAU (BBC LIVE SESSION)
06 SEXY BOY (BBC LIVE SESSION)
07 KELLY WATCH THE STARS (BBC LIVE SESSION)
08 KELLY WATCH THE STARS (EXTENDED)
09 REMEMBER (DAVID WHITAKER VERSION)
The one song that immediately caught my attention is the live cover of the Funkadelic classic, “Maggot Brain.” Although it might seem like a left-field move for a “French electronic duo” to tackle, all of my research continues to indicate that, super early on, around the creation of “Modular Mix,” Godin was working on a demo featuring “members of Funkadelic” as a backing band. This particular rendition of the song was recorded live on Halloween in 1998 at Paradiso, Amsterdam.
The idea that they would cover something like this is surprising enough, but the fact that they not only perform it live, but absolutely crush it, is mindblowing. So many describe AIR as an “electronic duo,” and rightly so, but if you look deeper into their history, you’ll discover a slew of influences that range from the more expected electronic pioneers like Kraftwerk, Cluster, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Jean-Jacques Perrey to psych and prog-rock artists, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Grace Jones, Ennio Morricone, and Philip Glass. The reason that Moon Safari — an album which Dunckel has described as “a deep, universal spell, full of love and mystery” — sounded so different than everything else at the time, expanding the scope and understanding of the genre itself is because the people who made it brought with them laundry list of different soundscapes and influences that informed their unique perspective.
What helps AIR continue to stand out within a new landscape where electronic music has become much more mainstream is that they aren’t basic EDM deejays and knob twiddlers. Being proficient musicians utilizing various analog synthesizers and instruments during their live performances allows them to improvise and make their live shows more unexpected and dynamic. I’ve never seen them live and I’m not familiar with the full range of venues lined up for this North American tour, but I can vouch for Seattle‘s Benaroya Hall as a beautiful space ideal for seeing something like Moon Safari revisited live.
Oh yeah… I forgot to mention that they’re playing Moon Safari on this tour. Start planning for this one before all these respective “theatres” and “halls” fill up.
View the full list of current tour dates below.
03-24 London, England – London Coliseum sold out
05-25 Sydney, Australia – Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House
05-26 Sydney, Australia – Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House
05-30 London, England – Royal Albert Hall
05-31 London, England – Royal Albert Hall
06-02 Zürich, Switzerland – Unique Moments Festival
06-14 Barcelona, Spain – Sónar Festival
06-15 Monaco, MC – Opéra Garnier Monte-Carlo
06-18 Lyon, France – Les Nuits de Fourvière sold out
06-21 Rome, Italy – Roma Summer Fest
06-22 Ferrara, Italy – Summer Vibez
06-24 Paris, France – Days Off Festival at the Philharmonie sold out
06-26 Halifax, England – The Piece Hall
06-27 Southampton, England – Guildhall Square
06-30 Dublin, Ireland – Trinity College Dublin
07-05 Gdynia, Poland – Open’er Festival
07-09 Cascais, Portugal – CoolJazz Festival
07-13 Montpellier, France – Festival Radio France, Amphithéâtre d’O
07-16 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Neimënster
07-18 Gent, Belgium – Gent Jazz Festival sold out
07-19 Gent, Belgium – Gent Jazz Festival sold out
07-21 Berlin, Germany – Zitadelle Spandau
07-23 Vienna, Austria – Metastadt Open Air
08-10 Copenhagen, Denmark – Syd For Solen festival
09-25 Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09-27 Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall
09-29 Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
09-30 Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
10-02 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
10-04 Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
10-06 Minneapolis, MN – State Theatre
10-08 Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre
10-10 Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10-12 Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
10-13 Laval, QC – Place Bell
10-15 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
10-17 Philadelphia, PA – The Met
10-18 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem
10-21 New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
10-22 New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
10-24 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
10-26 Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre
10-29 Dallas, TX – Music Hall at Fair Park
10-30 Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater