Who are Air? Everything you need to know about the French electronic duo

9 August 2024, 17:55

France is often considered the birthplace of contemporary electronic music.

So no wonder they have a long and illustrious list of musical exports that pioneered numerous electronic music sub-genres, one of which is Air.

The musical duo - comprised of Nicholas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel - have evolved and explored chill-out, prog rock, space pop, and downtempo all under the umbrella of electronic music.

Their debut single 'Sexy Boy' in 1998 saw Air explode into an international success, being regarded as one of the most innovative acts of the era.

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Moon Safari, their debut album, went on to proved to become enormously influential in the downtempo electronica boom that occurred after Air came to prominence.

Since then, Air have gone on to release six further studio albums: 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum.

But how did they get together? What influenced their music? What are their biggest songs? Here's everything you need to know about Air:

How old are Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, and where were they born?

Nicolas Godin was born on 25th December 1969 in Le Chesnay, Île-de-France, France. In 2024 he will turn 55 years old.

Jean-Benoît Dunckel was born on 7th September 1969 in Versailles, Île-de-France, France. In 2024, he will also turn 55 years old.

As a teenager, Godin studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles, a practice that would become a life-long fascination alongside his career in music.

Dunckel also studied at École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles, though studied mathematics and physics, and even taught at a middle school before his career with Air became feasible.

How did Air get together?

As mentioned, both Godin and Dunckel attended the same university, and quickly realised they had a creative confidant in one another.

Before starting Air however, both musicians were members of the band Orange along with celebrated musician and producer Alex Gopher who went on to work as a sound engineer for prominent French artists such as Angèle, Clara Luciani, Mr. Oizo, and Gesaffelstein.

The band split however, with Godin focusing on his own music, writing the song 'Modulor Mix' on a four-track recorder for a childhood friend that asked him to contribute a song to their mixtape.

The track received plenty of admiration, with Godin then asking his former bandmate Dunckel to join him on further projects.

Together, they produced several songs for small French independent label Source, who later asked Godin and Dunckel to write an entire album.

Holing themselves up in the Studio de Saint‑Nom which was nearby to Paris, they became Air, and wrote what would become their breakthrough internationally acclaimed album, Moon Safari.

What are Air’s biggest songs?

AIR - Sexy Boy (from 𝑀𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑖 - Official Video)

- 'Sexy Boy'

- 'Playground Love'

- 'All I Need' feat Beth Hirsch

- 'Kelly Watch The Stars'

- 'Alone In Kyoto'

- 'La femme d'argent'

- 'You Make It Easy'

- 'Cherry Blossom Girl'

- 'You Make It Easy' feat Beth Hirsch

- 'One Hell Of A Party' feat Jarvis Cocker

Who do Air cite as their biggest musical influences?

Air are a duo who have expressed their musical diversity throughout their career, exploring various music genres.

Naturally then, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel together have a wide variety of musical influences they've introduced into their music with Air.

Dunckel was brought up listening to classical music and electronic music such as Kraftwerk, alongside homegrown heroes such as Serge Gainsbourg.

He later became obsessed with "English dark rock" in post-punk bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and David Bowie, Brian Eno, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Grace Jones who he shared in common with Godin.

Godin says The Beatles influenced him earlier on, as well as soul music and film soundtracks like Ennio Morricone's score to Spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Both members of Air have talked about the major impact Pink Floyd and progressive rock has had on their musical output.

What films have Air soundtracked?

AIR - Playground Love (from 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑉𝑖𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑂𝑆𝑇 - Official Video)

After the huge success of Air's debut album, Moon Safari, director Sofia Coppola asked the duo to score her directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides.

Whilst writing her screenplay adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' 1993 novel, Coppola listening to Moon Safari almost constantly.

“The music [by Air] really helped a lot," she told interviewer Jeffrey M. Anderson. "I wanted to work with them because they have that kind of dreamlike sound. I listened to their music a lot when I was writing the script."

Air wrote the score, including the song 'Playground Love', and it's still widely regarded as one of the most evocative soundtracks of all time.

Due to the score's success, Air later collaborated with Coppola - the daughter of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola - on her follow-up film Lost In Translation, contributing the song 'Alone In Kyoto'.

Are Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel married?

Nicolas Godin is married to Brazilian textiles designer Iracema Trevisan, who he met at a festival in Melbourne that Air were performing at.

Jean-Benoît Dunckel met his wife and had a baby named Solal together, long before Air became a success. He later said: "We were poor. I knew our livelihood depended on Air being successful."