international news _ 21st September, 2006
French Band Air’s Late Night Ramblings
Text by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
Ambient duo Nic Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel (aka Air) are releasing a
highly eclectic mix CD of their favourite songs next month, which includes
tracks from Black Sabbath, Japan and classical composer Ravel.
The Late Night Tales compilation sees them following in the footsteps of the
Flaming Lips, Four Tet, and Belle & Sebastian, though chatting to Skrufff
last year, Nic stressed their commitment to following their own
individualistic ethos.
“It’s a good achievement to influence other bands, it’s better to be a
leader than a follower,” said Nic, “Air is not a sound, it’s a spirit so
when people try to copy our sound they go the wrong way. Especially with the
way we compose, it’s not about the instruments or whether someone uses a
Moog. We can do Air music with any instrument.”
The 30-something French star also emphasised their sartorial individuality,
demonstrated by their enthusiam for wearing suits.
“Too many people seem to have a job of being a pop star, they wear a uniform
and it’s definitely not something that interests us,” he continued.
“When we do Air we like to dress correctly, for example, when I go on stage
I wear proper shoes and a tie just because we’re following the tradition of
the music hall. We’re influenced by the Rat Pack, people like Frank Sinatra
and David Bowie. Men should be classy when they’re over 30.”
Air- Late Night Tales is out on October 2.
Related Link
