Legendary French band AIR releases the 25th anniversary of their seminal debut album Moon Safari in a Deluxe audio-video package available via Warner Music France. You can also stream the special edition everywhere now, with a selection of cherry-picked Moon Safari audio rarities.
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…
AIR’s boundary-pushing album has long been praised for its innovative sonics that have inspired countless musicians to think outside the box, so much so that their influence even transcended their own medium. Since Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel formed the band in 1995, the prolific duo has released six albums in addition to their acclaimed EP Premiers Symptômes, which was followed by the release of the aforementioned classic Moon Safari along with two soundtracks that all together sold millions of copies. AIR garnered an extensive list of worldwide accolades for their unique brand of downtempo electronic music that not only sculpted the sound for the next generation of electronic-influenced pop music but also was able to withstand the test of time in its own right.
Celebrating its 25th-anniversary last year, the release of Moon Safari catapulted Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel to the uppermost rung of electronic music’s ladder and left an indelible imprint on pop culture at the end of the 20th Century.
Despite being young 20-somethings at the time and having only released one EP to date, Godin and Dunckel’s stars aligned, and together, they were blessed with the creative skill to make the perfect electronic pop songs. These two students of astrophysics and architecture set about creating their own universe with the confidence and pedigree of seasoned pros.
Today, the record’s legacy is canonical, but at the time of release, its multi-million success was far from assured. Says Dunckel: “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.” In no time at all, AIR’s downtempo influence was easy to detect all around.
Through Moon Safari, AIR’s music infiltrated and transfixed some of the great visionaries of the late 20th century – David Bowie, Madonna, Beck – as well as influencing preeminent aesthetes of the incoming age – including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kevin Parker, and Sofia Coppola, whose creative relationship with AIR became as synergetic as that of Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch (another fan).
Moon Safari birthed hit singles in “Kelly Watch The Stars,” “All I Need,” and “Sexy Boy,” sold more than 3 million copies around the world and pushed AIR into headline status at major festivals. 25 years on, it’s not hard to reason why Moon Safari has stood the test of time. It’s a mood you want to live inside of forever. It’s a revelation. It’s conversation pit music for a better future.
Dunckel sums up his own album as “a deep, universal spell, full of love and mystery.”
“To me,” Godin concludes, “Moon Safari is perfect.” And who can argue…
Tour Dates
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
