It took a (non-circular) anniversary to give Air a sold-out European tour for the first time. They performed their 1998 album “Moon Safari” three times, including at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and three times at Berlin’s Theater des Westens. The choice of venues suggests that the French duo has Kraftwerk’s role models in mind, as they tour museums. Should electronic music, one of the great cultural achievements of the second half of the 20th century, also be given an “honorable” framework here? Nicholas Godin says succinctly in the ROLLING STONE interview (which we will publish next week): “No. I’ve been a fan of the Muppets since I was a child. And they also perform in a theater.”
The newly ignited desire for children’s games, woolly Korg sounds, lava lamp feelings and innocent retrofuturism also serves the longing for the late 1990s, one of the most peaceful eras in history – despite a few wars. Nine Eleven was unforeseeable; “Lounge” was the name of the new music, which, in contrast to the ebbing techno ecstasy and passive-aggressive trip hop, was based on nostalgia.
Now people are taking refuge again in the debut album by Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicholas “Muppet” Godin, but with their recordings they themselves had fled into the past, into the erotic adventure music of Serge Gainsbourg, Francis Lais and Jean-Jaque Perrey. The average age of the audience suggests that most of the audience experienced their best, most exciting time in the 1990s. In quieter moments, some even shout an angry “Shush!” when someone in the audience shouts. After all, we are in the THEATER, not at a rock concert!
Backed by just one drummer, Air, whose “Moon Safari” instrumentation is anything but airy, rather creamy as bear brand, sets out for their ten album songs (plus a greatest hits set of tracks through 2004, including five from “Talkie Walkie “, almost an additional “Played in its Entirety” performance) in a rectangular, white stage box with a low ceiling, reminiscent of a hollowed-out pocket camera or a Billy shelf; The full mirroring turns it into a Jupiter Hall like in Kubrick’s “2001”.
Air perform the songs chronologically, dramaturgically risky. The first four, “La Femme D’Argent”, “Sexy Boy”, “All I Need” and “Kelly, Watch The Stars!”, are her biggest hits; Songs at the back like “Remember” are just as beautiful. Godin and Dunckel sing some of the songs sung on the record by Beth Hirsch themselves, and the Californian suburban sunset song “Ce Matin La” receives its live premiere on this tour. “All I Need,” on the other hand, is hopelessly disjointed. Dunckel supplements Hirsch’s passages with bad English, which turns “I Will Wait” into “Awawa” (Beck also comes off the tape later, but better). They often seem ashamed of their voices and use vocoders. Still, it’s essential to memorize the “All I Need” arrangement, as this remodel is the duo’s first new recording since 2016.
Air offer a wonderfully French picture. Dark with a slick hairstyle and a Napoleon-like waistband pulled up to his belly button; Godin, often on bass, a restless funk musician who doesn’t want to come out of his shell. In “Le Voyage de Pénélope”, the highlight of the concert, Godin hits the keys like Elton John, but only shows himself to the audience from the side. The gorgeous soundtrack song “Highschool Lover” gets the biggest applause, perhaps because everyone has images from Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” in their heads. They are a cinematic band. This is how the stage box works as a camera image frame.
They won’t break up Air, but a new record isn’t planned either. Now that Daft Punk are no more, we should be happy that Air are at least still playing shows.