Air mp3

AIR is a French music duo, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. The name AIR is an acronym for Amour, Imagination, Rêve which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream. AIR's debut EP, Premiers Symptômes, was followed by the critically acclaimed album Moon Safari, the re-release of Premiers Symptômes, The Virgin Suicides (soundtrack), 10 000 Hz Legend, Everybody Hertz, Talkie Walkie and Pocket Symphony. Their most recent album, Pocket Symphony, was released on March 5, 2007. The album features former Pulp vocalist Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, and is produced by Nigel Godrich.

Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles whereas Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics before forming a band in 1995. Before founding AIR, Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange, with others such as Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Etienne de Crécy. (Those musicians have subsequently contributed to remixes of tracks recorded by AIR.)

AIR's music is often referred to as electronica; their form of electronic music was influenced by the synthesizer sounds of the 1970s such as Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and Francis Lai. Other influences are psychedelic rock pioneers Pink Floyd; Krautrockers Tangerine Dream; Jean-Jacques Perrey (although there are some echoes of dance music styles in the production); and French crooner Serge Gainsbourg.

AIR uses many of their studio instruments (like Moog synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, Wurlitzer and Vocoder) live on stage, where their ability to improvise is more clearly highlighted. The band performs the well-known tracks from the albums live as extended or altered versions. AIR often works together, both in the studio and live on stage, with artists like Beth Hirsch (Moon Safari), Françoise Hardy ("Jeanne"), Jean-Jacques Perrey ("Cosmic Bird"), Gordon Tracks ("Playground Love" and "Easy Going Woman" - Gordon Tracks is a pseudonym of the french singer Thomas Mars from Phoenix), Beck (10 000 Hz Legend), on the 2004 tour with Dave Palmer and drummer Earl Harvin and on the 2007 tour with Earl Harvin, Vincent Taurelle and Steve Jones.