Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the รcole nationale supรฉrieure d'architecture de Versailles, and Jean-Benoรฎt Dunckel studied mathematics, before forming a band in 1995. Before founding Air (erroneously considered as an acronym of Amour, Imagination, Rรชve, which translates to Love, Imagination, Dream), Dunckel and Godin played together in the band Orange with others such as Alex Gopher, Xavier Jamaux and Jean de Reydellet. The former two subsequently contributed to remixes of tracks recorded by Air.
Initially Godin worked alone, recording a demo with members of Funkadelic as his backing band before releasing his first entirely solo effort, "Modular Mix", which featured production by รtienne de Crรฉcy.
Career
After making several remixes for other acts in the first half of the 1990s, Air recorded its first EP, Premiers Symptรดmes, in 1995. The band released its first album, Moon Safari, in 1998. Its first single, "Sexy Boy", was heavily played on alternative radio stations. The album received universal acclaim and became an international success. In 1999, Air composed the score The Virgin Suicides to Sofia Coppola's debut film of the same name; in 2012, Air wrote its second score to Georges Mรฉliรจs' Le voyage dans la lune.
Other works
Air has often collaborated with Coppola. Air drummer and former Redd Kross member Brian Reitzell put together the soundtrack to 2003's Lost in Translation, including one original contribution by Air titled "Alone in Kyoto". The soundtrack for Coppola's October 2006 film Marie Antoinette featured a track by Air ("Il Secondo Giorno"). Air wrote and played the music of the album 5:55 by Anglo-French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, which was released in August 2006. Air has recorded a DJ mix album, Late Night Tales: Air, for Azuli Records' Late Night Tales series. The release was initially scheduled for October 2005, but was delayed several times. It finally was released, complete with a new sleeve design, in September 2006. Darkel, a solo album by Dunckel, was released that same year.
City Reading (Tre Storie Western) (2003) started as an idea for a collaboration with contemporary Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, known for his unusual characterizations and lyrical, poetic style. Baricco contacted Air in summer 2002 with the idea to marry narration of texts from his book City with live original musical accompaniment. The performance premiered live in November 2002 at Rome's Teatro Valle and was deemed such a success that both parties resolved to make a full studio recording.
Influences and musical style
Air is associated with a variety of musical styles: electronica, space pop, dream pop, progressive rock, downtempo, chillout, trip hop, ambient, electronic pop and space rock. Dunckel grew up listening to both classical and electronic music, especially Kraftwerk. He later took an interest in what he called the "English dark rock" of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Joy Division, while being a fan of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Brian Eno and Cluster were two of the electronic acts who inspired him the most. He cites among his favorite artists: Maurice Ravel for classical music, Franรงois de Roubaix for music soundtracks and Siouxsie and the Banshees for pop music. Dunckel shared with Godin a special liking for the music of Michel Legrand, Philip Glass and Grace Jones. During his childhood, Godin was fascinated by the Beatles before later discovering the soul of Sly and the Family Stone. The duo were influenced by progressive rock pioneers Pink Floyd.
Air uses many of its studio instruments (like Moog synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, Wurlitzer and Vocoder) 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 collaborates (both in the studio and live) with artists like Beth Hirsch (Moon Safari), Franรงoise Hardy ("Jeanne"), Jean-Jacques Perrey ("Cosmic Bird"), Gordon Tracks ("Playground Love" and "Easy Going Woman" โ Gordon Tracks is a pseudonym of the French singer Thomas Mars from Phoenix), Beck (10 000 Hz Legend) and Jean-Michel Jarre ("Close Your Eyes" from Jarre's Electronica 1: The Time Machine). They also invited Dave Palmer on their 2004 tour and drummer Earl Harvin, Vincent Taurelle and Steve Jones on their 2007 tour.
Studio albums
Moon Safari (1998)
10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
Talkie Walkie (2004)
Pocket Symphony (2007)
Love 2 (2009)
Le voyage dans la lune (2012)
Soundtrack albums
The Virgin Suicides (2000)
Music for Museum (2014)
Extended plays
Premiers Symptรดmes (1997)
Collaborative albums
City Reading (Tre Storie Western) (2003)
Mix and remix albums
Everybody Hertz (2002)
Late Night Tales (2006)
Compilation albums
Twentyears (2016)
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Air is one of the many aliases of Pete Namlook. He has been releasing ambient music under this name since the release of an eponymous album in 1993.
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Japanese noise rock, Air is an alias of Koji Kurumatani first released album Wear Off in 1996.
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Air is a late 90s Indonesian Pop band that became popular with their "Bintang" song.
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Air was a jazz trio with its roots steeped in Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and was formed originally in 1971. The jazz trio Air formed from within the Muhal Richard Abrams Sextet, which was active on the Chicago scene contemporaneously with the birth and growth of the AACM and groups such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Henry Threadgill on reeds, hubcaphone, and percussion; Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on drums formed the trio when Threadgill was commissioned by Columbia College to score and adapt Scott Joplin's work for a performance honoring Joplin's centenary (Joplin's birth has been established now as sometime in 1868) and a rebirth of interest in the noted ragtime composer. All three men were Air signs in the zodiac, and so adopted the name.
They performed first around Chicago, while maintaining residency with Muhal Abrams group, which also featured Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and Wallace McMillan, both reed players. The Air "brand" remained a side project until all three reunited in New York in 1975, and began recording under that name for India Navigation, Nessa, Black Saint, and Novus. The trio broke up when Steve McCall left in the early 1980s, and when Pheroan Aklaff joined in 1982, they recorded as New Air, and recorded several albums under that name, including Air Show No. 1 in 1986, which featured Cassandra Wilson on vocals. Andrew Cyrille ultimately replaced akLaff before the band eventually was superceded by the burgeoning careers of its members: Threadgill with his groups Sextett and Very Very Circus, and Hopkins as the go-to bassist for Threadgill, David Murray, and Hamiet Bluiett. McCall's health forced his retirement from touring around 1980, and the dynamic drummer and effusive and gracious man who was a cofounder of the AACM with Muhal Abrams and Fred Anderson, died of a stroke in 1989.
This Air is listed as Air (4) on Discogs and is also been identified on last.fm as Air (Fred Hopkins, Steve McCall, Henry Threadgill) and Air with Fred Hopkins, Steve Mccall, Henry Threadgill (sic: McCall's name misspelt), and possibly also other alternative spellings of the group's name exist.
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Air was a psychedelic folk rock band featuring Googie and Tom Coppola, John Siegler and Mark Rosengarden. They released their first self titled album in 1971.
Once Upon A Time
Air Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No time after it's too late
Time's getting old, time's over now
Don't try to be on time
Don't try to run after time
Time's getting on, time's over now
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
Time's getting on, time's over now
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
Time's getting on, time's over now
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
Time's getting on, time's over now
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
Once upon a time
Time's getting on, time's over now
The lyrics to Air's song "Once Upon a Time" are nostalgic and wistful, imagining a moment in the past when two young lovers were together, but can never be again because time has passed. The chorus repeats "I'm a little boy, you're a little girl, once upon a time" over and over, emphasizing the impossibility of returning to that moment. The first stanza warns against trying to either rush time or hold onto it, as it inevitably slips away.
The song's lyrics are simple and repetitive, forcing the listener to reflect on the fleeting nature of time and lost opportunities. The melody is dreamy and ethereal, conveying a sense of longing and nostalgia. Air's use of electronic instruments, including a mellotron and moog synthesizer, adds to the otherworldly feeling of the song.
Overall, "Once Upon a Time" is a bittersweet ode to the past and a reminder to cherish the moment before it's gone.
Line by Line Meaning
No time before it's too soon
There is no time to waste because if you act too late, you may lose your opportunity.
No time after it's too late
Once the opportunity has passed, it will be too late to act, and you will have missed your chance.
Time's getting old, time's over now
Time is quickly running out, and there is no time left to act, so you must take advantage of the moment.
Don't try to be on time
Don't focus on trying to meet deadlines or schedules because time cannot be controlled.
Don't try to run after time
You cannot chase after time because it is constantly moving forward, and you cannot catch up to it.
Time's getting on, time's over now
Time is passing quickly, and it is almost too late to take action or make a change.
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
The singer is reminiscing about simpler times when they were young and carefree.
Once upon a time
Referencing a fairytale or a time long ago, when life was easier and less complicated.
Time's getting on, time's over now
The artist recognizes that time is fleeting, and they cannot return to their childhood or past, as it is already gone.
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
The artist is reliving a moment in time with another person, perhaps a past love, as the memory brings them comfort or joy.
Once upon a time
The singer is continuing to reference a moment in the past when things were simpler and easier.
Time's getting on, time's over now
The artist knows that the moment is fleeting, and it is impossible to return to the past or live in the moment forever.
I'm a little boy, you're a little girl
The singer is clinging to the innocence and simplicity of the past, as it brings them happiness and peace.
Once upon a time
The singer is living in a fairytale world, yearning for a simpler time that no longer exists.
Time's getting on, time's over now
The singer acknowledges that the moment is fleeting, and it is impossible to hold on to forever.
Lyrics ยฉ ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP
Written by: BETTY COMDEN, ADOLPH GREEN, ANDRE PREVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JuniorJr...
A wonderful song that sweeps me into peaceful space, evoking memories of great loves and sunny beach days. It's a serene voyage through my soul.
@marcokimnogal3692
Yesterday the drummer on this song Tony Allen has died at 79 years
RIP
@andreawithgod
Wow โน
@brzoza9582
I am sorry about that, I send my best wishes for his family. Stay inspired, different then others, do what you love. Have a nice life.
Brzoza
@livapininfarina2164
Strange. For me these Air friends are like in their late 20s. oO
@JasonJohnson-ro2nh
I discovered this song & this group totally by accident this afternoon. Right up my street. I have a feeling this is the start of a journey of their music for me. Love this particular song.
@MJ.71
Feb 23 - I've literally only just found this group myself (how the fk did I miss them??) Listened to quite a few of their songs now and absolutely luv every single one of them (really looking forward to listening to more) Also saved everything I can find to my own play list hahaha.
@JasonJohnson-ro2nh
@@MJ.71 Do you know the Royksopp album 'melody am'?, if not - give it a go...
@MrCrisenson
Me to, feeling so lucky to still find new music and be obsessed by it, have fun!
@dioncampbell2393
They're the best