Air: “The IA can create music for some functions, like to go to the gym, but it will never replace emotions”

Jean-Benoît Dunckel And Nicolas Godin – aka Air – They are sitting in the shade, behind the stage of the Festival The first summer In Lido di Camaiore, in Versilia, a few meters from the sea. They will soon go on stage for the only Italian date before the start of the world tour Airplay Moon Safaridedicated to the album which in 1998 changed the course of soft and sensory electronics. It is not an anniversary “round”, – 27 years have passed – but it is one of those records that age well. On the contrary: they age little. “It’s a album that is good,” says Godin. “And this is a rare thing.”

Moon Safari It turns 27 and has become a generational disc. What relationship do you have today with the album?
Godin: «It is like a childhood friend you see after so much. When we recorded it, as children, we hoped to make a “classic” album, but you never know if you will succeed. Discovering today that it really happened is a privilege ».
Dunckel: «It is a kind of relief. When we play it, we try to remain faithful to the original. It is like a classic work or a theatrical text: she respects it. We do not upset it, it still works as it is ».

Is it your favorite?
Dunckel: “It is difficult to choose. There are songs that I love very much, but other records also have their own mood that I like. 10 000 Hz Legendfor example, is very different but I feel it close ».
Godin: “Moon Safari But that’s what people connect to childhood, to lightness. It’s an album Feel Goodwhich makes you feel good. It is rare ».

Does that sense of lightness also come from the atmosphere in which you grew up? Versailles seems almost an imaginary place, more than real.
Dunckel: «Yes, it was an unreal world. I lived right in front of the Domaine of Marie Antoinette. It was silent, symmetrical, all geometric and immobile. He seemed out of Alice in Wonderland “.
Godin: «But as children Versailles was not cool at all. It was gray, empty. Only after, with the film by Sofia Coppola, did it become “fashion”. At the time it was a dead place. But full of music. Everyone played. There were many bands at school. I still don’t know why ».

Have you ever written something directly inspired by Maria Antonietta?
Dunckel: «Not explicitly. But that universe feels. Calm, purity, balance … all things that find themselves in our music ».

Speaking of Sofia Coppola: that you memories you have linked to the soundtrack of The garden of the suicide virgins?
Godin: “It was a golden moment. Everything happened quickly. And I believe that the soundtracks should be made so, instinctively. If you think about it too much, you lose magic ».
Dunckel: «We discovered America. New York, Los Angeles … incredible worlds seemed to us. The cinema was everywhere. All super professional, cultured, open. Now it strikes us less, but at the time it was a dream ».

What relationship do you have with Italy?
Godin: «It is difficult for the French to travel, especially because of food. Often you eat badly. But in Italy … it’s a relief. You eat and drink well. And then it is always said that Italians are French in a good mood. And we are Italians … in a bad mood ».

Do you agree?
Godin: “Absolutely yes».

Are there any artists who consider your heirs?
Dunckel: “No. Air are unique. There was nothing similar before, and there was nothing later. It is not a question of value, but of uniqueness. We are difficult to copy. Our music lives in a very particular balance ».

Is it a balance that can be replicable today?
Godin: “Only if you do something that only you can do. You have to record what you have in your head, without thinking about the consequences ».
Dunckel: “If you try to copy others, you can’t. But if you do only what is yours, nobody can do it like you ».

What about artificial intelligence? Is it a threat to music or an opportunity?
Dunckel: “It’s just an algorithm. He does not scare me in himself, but he worries me as he will be used. Companies will use it to produce economic music to put on the internet or advertisements ».
Godin: «The platforms already use it to produce songs” similar to “, copying the artists. And they sound very bad. We should prevent it ».

What if the public didn’t notice the difference?
Godin: «It will happen, in part. But people are not robots. Maybe they will use it for the gym or while they guide. For certain functions it is fine. But if you want emotion … you need a human being ».

What do you need, then, to make music that remains?
Dunckel: «Do only what you can do only. We are all unique. And if you do what you have inside, that will also be unique ».