36 15 Air Contributions

OK, So you like Air but you are wondering what to spend your hard earned cash on next (or what to search for on your favourite file sharing network :-). These are some personal, and highly subjective, ideas. I have not included any material covered in the discography (e.g. Super Discount)

• Motorbass, Pansoul

  The album that is credited with starting the French house scene in 94. Etienne de Crecy at his best, easy listening house (if such a thing exists!) Also worth looking for are Motorbass remixes (Daft Punk's Around The World being a good starter).

• Rinôçérôse, Installation Sonore

  More French house, this time with a guitar. The later songs on the album have the same relaxed electronc smoothness as Air.

• Cassius, 1999

  The phrase most used (in polite circles) about this album is "Basement Jaxx inspired". That aside this definatly is out of the funky dance mode. Not to everyone's tastes though.

• Jean Michelle Jarre, Oxygene

  Although his newer work has not been as well recieved (especially by me), 1976's Oxygene still ranks as a masterpiece of synthesyser music. He's French too.

• Phoenix, United

  Air's TV backing band from their Moon Safari days reveal their softrock axeman leanings. The sleve notes read like a who's who of the Versailles scene and links to Air are hard to miss; Hugo "Playground Love" Ferran, Stéphane "Alf" Briat, Thomas "Daft Punk" Bangalter, Philippe "Cassius" Zadar and our own NG and JB as part of the appreciative "The Love Choral Society".

• Ennio Morricone, Mondo Morricone / More Mondo Morricone

  Best known for his score to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and the spagetti westerns these CD's feature music writen for cult Italian films of the late 60's and early 70's. If you like the Air tracks that sound like 70's TV themes these are THE albums for you. Put these in your walkman and you instanly feel like a character from any number of American TV series, whatever you are doing. Truly amazing music.

• Taxi, The Theme From the "Hit US Sitcom"

  Starred Danny Devito, Andy Kaufman, Doc from Back to the Future and produced by James L. Brookes (Simpsons). The Theme could have been written by Air - check it out.

• Beth Hirsch, Early Works

  A collection of the American singer's early works (bet you didn't see that one coming!), ideal for those of you who love the vocal talent behind All I need.