Moon Safari

Rolling Stone's Review

"I think our music is a dreamful music...our tracks are like dreams, we want to escape from reality." So says pianist Jean Benoit Dunckel, half of the ambient "post-club" duo known as Air.

Dunckel and partner Nicolas Godin, both natives of Versailles, France, made their recording debut with a track on the 1995 Source/Caroline artist compilation, SourceLab. Godin and Dunckel met while attending college and ended up playing together in an indie rock band called Orange. After graduation, Godin embarked on a career as an architect and Dunckel taught math and physics. They continued to collaborate, however, and eventually a mutual friend, who happened to be a representative from Source Records, suggested they contribute a track to the prestigious label's first compilation. The single, "Modular Mix," became a chart hit in the U.K. and paved the way for other successful single releases like "Casanova 70," "You Make It Easy" and "Kelly, Watch the Stars." After signing a contract with Source/Caroline, Air released its first full-length CD, Moon Safari, in 1998, a downtempo digital amalgamation of ethereal string arrangements, aging electric keyboards and archaic pianola.