...Interview with Air

Why have you set up your own label incidentally?
JB: Because we were really not sure. I mean, since the beginning we are more and more independent. And when we did the Record Makers label, it was for two reasons. The first one was because we wanted to do this soundtrack, Virgin Suicide. And we took care of all the aspects of the producing of this album so it was natural that we released it on our label and the second was the same reason is that we have discovered a new artists, Sebastian Teller- Who is very good. So we wanted to give him the chance to record in good conditions.

Will you be taking on any other artists in the near future?
JB: Yeah, we have some idea but they are not signed so we cannot talk about it.

How do you think your relationship between the both of you has changed...maybe with the recording of this album, from where you have come from, from 'Moon' to 'Premier' to 'Virgin Suicides' and now on to this. Have you changed maybe the way you worked together?
Nicholas: Yes, in the past we put in command different ideas but now we start from the nothing. In the past we worked in the studio from starting points.

You mean you work closer then?
Nicholas: Yeah, not closer, but we worked since the beginning of the beginning.
JB: I think that more and more we melt. We become just one person.

It is much more instinctive because you are recording together?
Nicholas: Yeah.

Where was the album recorded?
Nicholas: It was recorded in France in a very little vintage studio. But we done some of the recordings in LA to have a very huge sound. We went to the Capitol Recording Studios where we recorded some strings, some vocals, some choir, some flutes. And in LA, we have been in another studio called Hollywood Sound where we have recorded some vocals.

What about in terms of production on this album, how has that moved on?
Nicholas: We wanted to have a big sound. Dolby Surround stereo...like Star Wars. We wanted that everybody could have this sound without having the system for it. That they can have the same thing in your car on a little...We used to have TV speakers in the studio to check that everything was going OK even if we go down to cheaper equipment.

How happy are you with the release? Has it fulfilled all your expectation?
Nicholas: It is better than our expectations. We really appreciate the mix between analogue and digital and modernity and the respect of the past. We succeed to give some warm to cold sounds. Warmness to digital machines.

Are there any direct influences that you drew from in making the album?
Nicholas: No.

Nothing at all?
Nicholas: No. I hope we will be an influence for other bands.

Definitely. How would you describe the album in your own words? To me it is just Air.
JB: It is a mushroom album. It is a mushroom atmosphere.

OK that's pretty weird. Was it an easy album to make?
JB: No, it was very complicated.

Because you were in two countries going back and forth.
JB: Yeah, but we wanted to do something perfect in all the parameters of the music in terms of recordings, in terms of compositions, in terms of lyrics. But, you know, for the first time we have tried to tell some stories and so as we are not English, it was pretty hard to try to be interesting using English words. Because, you know, most of the time we use some slogan. We find three good, cool words and try to be very catchy and so that is it. But for this album we wanted to tell stories.

How did Beck get involved on the album?
Nicholas: Beck? He is on the album? The singer Beck?

Yeah.
Nicholas: No.

Isn't he on the album?
Nicholas: No.
JB: He is joking.

I've heard it.
JB: Of course he is.

I was just having horrible flashbacks there. Oh right, we won't talk about him then. Have you heard the Daft Punk album?
Nicholas: Yes.

What do you think of it?
Nicholas: I think it will sell a lot.

Do you think French music is still as cutting edge as it was maybe two, three years ago?
Nicholas: I don't think it was. Except for maybe three, four, maybe five bands. All the rest was shit. It has always been.

That is a fair point. Finally, you are playing live again, what can we expect.
Nicholas: Em? We still don't know because we did not rehearse. We will rehearse in April and see what happens.

No set ideas?
Nicholas: Absolutely no.

No guest vocals?
Nicholas: No. I want one thing to be that people never know what to expect
from us. That is what we tried to do with this album.

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