The first time Nicholas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel met, they talked about David Bowie. "We were teenagers," Godin explains, "so of course, we also talked about the Beatles and Serge Gainsbourg." The two agreed with one another about almost everything. In fact, aside from Joy Division ("I respect them a lot, but their music doesn't make me feel good," Godin says), the young musicians seemed destined to work together.
Nearly 13 years later, Dunckel and Godin, better known to the world as AIR, still agree about most things. That rare like-mindedness has helped them move from lush retro lounges (the classic Moon Safari) to dystopian space stations (10,000 Hz Legend), writing music that ranges from cinematic ("Playground Love") to meditative ("Universal Traveler"). And this October, the duo will move into new territory with Love 2, an open, expertly crafted, and rejuvenated record that they made all by themselves. PAPERMAG recently spoke with the duo.
I want to start by asking about Atlas, your recording studio. Love 2 is the first thing ever made there, and this is the first album you've made entirely by yourselves.
Nicholas Godin: Yes. The first thing we recorded was "So Light Is Her Footfall" -- that was the first sound ever made in that studio. We took the equipment out, and that was the first thing that popped up, and came out.
Has Atlas been a place that you've wanted to have for a long time? Did it take a long time to get together?
Jean-Benoit Dunckel: A very long time ago, we wanted to have our studio. It was our dream. Because just like, the vibration, the feeling of the machines, the position of everything, the feelings, it's ours.
Do you plan to use it for other artists' sessions? Or is it just going to be your private sanctuary?
NG: The thing is, we don't plan to be around very much, so we don't know that we'll be studio managers. A lot of friends that are musicians or producers, if they call and say, "Hey man, can I use your studio while you're on tour? I've got this project, it's really cool," we could do that. And also, right now, everything's set up the way we're working, and I don't know if someone else would want to use it. It's not meant to be a professional studio, but it can become one for a special occasion.
I ask about Atlas because one of the first things one notices about Love 2 is how much looser and liberated it sounds, especially compared to Pocket Symphony. Can you describe the difference in attitude between those two records?
NG: Pocket Symphony was the end of one way of working. We couldn't work that way anymore. We tried everything we could, but if we wanted to survive, we had to regenerate ourselves. It's like a love story. Every time you have a new love affair, it's like you have a new energy. Everything is fresh and cool and I think that's the idea; that right now we're entering into a new era for us. Pocket Symphony is the last piece from an old time, I feel like Love 2 is our first record. And that's not bullshit, it's real! It's really fresh and messy.
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