Similar bands to Air...

Fabio

Can anyone on this fine forum recommend me some bands that are similar to the French duo "Air"?


I love their stuff and it's be nice to add to my collection of laid back, well produced electronic stuff...

Fanny Cradock

You might enjoy a band called Bent. They may not exactly be Air-ish. Nevertheless their music is very quirky and laid back.

Aside from that, I would recommend checking out the bands and artists that Air have worked with in the past. For example, Sebastien Tellier

Also, make sure to check out: M83, Sigur Rós, The Album Leaf and Ulrich Schnauss.

And finally, if you aren't specifying electronic only, then have a listen to the The Cinematic Orchestra. (Not at all like Air, they just happen to playing in my ears at the mo.)

delbertgrady

If you don't already have it, get Charlotte Gainsbourg's album 5:55, which was composed and produced by Air.
Also, The Space Between Us by Craig Armstrong is a safe bet.

loyatemu

Royksopp's "Melody AM" album is quite Airish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RST4R1CEgLQ

also Lemon Jelly's stuff is quite mellow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch4vpSVhZBU

stovelid

Maybe not exactly similar, but I would say that Air were definitely aware of artists like Delia Darbyshie and other stuff in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop genre.

Air also had a good album in the Late Night Tales series, with some of the favorite tunes.

catch--22

Ditto on M83. Latest album 'Saturdays = Youth' is brilliant! Also check out MC Solar.....start with his 1991 debut 'Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo'

Fabio

Nice one thanks guy!

ZakAttak

Why not listen to the band that air rip-off? that is; JeanMichel Jarre.

damonjewel

Try Jakatta -The Other World very airish

You'll get a brief sample of it here

http://www.last.fm/music/Jakatta/_/The+Other+World

taibhse

zero 7

Firetrap

Ah, you beat me to it. Check out Zero 7's 'Simple Things'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6yXxVc21Y

Dudess

Moments in Love by Art of Noise - the original chill-out track...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaIQ78SLTeE&feature=related

judas101

ZakAttak wrote: »

Why not listen to the band that air rip-off? that is; JeanMichel Jarre.

wtf?

Anima

Why not listen to the band that air rip-off? that is; JeanMichel Jarre.

Just showing your ignorance there, well done.

Kold

Royksopp are the closest I've heard.

anti-venom

Check out a guy called Henrik Jonsson who records under the moniker 'Porn sword Tobacco'. The New Exclusive Olympic Heights album is astounding. It's deeply atmospheric and very, very soothing.

www.pornswordtobacco.com

Dudess

judas101 wrote: »

wtf?

Anima wrote: »

Just showing your ignorance there, well done.

/shrug
It's his/her opinion...

damonjewel

Dudess wrote: »

/shrug
It's his/her opinion...

Perhaps it is, but the only similarity i see is is that they are french and tend to play keyboards.

Air are very retro and chilled, but that is their charm.

Jarre has too much to say in his music, too grandiose but it doesn't deliver. To me Jarres music relies too much on the hooks to keep the listener interested (Oxygene sums this up their is tons of noodling before we get to the slightly cheesy Oxygene IV which carries the album) unlike for example Kraftwerk who build on a groove and layer it up (Trans europa express).

Air take the kraftwerk philosophy where they take an idea and build and develop, they use retro sounding synths, and layer it on top of simple dance rhythms. A winnng combiantion in my book. Their first EP Premiere symptomes is classic

humberklog

Try Kinobe's album Soundphiles. Same genre done with much the same skill.


This song's not from the album Soundphiles but is a good example of the bands' closeness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovyJN4x7Lnw

humberklog

Or just to lob in a curvy ball...chack out the bass on this.
Now I ain't saying Air and China Crisis are hued from the same yew but I always associate one with the other in my mental filing cabinet.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYAH6aILI84

humberklog

Or to take them back further (Jean Micheal my arse). Try Erik Satie.
Here's Gymnopedie No.1. I would have selected No.3 to make the point better but I couldn't find one with Kate Moss pole pole dancing in the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znYzt16Iwl8

Fanny Cradock

Anima wrote: »

Just showing your ignorance there, well done.

I assumed that it was intended as a sarcastic comment.

Kolodny

Blue States. Especially the album Nothing Changes Under the Sun.

JC 2K3

Hmm... chillout music eh?

Two groups on the psy side of things which I really like to chill out to are Vibrasphere and Shpongle. Vibrasphere's latest album, Exploring the Tributaries is probably my favourite chillout album of all time. Each track has its own style, yet it all blends seamlessly together. Some of the tracks have a lot of energy to them, but at the same time they still feel very chilled and nice.

Here's an example, the second song off the album, Erosion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsaOqAj_sOo

Shpongle are cool too, very tribal and trippy, and great to chill out to also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tefzSUZbM7Q

Setun

Dudess wrote: »

Moments in Love by Art of Noise - the original chill-out track...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaIQ78SLTeE&feature=related

Good one

If you like french chill-out acid-jazzy pseudo-ambient poly-genre kinda-music go out and buy Tourist by St Germain RIGHT NOW!!! One of my favourite albums, you'll be dancing on the bus home I promise you.

stovelid

Daddio wrote: »

Tourist by St Germain RIGHT NOW!!! One of my favourite albums, you'll be dancing on the bus home I promise you.

I concur.

stovelid

anti-venom wrote: »

'Porn sword Tobacco'.

I can't check this out. I love the name so much, I know it can only be a disappointment.

anti-venom

stovelid wrote: »

I concur.

I also agree; it's a fantastic album, however, I don't see it as a 'chill out' album. It's far too lively and jazzy for that. You just can't lay back and chill to this music.

Stovelid - You really have to check out Porn Sword Tobacco. Fantastic stuff. Another great band well worth checking out are Mono (from Japan), espically their 'You Are There' album. It's sublime imo.

www.myspace.com/monojp

dead air

You should check out Nightmares on Wax, not totally like Air but every now and again I like to listen to Air and Nightmares on Wax on the same playlists.

Also, you could check out Jean-Benoit Dunckel (from Air) solo album called Darkel, it has some decent moments on it.

ZakAttak

Jean Michel Jarre has been knockin out soft synthy keyboard stuff for years, in fact, the French seem to have a bit of a thing for it in general. Later on he got some producer or DJ to turn his music in to fairly crap dance music. But early Jarre is much different, I think Air owe him a lot- and it was Air that I heard first.

The problem is this- any artist who has a custom made 'light-harp', which shoots different coloured lasers depending on the note (Im not making this up) is always going to end up getiing the p1ss ripped out of him and being forgotten about. But dont underestimate his influence.

Synthy keyboard music is as french as big grey Renault family vans, general snootiness and pints of Beer at McDonalds.