Gust In Translation

The pioneering early 20th century French filmmaker Georges Melies is certainly flavour of the month, culturally speaking; he featured as a key character in Martin Scorsese’s recent fantasy film, Hugo, and now veteran ambient-pop duo Air are set to release their soundtrack to a newly restored version of the director’s 1902 classic, Le Voyage Dans La Lune.

Were Air familiar with Melies before taking on the project?
“Actually, we weren’t,” admits Jean Benoit Dunckel, one half of Air, whose conversational style is as laidback as the group’s music. “Melies was an important force in the early days of filmmaking, and you would have been aware of him as a French artist who had made a significant contribution to cinema and so on. But no, we hadn’t seen any of his work. We got involved because the foundation who put together the restored film felt we’d be a good match. At this point, we have plenty of experience of doing soundtrack work, plus we’re known internationally. So, I suppose we met a lot of the criteria.”
What did Dunckel and his bandmate, Nicolas Godin, make of the Le Voyage Dans La Lune the first time they saw it?
“Visually, it’s spectacular,” he enthuses. “It has some iconic sequences, especially the space capsule crashing into the moon. The film also has quite a violent feel, because when the astronomers land on the moon they find themselves fighting with the alien inhabitants. That aspect of the film is also an allusion to colonialism. So, overall, you get a sense of some of the issues that were concerning people at that point in history.”
Dunckel explains that Air received the request to record the soundtrack when they were in the middle of making a new album, and says that they'll soon focus their attention back on writing fresh material. Already, the duo would appear to have mapped out the creative terrain for their next project.
“I think we’re gonna make some sexual music,” asserts Dunckel. “That tone seems to suit Air very well. If you’re in an amorous mood, it’s good music to listen to! We are going to do a few shows for this new album, which will feature some footage from the film, and then we’ll be back working in a big way on new music. I’ve also been working on some stuff with Lou Hayter from New Young Pony Club and I want to see how that develops.”
Prior to Le Voyage Dans La Lune, Air’s most celebrated soundtrack work was for director Sofia Coppola, who invited them to write music for the brilliant The Virgin Suicides (their contribution included the memorable ‘Playground Love’) and the Oscar-winning Lost In Translation. Following their work with Coppola, did the band find themselves hanging out with movie stars and attending plenty of glitzy parties?
“Yes, we did! We were over at Sundance when The Virgin Suicides was showing and there was a lot of that stuff. We met Spike Jonze, who Sofia was with at the time, and hung out with Kirsten Dunst and so on. Those kind of experiences can be fun as long as you don’t take it all too seriously.”
Did Air ever meet Francis Ford Coppola, father of Sofia and director of the Godfather series and Apocalypse Now?
“He came to one of our shows,” recalls Dunckel. “When we were talking to him afterwards, he said that he’d had this dream about a group using a Theremin. Then he comes to the show and there we are playing a Theremin! It was pretty funny.”
Amongst the various vocalists Air have collaborated with over the years is our own Neil Hannon. Are the French duo long-time admirers of the Divine Comedy man?
“Yeah, he actually contributed to 5:55, the album we did with Charlotte Gainsbourg,” reflects Dunckel. “Then the following year, he featured on our album Pocket Symphony. The Divine Comedy have always been popular in France and there really is a lot to admire there – the records would certainly appeal to our sensibilities. The music is always imaginative and Neil Hannon’s lyrics are excellent – they always have lots of intelligence and humour. He’s a really talented guy.”
 
Le Voyage Dans La Lune is released on Virgin on February 6.