"There's a particular niche of sophisticated, loungy music that thrived from the late '90s into the mid-2000s. It grew out of ELO's regal rock and Serge Gainsbourg's loucheness, taking on bits of U.K. trip-hop, midcentury exotica, the Largo scene's orchestral flourishes and Daft Punk's talkboxes. I don't quite have a word for it - conversation-pit-core? - but a primary text of it is Air's "Moon Safari.""
"The French duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel released "Moon Safari," Air's debut LP, to wide acclaim in 1998. The band's meticulously hazy synth pads paired beautifully with ultra-minimal funk bass and loping tempos. "Moon Safari" set a new benchmark for upmarket French pop, with singles like "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars" proving they had chops for hooks as well."
"At the Bowl on Sunday, the band revisited the whole of "Moon Safari" with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, capping off KCRW's festival season there. Since that album's release, Coppola's daughter Romy grew old enough to become an influencer herself, yet "The Virgin Suicides" remains a mood-board favorite for Gen Z. Fellow travelers like Bonobo, who opened the night with a DJ set, have become arena stars in their own right."
Air's Moon Safari, released in 1998 by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, combined hazy synth pads, ultra-minimal funk bass and loping tempos to define upmarket French pop. Singles like "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars" showcased strong hooks. The duo followed with the score to The Virgin Suicides, cementing a tasteful European melancholy. At the Hollywood Bowl, the band performed Moon Safari with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for KCRW's festival finale, joined by Bonobo's DJ set. The orchestral arrangements reinforced the album's wispy songs and demonstrated that concentrated chill music can be compelling in a live setting.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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