For French electro-pop duo Air, the music industry has changed a lot in recent years. “I think the music industry has followed society and globalization. There are rich people and there are poor people, and there is actually nothing in the middle,” Nicolas Godin told dpa in Berlin.
In his opinion, in the 90s, the Duo Air was financially something of a middle class of musicians who were able to pay their rent and food with their record sales. “And these days that space no longer exists because no one makes money selling records anymore.” The middle class has disappeared; people either fill stadiums and large arenas or find it very difficult to earn any money as musicians.
To mark the 25th anniversary of their debut album “Moon Safari”, the two 55-year-olds are re-releasing the album with eleven new tracks. There was already a foretaste at several concerts in Berlin, where they presented the album live in its entirety for the first time. “This time there is a nostalgia in the audience because time intervened,” says Jean-Benoît Dunckel in an interview. “It revives some memories for the audience and that’s the difference after 25 years.”
As soon as they entered the stage at the Theater des Westens, the musicians received thunderous applause. It got bigger and bigger as the evening went on, with the audience cheering for “Sexy Boy” and “All I Need”. The stage show also turned the concert into a complete audiovisual experience that was sure to delight not only long-time fans. Even without many announcements from the musicians, the album came to life in the live arrangement.
