John is joined by Nicolas Godin, one half of the French electronic duo Air, to explore how they wrote, recorded, and produced their iconic debut album, Moon Safari.
Formed in 1995 by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Air rose to global fame with ‘Moon Safari’ in 1998, a critically acclaimed, genre-defining album that helped elevate French pop and inspired a generation of down-tempo electronic music. In 2025, the duo marked its 25th anniversary with Blue Moon Safari, a bold reinterpretation by British producer Vegyn.
In this episode, Nico shares the story behind ‘Moon Safari', sharing how each track came to life, the creative choices that shaped the album, and the instruments and techniques that defined the iconic Air sound.
Tracks discussed: Sexy Boy, La Femme d’argent, Talisman, Kelly Watch the Stars
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LISTEN to ‘Moon Safari’ here - https://lynkify.in/album/moon-safari/xYXmfb0a
‘Parlophone’
LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES
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Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI
GEAR MENTIONS
AKG C414
Talk Box
Leslie Cabin
Moog Minimoog
Korg MS20
Fostex A80
Sequential Prophet 5
Roland Juno
Roland Jupiter-8
ARP 2600
Synton Syrinx
Peavey Classic 50
Ensoniq DP/4
Fender Rhodes
Whurlitzer
Spitfire Audio Instruments
Ableton
Cubase
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TAPE NOTES TEAM
John Kennedy
Will Brown
Tim Adam-Smith
Will Lyons
Nico Varanese
Guy Nicholls
Jessica Clucas
Ali Lewis
Evan Lawday
Francis Hartgrove
