Air(French band) call it quits

[directhex]

Noez!

Having seen Air live 3 times, kinda sad about this

[Saracen]

If you are into any electronica from the last 25 years you would have ....

And therein, I suspect, lies the problem. By then, I wasn't really.

....

The other thing is that you often hear their music played on TV,adverts,etc too so even if you have not heard of them as a band,it is quite possible you have heard their music.

....

Oh, very possibly. Except that I go to some lengths to avoid watching, or even hearing, adverts.

That said, of course, I may know their music from elsewhere without knowing it's theirs.

[Saracen]

More Vangelis, Jean Michelle Jarre, ELO and Emerson Lake and Palmer myself.

Agreed on JMJ. He should have been on my list, though it was more examples than intended to be exhaustive. ELO, also yes, and ELP to a point. Never really took to Vangelis, but I don't know why.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Noez!

Having seen Air live 3 times, kinda sad about this

I never got around to watching them even once. Le sigh!

Agreed on JMJ. He should have been on my list, though it was more examples than intended to be exhaustive. ELO, also yes, and ELP to a point. Never really took to Vangelis, but I don't know why.

JMJ did a set of indoor concerts last year,but sadly his heyday of doing large outdoor concerts is probably behind him!

Regarding Vangelis,I think JMJ probably did better albums than Vangelis - I tend to prefer individual songs of the latter than his albums.

[Ttaskmaster]

If you are into any electronica from the last 25 years you would have heard of Air

I've never seen the Godfather. Does that mean I know nothing of films?
I guess I'm just not into music in the slightest, then, as despite being familiar with some of their stuff, I still have no clue who they were. I assume teh same applies to any other interest, if I am not fully versed in the same obscure subjectively definitive facts as someone else?

Regarding Gary Numan - he started to move away from his electronic roots after he left the Tubeway Army and his first few solo albums,so its those first few albums which are probably the ones which I like the most.

He has never left his electronic roots. He just a lot got better with the synthesizers and branched out from simple Beep-Boop electro-pop into other things like electronic Jazz, Funk, Darkwave and Industrial, in a few of which he was about a decade ahead of the curve.
Also, he never left Tubeway Army - The band instead played under Gary's name, but remained fairly unchanged for much of the Beggar's Banquet days.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Sorry, my interest in electronica starts, and kinda ends, with Gary Numan!

I've never seen the Godfather. Does that mean I know nothing of films?
I guess I'm just not into music in the slightest, then, as despite being familiar with some of their stuff, I still have no clue who they were. I assume teh same applies to any other interest, if I am not fully versed in the same obscure subjectively definitive facts as someone else?

You said you were ONLY interested in Gary Numan(and not any other band or musician in the last 45 years in the genre) when in comes to electronica,and now you back-track and now you are on purpose trying to start an argument for the sake of one. I have mates who only listen to rock bands like Deep Purple,etc and have zero clue about any of the modern rock bands formed in the last 20 years,and its music - people don't need to follow newer bands.

Remember,YOU made the statement NOT me,so live by it.

Maybe reword the statement if you feel its not an accurate reflection of what you have listened to!

The only reason I have even heard of AIR back in the day,as a few have mentioned before,is that they had a lot if airplay at the time,and were featured in so many magazines(including hifi ones) too and a number of TV shows,adverts and some films. They still do get mentioned in the mainstream media too,as a knock on effect of it. The same goes with M83's Midnight City and a few of the songs by that band - a platinum selling single in the US which barely broke any charts worldwide(it did chart here though but closer to 40) but it became popular since it started to be used on TV,etc and people noticed the song.

He has never left his electronic roots. He just a lot got better with the synthesizers and branched out from simple Beep-Boop electro-pop into other things like electronic Jazz, Funk, Darkwave and Industrial, in a few of which he was about a decade ahead of the curve.
Also, he never left Tubeway Army - The band instead played under Gary's name, but remained fairly unchanged for much of the Beggar's Banquet days.

He still moved away from it and experimented with other styles like jazz ,but maybe I was being a bit unfair in what I said,but I suppose that is an argument for a Gary Numan thread.

I defer to your superior knowledge on his work - I only have a few of his earlier albums and Hybrid. I didn't like some of his 80s stuff as much,so maybe I need to revisit him.

[peterb]

If you are into any electronica from the last 25 years you would have heard of Air,and as a few other have hinted at Moon Safari is considered one of the more important albums from that genre in recent history. The other thing is that you often hear their music played on TV,adverts,etc too so even if you have not heard of them as a band,it is quite possible you have heard their music.

Just listened to the clip posted earlier, and my first thought was how dated it sounded - I didn't bother listening to whole track - it sounded something cultish that a teenager of the 1990s might have thought avante-guarde. Not that that decries it for those those to whom it appeals - just didn't do anything for me. I don't recall hearing anything like that in advertising - but that could be because I regard ad breaks as an opportunity to make a cup of tea (on the rare occasions I watch commercial TV)

Air and Daft Punk were among the biggest two names in more mainstream French electronica in the 1990s - Daft Punk tended to be more towards a harder dance style(or should I say music which could be played in clubs),with a bit of experimental edge,whereas Air were more towards a more organic ambient style which is more typical of JMJ,but also influenced by the space rock genre in the 1970s.

I recognise the name Daft Punk, but Id be hard pushed to recognise anything by them (or I might recognise it, but wouldn't necessarily attribute it to them). Circumstances and a change in musical tastes meant that for about 10 or 15 years In the late 80s I stopped listening to 'Pop" music, so lots of 'Pop' music from that era is lost to me.

I am a fan of early electronica too - I have almost all the JMJ and Kraftwerk albums,stuff from Wendy(or Walter as she used to be known) Carlos(Switched on Bach) and I even have heard "Music for Supermarkets" by JMJ(it was only once played on the radio).

I even have a few YMO albums - I assumed you have heard of YMO??

If you haven't they are basically the reason 1980s Japanese computer games,had that "sound" as they were hugely popular in Japan.


That is one of their songs from the late 70s - AFAIK one of the first bands to make use of polyphonic synthesizers(hence the sort of layered approach).

I wouldn't say I was a fan - I enjoy listening to it occasionally - partly because it evokes memories of the era when they were recorded - but they were of their time, and seem (to me) to lack subtly - with the possible exception o JMJ who used a synthesisers to augment basic good compositions. Again in my opinion as musical taste is a very personal thing. YMMV.

And no I hadn't heard of YMO and probably not heard their compositions as I didn't play the Japanese computer based games ar the time (apart from the odd space invaders game in a pub )

Edit: I did like "Lost in Kyoto" and the other two 'Air' tracks posted - but not the YMO track - but thank you for posting it.

[Ttaskmaster]

You said you were ONLY interested in Gary Numan

No, I said my interest in electronica starts and ends with. There's plenty in between and Numan covers roughly a 40 year bracket of time, which is why I pointed out that he has always played electronica of varying kinds, as it encompasses numerous other musicians, some of whom you may or may not encounter while following others... it being a pretty wide definition of a whole genre with all manner of sub-types and crossovers.

So unless you can define exactly what electronica is and is not and who is or isn't...
All I can say is that Air never appeared on my radar and only a few of their tracks were familiar.

He still moved away from it and experimented with other styles like jazz

Away from outright electronic Pop and into electronic Jazz, electronic Funk, electronic Darkwave and electronic Industrial... as in electronic still being Electronica... In truth, Tubeway Army itself began as more of a punk band and really only had one album that was Electronica anyway, but Numan has 'done the rounds', as it were and come back full circle to purer forms of Electronica.

But this is my point - Electronica is an umbrella term for a massively variable genre that branches into many others and seems mostly characterised by the heavy use of synthesizers. Sub-genres and even the sub-sub-genres still are too wide to be defined or embodied by single artists any more, which is why you can't measure someone's fandom of a music type by which bands they do or don't know.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Just listened to the clip posted earlier, and my first thought was how dated it sounded - I didn't bother listening to whole track - it sounded something cultish that a teenager of the 1990s might have thought avante-guarde. Not that that decries it for those those to whom it appeals - just didn't do anything for me. I don't recall hearing anything like that in advertising - but that could be because I regard ad breaks as an opportunity to make a cup of tea (on the rare occasions I watch commercial TV)

It was harking back to an earlier style of doing electronica and every single large review site out there was talking about,even somewhat snobbish ones like RS:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...afari-20110517

Here is some background to the album:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/...odin-interview

It was coming off the end of Brit Pop,and it sounded very different to what was on the airwaves at the time. But it was on purpose made as a homage to an earlier era - its bit like what Jamiroquai is too.

Both Daft Punk and AIR were part of the revival of French electronica in the 1990s,and you can see some of their influences in bands like Justice and M83 even today.

I recognise the name Daft Punk, but Id be hard pushed to recognise anything by them (or I might recognise it, but wouldn't necessarily attribute it to them). Circumstances and a change in musical tastes meant that for about 10 or 15 years In the late 80s I stopped listening to 'Pop" music, so lots of 'Pop' music from that era is lost to me.




I wouldn't say I was a fan - I enjoy listening to it occasionally - partly because it evokes memories of the era when they were recorded - but they were of their time, and seem (to me) to lack subtly - with the possible exception o JMJ who used a synthesisers to augment basic good compositions. Again in my opinion as musical taste is a very personal thing. YMMV.

And no I hadn't heard of YMO and probably not heard their compositions as I didn't play the Japanese computer based games ar the time (apart from the odd space invaders game in a pub )

JMJ was very different to a lot of electronic musicians at the time - his father was Maurice Jarre who was a film composer,so he decided to go a different way,ie,more classical influenced.

YMO,influenced a lot of games at the time - IIRC they were themeselves influenced by games like Space Invaders,so decided to do their own twist on them but using Japanese influences and polyphony. But they became so popular in Japan,it ended up with game designers actually paying homage to them,and hence a lot of the consoles games from the 1980s have that kind of sound.

One of their songs called "Behind the Mask" has been covered by artists like Eric Clapton,Michael Jackson and the Goldie Looking Chain!



One of the members of the band Ryuichi Sakamoto eventually branched out into doing some film stuff like the soundtracks for Little Buddha and more recently The Revenant.

Edit: I did like "Lost in Kyoto" and

Its from the album called Talkie Walkie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_7o...VbAxWBhTF5bH-U

They slowly moved more towards a more "ambient" sound(which JMJ is probably considered one of the fathers off).

Edit!!

Pockey Symphony is probably closer to the sound in Alone in Kyoto though.

[peterb]

Ttaskmaster:

If you are into any electronica from the last 25 years you would have heard of Air

I've never seen the Godfather. Does that mean I know nothing of films?
I guess I'm just not into music in the slightest, then, as despite being familiar with some of their stuff, I still have no clue who they were. I assume teh same applies to any other interest, if I am not fully versed in the same obscure subjectively definitive facts as someone else?

I'm not quite sure where films were mentioned? We are discussing personal musical tastes. The very nature of the subject means that the level of knowledge and personal preferences will vary from individual - so there is no reason to take any comments personally!

[Ttaskmaster]

I'm not quite sure where films were mentioned?

Replace films with any subject of interest...

We are discussing personal musical tastes. The very nature of the subject means that the level of knowledge and personal preferences will vary from individual - so there is no reason to take any comments personally!

Not taking it personally - Just trying to illustrate that, for the reasons you just gave, you cannot define a genre of interest by individual encounters and experiences.

[azrael-]

More Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, ELO and Emerson Lake and Palmer myself.

A man of discerning taste!

I like ELO as well, but they (or rather he, 'cause let's face it, ELO *is* Jeff Lynne) don't qualify as "electronica". Now, Kraftwerk on the other hand...

Of the above I'm most fond of Vangelis, though. It really kicked off watching Blade Runner (my all time favourite movie) for the first time (on VHS), but it didn't take me long to realize I'd heard and loved Vangelis' music way before that (for instance 'Titles' from Chariots of Fire, 'To the Unknown Man', 'I'll Find My Way Home' to name but a few).

EDIT: Been reading more of the thread and kudos to CAT for bringing up Yellow Magic Orchestra. Slightly acquired taste, but good nonetheless.

EDIT 2: Need to mention Brian Eno as well. Or at the very least "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks". More "ambient" than "electronica", but still in the general vein.

EDIT 3:

One of the members of the band Ryuichi Sakamoto eventually branched out into doing some film stuff like the soundtracks for Little Buddha and more recently The Revenant.

You forgot the masterpiece "Furyo - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", which starred both him and David Bowie, and for which Sakamoto wrote the music. Another soundtrack he did that I can't quite forget was for the mini series "Wild Palms".

EDIT 4:

Regarding Vangelis,I think JMJ probably did better albums than Vangelis - I tend to prefer individual songs of the latter than his albums.

SACRILEGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A man of discerning taste!

I like ELO as well, but they (or rather he, 'cause let's face it, ELO *is* Jeff Lynne) don't qualify as "electronica". Now, Kraftwerk on the other hand...

Of the above I'm most fond of Vangelis, though. It really kicked off watching Blade Runner (my all time favourite movie) for the first time (on VHS), but it didn't take me long to realize I'd heard and loved Vangelis' music way before that (for instance 'Titles' from Chariots of Fire, 'To the Unknown Man', 'I'll Find My Way Home' to name but a few).

EDIT: Been reading more of the thread and kudos to CAT for bringing up Yellow Magic Orchestra. Slightly acquired taste, but good nonetheless.

EDIT 2: Need to mention Brian Eno as well. Or at the very least "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks". More "ambient" than "electronica", but still in the general vein.

EDIT 3:
You forgot the masterpiece "Furyo - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", which starred both him and David Bowie, and for which Sakamoto wrote the music. Another soundtrack he did that I can't quite forget was for the mini series "Wild Palms".

EDIT 4:
SACRILEGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well Ryuichi Sakamoto is extremely talented but I only listed those two movies since I suspect they are reasonably well known(or better known). Well Brian Eno does not need any introduction for sure!!

Its not a knock on Vangelis - I absolutely love Bladerunner too,and have the sound track together with 1492: Conquest of Paradise,plus one or two compilations,and Jon and Vangelis did some good tunes too,but I do think JMJ has done more interesting concept albums,but Vangelis makes more standout songs(I don't know if I am making any sense here). Some of his stuff went a bit crazy like Zoolook,and then you having Waiting for Cousteau. Its why I managed to track down "Music for Supermarkets" - JMJ made only one copy of the album,played it once and destroyed the master. You can hear some of the influences in Zoolook for example.

Edit!!

I don't know if you ever watched Stargate:Universe but the music by Joel Goldsmith really reminded me a bit of Vangelis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL3n2co-bVQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0ePaCFz2I

Its one of the TV soundtracks I wish was actually released.

[azrael-]

Its not a knock on Vangelis - I absolutely love Bladerunner too,and have the sound track together with 1492: Conquest of Paradise,plus one or two compilations,and Jon and Vangelis did some good tunes too,but I do think JMJ has done more interesting concept albums,but Vangelis makes more standout songs(I don't know if I am making any sense here).

Now, I don't know exactly which of Vangelis' albums you've heard, but if you like Blade Runner (needs to be either the 3CD 25th anniversary Trilogy version or the Esper Edition bootleg) you will probably also like Antarctica, which actually is a soundtrack for a Japanese documentary most people probably haven't seen. For more concept-like albums there's a lot of his older stuff like China or Heaven & Hell (the Jon Anderson-sung "So Long Ago, So Clear is a masterpiece; the rest of the album might be a bit more of an acquired taste). I should also mention L'Apocalypse Des Animaux, which amazingly is performed with more "traditional" instruments. And I should really also recommend his latest work, Rosetta; an ode to the Rosetta satellite mission.

I could go on (and truly I could), but I invite you instead to check out the Elsewhere web site, which lists pretty much all albums by Vangelis, as well as coproductions. Vangelis has made some truly amazing stuff! But of course it's all in the ear of the listener (or what would be the correct pendant to eye of the beholder? )...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Now, I don't know exactly which of Vangelis' albums you've heard, but if you like Blade Runner (needs to be either the 3CD 25th anniversary Trilogy version or the Esper Edition bootleg) you will probably also like Antarctica, which actually is a soundtrack for a Japanese documentary most people probably haven't seen. For more concept-like albums there's a lot of his older stuff like China or Heaven & Hell (the Jon Anderson-sung "So Long Ago, So Clear is a masterpiece; the rest of the album might be a bit more of an acquired taste). I should also mention L'Apocalypse Des Animaux, which amazingly is performed with more "traditional" instruments. And I should really also recommend his latest work, Rosetta; an ode to the Rosetta satellite mission.

I could go on (and truly I could), but I invite you instead to check out the Elsewhere web site, which lists pretty much all albums by Vangelis, as well as coproductions. Vangelis has made some truly amazing stuff! But of course it's all in the ear of the listener (or what would be the correct pendant to eye of the beholder? )...

I have heard a number of them already(certainly know Antarctica which is solemn but also hopeful,but it fits considering what it is about! ) but it could be the more experimental aspects of where JMJ has sometimes gone especially with some of the OTT sampling he did on a few of them which for me made them more interesting(Zoolook is very 80s but very distinctive) and somewhat avantgarde(now wonder when he had people like Laurie Anderson working with him),like the use of steel drums in Waiting for Cousteau. IIRC,Vangelis probably has more rock roots(going from his history) and JMJ was taking more classical roots from his fathers legacy,so I think this is why they are quite different in some ways.

However,I could never quite get into Tangerine Dream,which is the other one of the bigs,which has not been mentioned yet, although Christopher Franke did do some great work on shows like B5.

[peterb]

However,I could never quite get into Tangerine Dream,which is the other one of the bigs,which has not been mentioned yet, although Christopher Franke did do some great work on shows like B5.

Oh yes, Tangerine Dream - I'd forgotten about them - I needed (and having just streamed a couple of tracks, I probably still do!) to be in the right frame of mind for their somewhat ethereal sound. And it got me thinking about 'Yes" as well, although they weren't really electronica, but made use of synthesisers in some tracks.