AIR Close Up Tour '08 Riga

On October 5 Riga city will witness a performance of AIR - one of the decade's most famous modern culture brands of France though possibly the most original and diverse French pop music act ever.
The concert hall Sapņu Fabrika takes it's name from a slightly pretentious epithet - the Dream Factory, which might turn from allegory into a beautiful reality on this October's moody eve when the space will be evaporated in love, the power of imagination and a dream - the music of AIR as it is these three substances that the duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have chosen to express for already ten years - Amour, Imagination, Rêve. And somehow they've managed to turn these elusory feelings into a musical language that speaks to the heart of all ages, races and musical tastes on the planet.
French project AIR - the synergy of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel appeared around the year 1997 when their first EP (mini-album) - Premiers Symptômes was released, the highlight of the set being the lounge music masterpiece admired by many music fans - Le soleil est près de moi which was also the foundation element of the film by director Mike Mills - Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing about AIR on tour.
This year marks the debut LP Moon Safari becoming of a true classic celebrated with an impressive re-release package featuring a DVD, music videos, remixes and cover versions of the elegantly crafted pop music pearls like Kelly Whatch the Stars, Sexy Boy and the wonderful All I Need.
After their surprising return in the year 2001 with the merely complicated and at times even aggressive record 10 000 Hz Legend which still featured the oh-so-French humour and a bunch of talented guest musicians including American avant-gardist Beck and Japanese Buffalo Daughter the duo present them selves as almost virtual electronic geniuses - the Electronic Performers.
Then in 2004 AIR decided to take it back to the root of their creation - the duo conception with no guest musicians what-so-ever, the home studio drift plus adding the company of the "sixth member of Radiohead" - producer Niger Godrich to create a new chef-d'oeuvre of pop music - Talkie Walkie - an album of songs that sound almost as if made in heaven... Cherry Blossom Girl, Run, Venus... The album is concluded by the key soundtrack piece of the cult movie Lost in Translation - Lost in Kyoto; daughter of the legendary Francis For Coppola - Sofia Coppola, the director of the movie can be considered the soul mate of AIR from "across the pond"... AIR produced a full soundtrack to one of her first films - The Virgin Suicides which possibly is remembered precisely for the main theme sung by Gordon Tracks - Playground Love; in her latest - the renaissance kitsch Marie Antoinette even featured both of the French men in an acting cameo.
Off the traditional form of a music album also is the AIR collaboration with Italian writer Alessandro Barrico - author of such bestselling novels as Silk (Seta) - in a journey of atmospheric music and spoken prose by the author himself - City Readings or Tre Storie Western.
2006 saw AIR create the second album by the daughter of French modern age icon Serge Gainsbourg and his muse Jane Birkin - Charlotte Gainsbourg. The album 5:55 was widely acclaimed; AIR worked together with British songwriters Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy) and Jarvis Cocker (Pulp).
Though their most epic work to date is their latest studio album Pocket Symphony which takes all of the powerful elements of each work AIR has done in the past combining in unique virtuosity and depth. Nicolas learned to play various traditional Japanese instruments, one of the compositions also features afro-beat legend Tony Allen on the drums and the cover design is created by installation artist Xavier Veilhan.

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Tickets on sale at Biļešu Serviss (www.ticketservice.lv) all over Latvia, Tiketa (www.tiketa.lt) in Lithuania and Piletilevi (www.piletilevi.ee) box officies in Estonia.

Tickets also available together with one of the best caffe latte experiences in Riga at META-KAFE (2b Kronvalda blvd.).

Ticket prices:
20.00 Ls - standing area
30.00 - 40.00 Ls - VIP area

Web resources:
http://www.pocket-symphony.com
http://www.myspace.com/intairnet
http://www.youtube.com/airofficial