prodigy tour 1998

The Prodigy 30 pcs sticker set

Huge set of The Prodigy stickers. 15 different designs (2 of each) and total of 30 stickers. Sticker sizes vary from 7 cm to 3,5 cm. Order here >

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23rd January 1998 Selinas, Sydney, Australia

The whole Australian Tour was planned as a part of The Starbait concert series. It had to be the second major concert happening produced by the organizers of Australia’s Big Day Out. Unfortunetly The Starbait was cancelled, however The Prodigy and Regurgitator did the tour.

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The Prodigy 34 pcs sticker set

Huge set of The Prodigy stickers. 17 different designs (2 of each) and total of 34 stickers. Sticker sizes vary from 7 cm to 3,5 cm. Order here >

Big set of The Prodigy stickers. 15 different designs (2 of each) and total of 30 stickers. Sticker sizes vary from 9 cm to 3,5 cm. Order here >

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Rising out from Essex, UK, The Prodigy have become one of the biggest electronic acts for over the past 20 years.

Hard-hitting UK electronica act, The Prodigy, have been wowing audiences with their incendiary live performance since 1990, with their punishing mishmash of rave, hardcore techno, jungle, breakbeat and rock/punk influences. The group currently consists of members Liam Howlett (founder, keyboardist and composer), Keith Flint (dancer and vocalist), Leo Crabtree (drums), Rob Holliday (lead guitarist) and Maxim (MC and vocalist). The Prodigy have sold over 25 million records worldwide, becoming known as 'the premiere dance act for the alternative masses.'

The Prodigy achieved success early on in the UK, with their single "Charly" reaching number three in the UK SIngles Chart in 1991. Their first full length, "Experience" (1992) also achieved critical acclaim, with its singles "Everybody in The Place," "Out of Space" and "Fire/Jericho" becoming big hits on the UK rave scene.

It was not until their release of "The Fat of the Land" (1997) that Prodigy broke into the international market, with their single "Firestarter" becoming a huge hit, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart. The album featured a heavier, more punk/rock influenced sound that attracted fans outside of the electronica scene, becoming a big crossover hit and helping The Prodigy to become one of the most successful acts in the dance genre. Their music was not without controversy however, with their single "Smack My Bitch Up" attracting much criticism for its lyrical content supposedly promoting violence against women. The music video was particularly extreme, featuring a first-person viewpoint as the protagonist indulges in drugs and alcohol before embarking on a wild night clubbing.

The Prodigy have achieved continued success, with a short hiatus in 1999 before reuniting in 2002. Their record, "Invaders Must Die" (2009) charted at humber one in the UK within the first week, as well as reaching the top ten in several other countries. Their live performances have become stuff of legend, often featuring dramatic light shows and pyrotechnics, becoming huge favourites on the global festival circuit, headlining many festivals every summer.

Live reviews

Saw The Prodigy play Capital FM arena in Nottingham a few days ago as part of their 'The Day is my Enemy' tour. The show was pretty explosive as some would say. From start to finish it was a non-stop wall of noise (good noise) and flashing lights creating a rather intense knackering experience. In terms of their set they played a healthy mix of their greatest hits and songs off their rather good latest album.

Out of transparency I would say that I'm a decent Prodigy fan, I've listened to only 2 of their albums and have heard a greatest hits playlist before, but I found that I knew virtually every song they played.

Obviously, classics like Firestarter, Omen and Breathe had the whole stadium rocking and shouting along. And for songs that I knew less well it didn't really matter as everyone was bouncing along; I would say that you will need to be a fan or at least neutral to a mosh pits with the front half of the arena featuring minimum of 3 from what I could sort of see when being flung about (the biggest felt like it encompassed a solid 5th of the arena).

If you like to get as close to the band as you can at a gig but are a bit tardy then this is perfect for you, I started around the halfway mark and ended up 3 people deep from the front (via the multiple mosh pits on route). It was absolute carnage.

The crowd was an interesting mix, there were some rather fearsome looking ravers (who were perfectly fine) and a whole assortment of ages (from teens experiencing their 1st Prodigy concert to their parents who clearly knocked about back in the day).

There were a few complaints: as others have documented this is a notoriously late band and lived up to their rep by being 30 minutes late (annoying when you need to pee and not sure just how late they will be and funny considering their support Public Enemy were 5 minutes early); National Ice Arena doesn't have the greatest sound quality and their screens are rather small (but annoying for people further back); finally my friend ending up doing in his knee meaning I missed 15 mins and watched the final 3rd from the seating area. The last 2 complaints have nothing to do with The Prodigy to be fair.

Overall, I would say it had the potential to have been one of the best gigs I've been to (if only my friend had a sturdier knee). If you're a Prod fan then obviously you should go and I would say if you're a casual fan (like myself) or a dance fan or a fan of intense gigs then I'd say it's definitely worth the punt.

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Prodigious. Truer words were never spoken.

I think trying to define a Prodigy gig is trying to analyse an explosion. Good luck.

My experience of The Prodigy was as headliners of Download 2012 and the uproar before their appearance was deafening. An electronic artist? At a rock festival? Sacrilege. I (after having my mind erased and replaced after listening to Invaders Must Die) was quite looking forward to the spectacle, seeing some variety like this at Download is uncommon.

Suffice to say, after there departure 2 hours later, not only was the unsure converted but my expectations were surpassed. After a day of harsh music, the kind of pounding, positive, fists-in-the-air electro-rock flooding onto us was just what I needed. I can safely say that I have never (and not been since) been in a "dance pit" before and being urinated upon (don't ask) didn't dampen the mood either.

The standout moments of the night were classic stompers "World's On Fire" and "Breathe" starting off the night and hits like "Take Me To The Hospital" and "Firestarter" keeping energy up throughout the set. By the time "Their Law" rolled around to close their set, I was disappointed, I wanted more!

In short, if you are, in any way, in love with music, seeing The Prodigy would be a no-brainer and a must for your to-watch list.

Ah Prodigy are nuts!! In a totally awesome way. I remember getting their Fat of the Land CD as part of my Columbia House 12 CDs for $12 deal and was non stop listening to it. Then proceeded to purchase their earlier albums as well in order to constantly blast their outrageous, hard hitting sounds. I never had the opportunity to see them as a kid and always regretted it. Luckily I saw them for their Invaders Must Die tour, being a college graduate, and it totally brought back those great memories and intense songs that I always loved. Keith Flint the lead singer/dancer didn't stop jumping around for the entire 2 hour set. He got everyone else doing it too. Every Prodigy song makes you want to rage and just get crazy. It was the highest energy show and I left feeling like I had shots of adrenaline pumped into my veins. So much fun!

Absolutely amazing to see live would definitely recommend them to anyone!

I’ll be certainly be going to see them again when they tour next. Unbelievable show!

The best song for me was either fire or take me to the hospital cos they’re classics and my favourite songs by them so it was brilliant to see them perform those.

I’d personally recommend standing for it cos it was amazing to be in a proper moshpit and dancing around for the whole time so would recommend standing for sure.

5* would recommend them to anyone! If you’re contemplating going to see them just go would not even question it!

I love Prodigy! They are my favorities!

I listen to their music since 1998.

But I was never before on a Prodigy concert and I was exited to listen to them live.

I was together my girlfriend.

They were more than 1,5 hours late and till then we had to listen to some DJ's that wasn't a plasure at all.

Also we were in the center of the stage (the bottom side from the first part of the stage) but the sound was bad. Due to the lack of VIP-zone there were to many people in the front of the stage.

The concert didn't meet our expectations.

It was a spectacular show, with insane lights. I loved the videos on he wallscreens and listening to the new material live! I'm not sure if it's the venue but the sound was not good. I couldn't enjoy any song. Moreover, although the lights were amazing, they made it hard for me to see the stage. My eyes were hurting. As for the band, I'd love to see them having a different act on stage for a change, they've been doing the same thing for years... I'd like to see them again but I'd probably choose another venue.

Mental,mental, mental, mental, mental. Then another song came on mental, mental, mental, mental mental, mental. Then another song started mental, mental, mental, mental, mental. This was pretty much it. About 2 thirds through the set something happened that I have never experienced at a gig.There was a bass sound wave that came from the stage that was so deep the the sound wave it created blew the hairs on my arms on end. Mental. Great night & great scenes fair play to you Plymouth crew you owned it !!!!

Fantastic gig at the GMEX last night. The Prodigy were on top form, with a good selection from the back catalogue. Public Enemy were real crowd pleasers as well - Flava Flav on a hoverboard was a sight worth seeing.

The crowd were as boisterous as ever although I could have done without the morons smoking cigarettes & cigars in the venue.

Second time I've seen The Prodigy this year & hoping to catch them again next year.

Highly recommended.

From the opening bars of Omen the chaos commenced. Absolute madness from my position of middle front but wouldn't have had it any other way. The Prodigy did not disappoint, delivering all the well known hits mixed in with a few new ones. You definitely do not stay still and have to move with the crowd but I love it. This was my 10th Prodigy gig and I cannot wait for the 11th.

What an amazing show...waited a long time to see, hear and feel the fullness of how truly awesome the band was and is!

Apart from the parking fee, ridiculously overpriced refreshments and food, lack of air con (the hook line and sinker for purchasing everything) the experience was everything we expected and more.

We now can, tick this off the bucket list...Thanx!

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Headline shows in Latvia and Estonia announced

The Prodigy will be heading to Latvia and Estonia in August for two special headline shows in Tallinn on the 17th & Riga on the 18th! Tickets go onsale Tuesday 16th April. Link to purchase tickets and find out more details here

Rock For People Festival

Hradec králové, czech republic, greenfield festival, interlaken, switzerland, isle of wight festival, united kingdom, clisson, france, jera on air, ysselsteyn, netherlands, eurockéennes festival, belfort, france, beauregard festival, hérouville-saint-clair, france, icónica santalucía sevilla festival, seville, spain, bilbao bbk live, bilbao, spain, deichbrand festival, cuxhaven, germany, kuopiorock festival, kuopio, finland, qstock festival, oulu, finland, all together now festival, waterford, ireland, lokerse festival, lokeren, belgium, skanderborg, denmark, lauluväljak, tallinn, estonia, riga, latvia, reading festival, leeds festival.

Respect to all who came out to see us in Warsaw - Orange festival . First show 2024 back in full attack mode ,, 🔊🔊 See u in Prague - Rock for people festival on wed people ✊🕶️ #theprodigy #attackmode #weliveforever Photos by https://www.instagram.com/eugene.zhyvchik/

The Prodigy`s summer festivals for 2024! Head to theprodigy.com for ticket links and more details 7th June - @orange_warsaw_festival, Poland 12th June - @RockForPeople, Czech Republic 14th June - @GreenfieldFestival, Switzerland 21st June - @isleofwightfest, UK 28th June  - @hellfestopenair - France 30th June - @jeraonair, Holland 4th July - @eurockeennes Festival, France 5th July - @festivalbeauregard, France 9th July - @iconicasantaluciafest, Spain 11th July - @bilbaobbklive, Spain 13th July - @lesdeferlantessuddefrance, France 20th July - @deichbrand_festival, Germany 26th July - @kuopiorock, Finland 27th July - @qstock_festival, Finland 4th August - @alltogethernow.ie, Ireland 8th August - @lokersefeesten, Belgium 10th August - @Smukfest, Denmark 17th August - Lauluvaljak, Estonia 18th August - Wondersala, Latvia 23rd August - @officialrandl, Reading UK 24th August - @officialrandl, Leeds UK

Yes Switzerland , u never disappoint! 🏴‍☠️🏂🕶️ #masterh #theprodigy

ITS BEEN 5 YEARS . WE MISS U SO MUCH BROTHER , U ARE ALWAYS WITH US , RIGHT BY OUR SIDE , EVERY TIME THE ENERGY BURNS , EVERY TIME THE BEAT DROPS , UNFADEABLE, WE LIVE FOREVER ! LH & MAXIM X #theprodigy #weliveforever

Invaders Must Die - 15 years ago today we dropped this album and it reignited the fire for us , takin our Warriors dance festivals across the world and bringin it back home to The bowl in Milton Keynes for that epic night ,Happy fukin bday ! The @pengshuimusic remix of Omen up on streaming services now for the first time, take a listen. Link in Stories #theprodigy #invadermustdie #weliveforthebeats

Listen back to The Prodigy vs @djjagskills The Sword Fight Mixtape on BBC Sounds, link in stories.

Happy Xmas, Happy Holidays, Happy whatever u do and where ur at peoples !! We want to send our Respects to everybody that came out to see us this year , we luv and appreciate every one of u ! We will be back to burn in 2024 with new tunes , Take care of one another and keep it fukin real ! L H x ✊🕶️🏴‍☠️ #theprodigy #weliveforever

last night of the tour in Paris , thanks for havin us !, the building was shook , great to finish in a smaller venue ,,, the whole tour has been insane ,, Thanku to all the people that came out to see us , we luv y’all , We Will return , new music next year , let’s fukin go!! L H x #theprodigy #weliveforever Pics by @mikevancleven

Stuttgart , u were Fire !! Much respect to all the Prodigy army for comin out to see us , we buzzed off it ,, ✊🕶️🏴‍☠️ #theprodigy #armyoftheants #ruckus #weliveforever Pics by Marco Franzese @imagine.art.photography

29/11 - Amsterdam - Their Law #ArmyOfTheAnts 📹 - @bartleberry

Prague , u took the roof off, one of my top 5 gigs of the tour , Fukin Rukus Attack mode 479 was reached !… Respect 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ #thepridigy #attackmode #weliveforever Photos by @rhlsngh

This guy has been following me about Europe , gonna have to sort him out later , See y’all in Prague ✊🏴‍☠️ Master H x #theprodigy

Firestarter (Official Video)

Omen (Official Video)

Breathe (Official Video)

The Fat Of The Land 25th Anniversary Remixes - Special Edition Silver 12” Vinyl &

Army White T-Shirt &

Attack Mode Photo Black T-Shirt &

Tiger Baseball Jacket &

Green Neon Crab T-Shirt &

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• June 4, 1998 Setlist

The Prodigy Setlist at Park HaYarkon, Tel Aviv, Israel

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This Day One Year Ago, The Prodigy Played Final Show w/ 19 Songs

The prodigy gig timeline.

• May 29 1998 Rock am Ring 1998 Nürburg, Germany Add time Add time
• May 30 1998 Rock im Park 1998 Nuremberg, Germany Add time Add time
• Jun 04 1998 Dance in the Summer 1998 This Setlist Tel Aviv, Israel Add time Add time
• Jun 12 1998 Recinto Ferial Caravaca de la Cruz, Spain Add time Add time
• Jun 13 1998 Plaza de Toros de La Malagueta Málaga, Spain Add time Add time

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'Charlie Woods in Shambles': 15YO Prodigy's Rare PGA Tour Feat Sends Golf World Into Frenzy

Fans congratulate russell for pga debut at rmc, taylormade signs miles russell to nil agreement.

Parsing an eight-decade legacy of praise and song

Fresh from a Grammy win and the subjects of a new book, the Blind Boys of Alabama show no signs of slowing down.

When the Blind Boys of Alabama take the stage, audiences get more than beautiful gospel singing, they get a glimpse of living history.

Emphasis on living, because this group is the longest-running party in jubilee gospel singing — the Black vocal quartets and quintets that enjoyed a commercial heyday in the 1940s and ’50s. The Blind Boys are a cultural institution that predates Pearl Harbor, and even after taking their act into the secular world in 1944, they never strayed from their four- and five-part harmony sound.

Nattily dressed in matching suits, they’re vibrant performers, true partners with the audience despite their advancing years. Original member Jimmy Lee Carter, the group’s 91-year-old patriarch, retired only last year, taking with him his signature pump-up line: “I can’t see you; I need to hear you!”

And while their repertoire has ranged beyond the church, they never compromised their religious values in a career that includes collaborators such as Prince, Tom Petty, Toots Hibbert, Taj Mahal, Tom Waits and Lou Reed. (The latter, whom they admired, prompted founding member Clarence Fountain to ask, “Who told that man he can sing?”)

The Style section

This is one of many illuminative moments in “ Spirit of the Century: Our Own Story ,” a new book about the ensemble’s unimaginable career. In its introduction, co-author Preston Lauterbach writes, “However you want to measure their journey — through time, distance, technological developments, or cultural trends — no American band has ever come so far.”

Over its eight-decade career, at times a quintet and others a quartet, the group has had nearly 20 members, and after Carter’s retirement, 2024 is the first calendar year to begin with no original members. But somehow the legend keeps evolving. In addition to the new book, which doubles as a history of jubilee gospel singing, the group just won its sixth Grammy in February for its most recent release, “Echoes of the South.” Rather than slowing down, the group is busy writing its next chapter.

“I loved what the Blind Boys stood for, that’s why I’m here,” says longtime member Ricky McKinnie, 71. “They let the world know that it’s not about what you can’t do, it’s what you can do.”

Born sighted, McKinnie was a musical prodigy. At 18, he was touring with the well-known Gospel Keynotes. By the time he was 23, they had a gold record. This was 1975.

Young as he was, it had been a long journey. He first met the Blind Boys at 4 years old when his mother, Sarah McKinnie, was a singer who toured the “gospel highway,” a circuit for religious groups. Car travel was less expensive, so small jubilee groups proliferated, their members limited by the available space. Audiences loved them — still do. Many of the pre-rock-and-roll gospel groups had weightless names — the Swan Silvertones, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Sensational Nightingales, the Angelic Gospel Singers — that mirrored the buoyancy of their sound. These were men in suits and women in dresses who were ennobled by the spirit of the lord and raised in the kind of musical communities that fostered many of the greatest singers in U.S. history. Sam Cooke, for example, who sang with gospel highway legends the Soul Stirrers.

McKinnie was first diagnosed with cataracts as a schoolboy. But it was in that moment of glory, with a gold record in hand, that he fully lost his sight. Thanks to the example of those earlier heroes, he didn’t slow down his music-making or waver in his commitment to singing the gospel. He was invited to join the group in 1989, when the genre was no longer a commercial gold mine, but the honor was breathtaking nonetheless. He has now spent half his life in the group. When their manager died in 1997, he did the job for three years. Today he is their de facto leader and spokesman — a bridge to the golden age.

“Clarence made things happen,” McKinnie remembers of his hero. “There was nothing he thought was too hard for [the group] to do. He managed them, he wrote songs, he was in a solo career. He was one of the first people I knew who had a chauffeur. Everyone else would be in cars with two or three people, but he had his own ride.”

“Spirit of the Century” offers a rousing view of the old gospel highway. The book, credited to the Blind Boys themselves, with an assist from Lauterbach, includes both new and archival interviews with members and associates. The touring life had its sinful temptations to be sure, including the adoring women who constantly surrounded Cooke. One of the rowdier, harder-partying groups was the Blind Boys’ friendly rivals, the Blind Boys of Mississippi. The groups had an obvious kinship, and even shared members, though in terms of their adherence to Christian living, the Alabama group was the temperate one. One of the Mississippi singers’ sons says in the book: “My dad going down the road, if saw a liquor store, he had to stop. Why? Because the men needed what they called their oil.”

For their part, the Blind Boys of Alabama were so well-traveled that late member Olice Thomas could give directions to their drivers.

Like McKinnie, Joey Williams, 60, was a gospel wunderkind, a guitarist and harmonist for another of those pillowy-sounding groups, the Mighty Clouds of Joy. They shared a bill with the Blind Boys one night; their classic records were the sound of his childhood, even though Williams was born years after they were released. At that gig, he says, he watched the Blind Boys “kill the crowd.”

When the two groups played a subsequent double bill, the Blind Boys’ manager asked Williams whether he could find a guitarist for their backing band. Today he laughs: “I came back and said, ‘I found the guy: me.’”

That was in the early 1990s, when the Blind Boys had already been going for about a half-century. And yet somehow, they were entering another commercial upswing, their biggest yet. Peter Gabriel of all people played a significant role in their resurgence, signing the group to his Real World Records imprint, featuring them on his 2003 album “Up,” and taking them on the subsequent tour as openers and guest singers.

“It was a delight to work with the Blind Boys,” Gabriel said by email. “Their voices sound as ‘lived-in’ as any voices I have heard, and when they were firing on all cylinders it was sure to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.”

Following that exposure, the Blind Boys were thrust into the mainstream. As the 1990s wore on, they were embraced by the growing Americana audience; their 1998 album, “Spirit of the Century,” won a Grammy, as did its follow-up. They collaborated with a who’s who of popular musicians and even entered pop culture history, singing Tom Waits’s “Down in the Hole” for the opening credits of “The Wire’s” second season. In a 2015 interview with AARP magazine , Bob Dylan named three gospel groups that he considered formative: the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Staple Singers and the Blind Boys.

Carter’s retirement, like Fountain’s death, ended an era for the group, but they press on. They continue to perform at festivals, including this weekend at the Tinner Hill Music Festival in Falls Church, Va. Their concerts are still elegant, animated celebrations for believers and nonbelievers alike. If anything, “Spirit of the Century” provided a rare chance to pause and take stock for a group that has been moving forward for almost 90 years.

“You don’t realize what you’ve done, how far you’ve come,” Williams says, “until you start talking about it. It reminds you where you come from.”

Air's Moon Safari is an era-defining French album worth celebrating, 25 years on

There's no telling how many special moments have been soundtracked by Moon Safari, the acclaimed 1998 debut album from French duo Air.

An era-defining record of pristine, space-age lounge music delivered with cinematic atmosphere and a distinctively French je ne se quios , Moon Safari was a universal critical and commercial success upon release.

The lush easy-listening music was perfectly suited to post-club comedowns, hip cafes, and make-out sessions: smooth and dreamy enough to be played in the background, but singular and masterfully crafted enough to reward close listening.

It proved highly influential, too. But the wave of mellow, down tempo imitators and 'chill out' CD compilations it spawned struggled to surpass Air's chic, exquisitely woozy beauty.

'It was not meant to be played live'

Jean-Benoît Dunckel, one half of Air alongside Nicolas Godin, never expected Moon Safari's enduring success.

"We never imagined this album could work that way worldwide," he tells Karen Leng on Double J Lunch. 

"It took time, it took decades, [but] the success is not by us, the audience made [it]."

This year, the duo has been playing Moon Safari in full around the world on their first tour in seven years, including Australia.

"It was not made to be played live," says Dunckel. 

"We had to adapt it for the live [setting]. That is what the people want to get — this special feeling they heard the first time… to live again these feelings."

Having played two nights at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid Live , Air will live-stream their show at London's Royal Albert Hall this weekend.

"It's a beautiful venue," says Dunckel, who is keen to preserve a pristine performance of the album online for future access.

"It's really important to do that because… people can also discover the band live. Some people appreciate the live versions more than the recorded versions."

Performing as a trio, alongside drummer Louis Delorme, Air play inside an oblong box adorned with dazzling lights and visuals, which morph from swathes of minimalist colour to the perspective of a spaceship enjoying interstellar travel.

"We play in a box of light. It looks a bit like the studio on the cover of 10 000 Hz Legend," says Dunckel, referencing the band's second studio album — a weirder, wilder reaction to Moon Safari.

"It could be a home, it could be our world, our head, our architectural concept. It helps for people to enter into a world… people like [that] intimacy."

Dunckel says people often ask: "Are you not bored to play these songs you play for 20 years now?"

"Sometimes I struggle — because you have to concentrate, and you have to play. But I'm never bored. It's always a pleasure."

Moon Safari is a product of its era, but it's also aged beautifully.

It's an evocative listening experience, from the moment lengthy opener 'La femme d'argent' ushers you in with the sounds of water and slinky bassline, through to the weightless pop and robot-voiced melodies of 'Kelly Watch The Stars' and 'New Star in the Sky'.

In 1998, its retro-futuristic arrangements already sounded timeless. 25 years later, its ability to transport your mind and imagination elsewhere hasn't dated one iota.

"It could be a journey, a love story," remarks Dunckel. "That's why we're really attached to it. I think the audience is searching for that, too.

"It helps human relationships in every way," adds Dunckel. Over the years, Air fans have shared "so many stories" of what the album means to them.

"Most of the time it's for love. It's always, 'I met my girlfriend or wife this time'."

Back in 1998, Dunckel told triple j that while hiking in Iceland, his guide revealed Moon Safari was his love-making soundtrack.

There's "probably" plenty of babies in the world with some of the album's DNA in them since, Dunckel estimates of a new generation discovering Air for the first time.

"As we are getting old now, it's becoming that people say, 'oh yeah, my parents were listening to Moon Safari when we were travelling in a car; this family time'."

Sexy Boy, the surprising queer anthem

For many, debut single 'Sexy Boy' was their first introduction to Air. A seductive slice of synth-pop that brought vocoder back to the pop charts and sung in both French and English.

It's a seemingly simple song but Dunckel notes there's "a lot of tolerance and freedom" embedded in it.

"Sexy Boy, first of all, is a strange title because it breaks a certain taboo. The taboo is that heterosexual boys can check out other boys," he explains.

"Also, it became a gay slogan in a way. A gay anthem."

The song took on a new meaning in late 90s Paris when the electronic music scene's wider acceptance of the LGTBQI+ community led to more club and techno nights dedicated to queer punters and DJs emerging.

"There was a lot of gay parties," says Dunckel. "Homosexuality is everywhere in the world, and it's always existed, always there. So, it was important to liberate this movement."

Originally, the song's titular phrase was inspired by Parisian fashion culture.

"People are checking each other out all the time… In Paris, when a couple is meeting another couple, the girl is not going to check out the boy. She's going to check out the other girl: analyse what she wears, how she behaves, what is the fashion or type of the boyfriend.

"Sexy Boy is speaking about that. The fact a man wants to be a pretty man and he is checking [out] other boys."

A popular soundtrack choice, featured in teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You and noughties TV drama Queer As Folk, 'Sexy Boy' is also a testament to youth.

The French verses are "celebrating that golden age of being young," Dunckel explains.

"When you're young you don't realise you're at the top of your life. You have a lot of power, actually… because you're beautiful. Your skin, hair, you feel great, you have a lot of energy."

The makings of a classic

Despite its iconic status, Moon Safari was actually the last roll of the dice for Dunckel and Godin.

Raised in the conservative suburb of Versailles, the pair began making music together after meeting at school. But after having their demo tapes rejected by every record label they approached, they quit music and instead focused on their studies.

Each had established careers — Godin in architecture, Dunckel in mathematics — when an opportunity presented itself in a close friend landing a role with Virgin Records imprint Source.

They landed a deal with the label but ditching their jobs for a full-time career in music to support their burgeoning families was a gamble.

"We were 26 years old. We were not sure we come be musicians for the rest of our life," remembers Dunckel. "I was already working [as] a physics teacher… I had a baby."

Thankfully, their risk was rewarded when their debut album became a breakout international hit. Air was swiftly lumped alongside a fresh wave of Parisian artists reinventing the electronic music scene in the late 90s.

Dubbed French touch, the movement included Cassius, St. Germain, Étienne de Crécy, and Daft Punk, who recorded their breakout 1997 album Homework down the street from where Air made Moon Safari.

"There was a kind of energy circulating all over Paris," recalls Dunckel. "Paris is kind of small; all the media, artists and business part of it [were] working all together."

The worlds of music, fashion, contemporary art, cinema — "everything was mixed," Dunckel says.

"At this time, new generations of young people coming from the suburbs are even inside Paris and mixing all these rich, futuristic concepts together with new machines, samplers, computer programs to make music."

A fond farewell to youth

Despite being poster boys for the future of French music, Moon Safari was an evocative, nostalgia-drenched ode to Dunckel and Godin's past.

"In a way it was the end of my youth… That's why the songs [on Moon Safari], there are a lot of regrets and it's a goodbye to our youth and the innocence of it.

"It's full of vibrations from teenage times."

Although labelled an electronic act, Air's music wasn't rooted in beats and house music. Instead, they armed themselves with analogue Moog and Korg synthesizers, vintage drum machines, vocoders and the trusty Rhodes piano.

The resulting compositions bore the esprit of Serge Gainsbourg, electronic pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre, and the 1970s film and TV soundtracks of Dunckel's childhood.

There's a fondness for the psychedelic grandeur of Pink Floyd and ELO. But also, Burt Bacharach arrangements, particularly in the wistful French horn topline of ''Ce matin là' (This morning) and the easy-going 'You Make It Easy' and 'All I Need', both featuring the lyrics and vocals of Godin's then-neighbour, Beth Hirsch.

From its lush, otherworldly sounds right down to its title, Moon Safari gives rise to cosmic ideas and conducive to escapism. That spirit is central to Air's entire ethos.

"I think music exists in paradise and you can feel this [album] is in a strange interface between our world and something else."

Such ephemeral expressions might be surprising coming from a former physics teacher, but Dunckel says "both sides of your brain help" when it comes to making emotive art.

"There is a mathematic aspect of music, that analyses and helps you perform and conceive music. But there is something else happening, your heart is talking.

"As a musician you're organising the vibrations of your heart and the feelings into music… vibrations travelling into space and air."

"When I do a song, it's all about 'what do I feel?'" Dunckel concludes.

"For me, good means it affects me. No good means I don't feel anything… if it affects me, it's going to affect others, too. They're going to feel the feelings I do, too."

Air live-stream their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 1 June. Details here .

Hear Karen Leng hosting  Lunch on Double J from midday Monday to Thursday.

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1994.01.01 – Brainstorm, Thessaloniki, Greece

1994.01.02 – club theatro, edesa, greece, 1994.01.08 – sunrise zone, athens, greece, 1994.01.22 – poole arts centre, poole, england, 1994.01.28 – ebullition, bulle, switzerland, 1994.01.29 – rote fabrik, zürich, switzerland, 1994.02.03 – melkweg, amstrdam, holland, 1994.02.05 – feel, preston, england, 1994.02.12 – dean centre, cinderford, england, 1994.02.14 – marquee, london, england, 1994.02.17 – cardiff university students union, cardiff, wales, 1994.02.19 – the hard dock cafe, liverpool, england, 1994.02.25 – traveller’s friend, castlebar, ireland, 1994.02.26 – ulster hall, belfast, northern ireland, 1994.03.14 – hammersmith palais, london, england, 1994.03.18 – northgate arena, chester, england, 1994.03.25 – rave rance, maimarkthalle, mannheim, germany, 1994.04.09 – the fubar’s club the first birthday party, stirling, scotland, 1994.04.15 – io festival, delft, holland, 1994.05.01 – megablast, barrowlands, glasgow, scotland, 1994.05.13 – middlesbrough town hall, middlesbrough, england, 1994.05.14 – scottish dance music awards 1994, marco’s forum, livingstone, scotland, 1994.05.27 – virtual reality, osnabrück, germany, 1994.05.30 – virtual world, carlyon bay beach, st. austell, england, 1994.06.05 – ian birds cricket centre, perth, australia, 1994.06.08 – the asylum, canberra, australia, 1994.06.10 – zoom night club, sydney, australia, 1994.06.11 – the site, brisbane, australia, 1994.06.12 – meltdown, synagogue night club, adelaide, australia, 1994.06.17 – bug jam 8, santa pod raceway, podington, england, 1994.07.08 – royal court theatre, liverpool, england, 1994.07.09 – oscars, clacton-on-sea, england, 1994.07.12 – marquee club, london, england, 1994.07.13 – the civic hall, wolverhampton, england, 1994.07.14 – town hall, middlesborough, england, 1994.07.15 – sanctuary, milton keynes, england, 1994.07.16 – manchaster academy, manchester, england, 1994.07.18 – astoria, cardiff, wales, 1994.07.23 – banana beach, marbella, spain, 1994.07.30 – feile festival, semple stadium, thurles, ireland, 1994.08.02 – the star club, ibiza, spain, 1994.08.12 – hultsfred festival, hembygdspark, hultsfred, sweden, 1994.08.26 – ntropy open air, spobeck military base, germershein, germany, 1994.08.29 – avex rave ’94, dome, tokyo, japan, 1994.08.30 – club yellow, tokyo, japan, 1994.09.03 – heyday 01, festivalpladsen, roskilde, denmark, 1994.09.04 – metropolis festival, zuiderpark, rotterdam, holland, 1994.09.09 – brighton rock ’94, the zap club, brighton, england, 1994.09.15 – mayfair, newcastle, england, 1994.09.24 – kaplakrika gym, hafnarfjörður, iceland, 1994.09.24 – tunglið club, reykjavík, iceland, 1994.09.30 – auensee rave, leipzig, germany, 1994.10.01 – universe tribal gathering ’94, old airport riem, munich, germany, 1994.10.11 – tor 3, düsseldorf, germany, 1994.10.12 – grosse freiheit, hamburg, germany, 1994.10.13 – e-werk, berlin, germany, 1994.10.14 – tor 1, hannover, germany, 1994.10.15 – the richter halle, fulda, germany, 1994.10.16 – longhorn lka, stuttgart, germany, 1994.10.20 – the palace nightclub, blackpool, england, 1994.10.21 – royal court, liverpool, england, 1994.10.22 – barrowlands, glasgow, scotland, 1994.10.25 – civic hall, guildford, england, 1994.10.26 – civic hall, wolverhampton, england, 1994.10.27 – octagon, sheffield, england, 1994.10.28 – uni of east anglia, norwich, england, 1994.10.29 – barbican centre, york, england, 1994.10.31 – guildhall, southampton, england, 1994.11.01 – illford island, london, england, 1994.11.02 – de montfort university, leicester, england, 1994.11.03 – corn exchange, cambridge, england, 1994.11.04 – the forum, london, england, 1994.11.05 – manchester academy, manchester, england, 1994.11.18 – grey hall, copenhagen, denmark, 1994.11.19 – mejeriet, lund, sweden, 1994.11.20 – gino, stockholm, sweden, 1994.11.21 – pakkahuone, tampere, finland, 1994.11.22 – vanha, helsinki, finland, 1994.11.23 – time out, turku, finland, 1994.11.24 – mtv ema after show party, e-werk, berlin, germany, 1994.11.25 – kåren club, gothenburg, sweden, 1994.11.26 – sentrum scene, oslo, norway, 1994.12.02 – university student union, derby, england, 1994.12.03 – trans musicales festival, rennes, france, 1994.12.10 – staffordshire university student union, stoke-on-trent, england, 1994.12.16 – hotel limmat, zurich, switzerland, 1994.12.17 – stufenbau, bern, switzerland, 1994.12.23 – central studios, utrecht, holland, 1994.12.27 – leisureland, galway, ireland, 1994.12.28 – city hall, cork, ireland, 1994.12.29 – sligo sports centre, sligo, ireland, 1994.12.30 – the king’s hall, belfast, northern ireland, 1994.12.31 – the point depot, dublin, ireland.