Nicolas Godin, founder of the band Air, announces his first solo release Contrepoint in North America via Because Records on February 26th 2016. He revealed the intimate session of “Bach Off”.

Set-up inside the Paris Orly airport for this special occasion, Nicolas Godin chose to play “Bach Off’ from his upcoming debut. This track was conceived as a tribute to Argentinean pianist, conductor and soundtrack composer Lalo Schifrin. The album also includes Gordon Tracks on “Widerstehe Doch Der Sunde”, the first time since Air’s “Playground Love” that Gordon Tracks makes an appearance.

Nicolas Godin on the genesis of his first solo album:
“Sometime during my fourth world tour with my band AIR, I observed that: music was taking up only a small part of my daily life. I had become what Glenn Gould called “a travelling monkey in the concert circus…”

Glenn Gould. A legendary name. A musician friend had told me about the two documentaries Bruno Monsaingeon had made about him, “Hereafter” and “The Alchemist,” so of course I watched them.

Right from the beginning of each film, it becomes apparent that we are watching one of the greatest musicians of all time (Gould), playing the most beautiful music of all time (Bach). The extremely personal way Gould interprets Bach goes against all the normal rules of performance such that a new art form appears before our eyes. It is especially noticeable when he is playing the Partita No. 6 at the beginning of “The Alchemist,” but also, and I highly recommend it, in another film entitled “Gould plays Bach,” in which Gould interprets the Goldberg Variations in one take, again filmed by Monsaingeon. I, an autodidact, was immediately attracted to this mysterious and inaccessible universe, which I decided to explore further upon my return to Paris.

Nicolas Godin on the genesis of his first solo album:
“Sometime during my fourth world tour with my band AIR, I observed that: music was taking up only a small part of my daily life. I had become what Glenn Gould called “a travelling monkey in the concert circus…”

Glenn Gould. A legendary name. A musician friend had told me about the two documentaries Bruno Monsaingeon had made about him, “Hereafter” and “The Alchemist,” so of course I watched them.

Nicolas Godin – Contrepoint – tracklist:
01. Orca
02. Widerstehe Doch Der Sunde
03. Club Nine
04. Clara
05. Glenn
06. Quei Due
07. Bach Off
08. Elfe Man