AIR TIME

There is no doubt about it, RSD 2025 was a breath of fresh Air for fans of the French duo as not one but two fabulous releases hit the shelves.

First up we have Moon Safari: Live & Demos which offers exactly that. And, in passing, the cover is delightful; a tasteful variation of the Moon Safari art that offers a pared back demo version of the image so many have come to love. Both familiar and new. Clever.

The LP opens with a live performance of "Sexy Boy" recorded in Taormina, Italy. This is a rougher, more intense version of the album cut and provides an attention-grabbing opening. Four demo versions of Moon Safari tracks follow. If you love 'work-in-progress' cuts, you’ll be intrigued. But even if you only spin Side One a couple of times, the live material on Side Two absolutely justifies the purchase. Read on.

Side Two opens with a rare live version of "J’ai Dormi Sous L’Eau", a track from the Premiers Symptomes album. This is followed by a pared back "Sexy Boy" from a live BBC session in 1998. It bounces along, sounding a little more Kraftwerky than the studio original. Things really take off with a thrilling live performance of "Kelly Watch The Stars". It rocks along, bringing a completely fresh energy to the well-known song. An astonishing—and totally unexpected—cover of Funkadelic’s "Maggot Brain" follows. The original is a visceral, cathartic punch, steeped in grief. Air’s version is subdued, ethereal, almost a prayer. Still laden with emotion, the feeling has softened from a cry of loss to a tender reflection. It is inspired and simply brilliant. The final track takes its name from a long-running French TV show about animals, "Trente Millions D’Amis" and shows how adept Air are at creating their sophisticated sounds live. A fitting end to the record*.

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The name Vegyn sounds like a plant based meat substitute, but is in fact the musical pseudonym of Joseph Winger Thornalley, a London-based producer, DJ, and graphic designer. An electronic music artist who incorporates elements of hip-hop and ambient music, Vegyn (Veg to his friends, presumably) boldly went where no re-mixer had gone before, re-interpreting Moon Safari for RSD 2025. He created a new window through which to view the twenty-seven-year-old favourite. Entitled Blue Moon Safari—and contained in a blue PVC outer sleeve—this is a misty, nostalgic reimagining.

The slow fade in of the first track sets the scene. "New star in the sky" has been moved from its next-to-last position on Moon Safari to the lead piece here. Already redolent with gentle reverie, this version adds percussion early on then strips it away in the latter half, conjuring a rain smudged landscape. Rather like Vegyn’s cover art, when placed side by side with the original you can see the connection yet understand you are in the presence of something new and different.

On the original LP the second track—"Sexy Boy"—comes bouncing out of the speakers with well-toned synth driven muscle. It’s second on Blue Moon Safari too, but quieter; more a daydream than a club pick-up. Thoughtful reinterpretations continue throughout Blue Moon Safari. Vegyn has described his version as "a dialogue with the past", one that delicately deconstructs then reconstructs, subtly. A striking example is how he has lifted Beth Hirsch’s vocals out of their original context on "All I need" so that it now plays like a yearning ballad from a late 60s art-house film. In contrast, "Talisman" has been injected with extra rhythmic energy, leaving behind the languor of the 1998 version for a slice of disco urgency.

It is entirely possible to thoroughly enjoy Vegyn’s Blue Moon Safari without knowing the Air LP from which it emerged. It sounds fresh and current, an unusual thing to say about an album that purposefully dripped retro chic in its first-released form. Which is why most fans of the 1998 classic will seek out Vegyn’s homage to sit alongside their copy of Moon Safari, giving both air time as the mood dictates.

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* It should be noted that much of the material on Moon Safari: Live & Demos has been released on previous CD re-issues of Moon Safari, two tracks from the 10th anniversary special edition and six from 25th anniversary version.

© Bruce Jenkins—May 2025