JB Dunckel
On his own and with groups such as Air, Starwalker, and Tomorrow’s World, Jean-Benoît Dunckel is a mastermind of stylish, sensual, and ethereal pop. Before becoming a professional musician, he studied math and physics and played in the band Orange, which also counted Nicolas Godin among its members. Once Orange disbanded, Dunckel and Godin formed Air in 1995 and the duo soon earned acclaim for 1998’s debut album Moon Safari and the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s 2000 film The Virgin Suicides.
While he and Godin worked with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her 2005 album 5:55, Dunckel embarked on a solo career, choosing the moniker Darkel as a twist on his surname, which means “dark” in German. Darkel’s self-titled 2006 album shared the hazy atmosphere and lush synth passages as his Air work, but also explored Dunckel’s fondness for more straightforward pop and rock. In 2009, he composed the score for the film Cyprien.
When Air went on hiatus following 2012’s Le Voyage Dans la Lune, Dunckel founded the sci-fi pop act Tomorrow’s World with New Young Pony Club’s Lou Hayter, and Starwalker, a duo with Bang Gang’s Bardi Johannsson. He also returned to Darkel with 2015’s Man of Sorrow EP and composed the soundtrack for the film The Summer of Sangailé. In 2016, Air reunited for a tour supporting the career retrospective Twentyears. In 2018, Dunckel released H+, his first album under his own name.
Warner Classics & Erato:
Based in Paris, Warner Classics and its sister label Erato together comprise one of the world’s leading global classical music recording companies, with an artist roster covering all genres of classical music. It is home to the fabulous classical music catalogues from EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, Teldec and Erato, featuring many iconic albums which have made history in the world of the record industry. The company boasts an unrivalled catalogue of legendary artists – Maria Callas, Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Maurice André, Jacqueline du Pré, Otto Klemperer, Samson François – and of international superstars such as Itzhak Perlman, Daniel Barenboim, Nigel Kennedy, Hélène Grimaud, Natalie Dessay… amongst many others.
Today, the labels exclusively record acclaimed artists such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Piotr Anderszewski, Alison Balsom, Gautier Capuçon, Joyce DiDonato, Philippe Jaroussky, Bertrand Chamayou, Alexandre Tharaud, the Quatuor Ébène, Beatrice Rana, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Emmanuel Pahud, Vilde Frang and Augustin Hadelich. They nurture upcoming talents such as Jakub Józef Orliński, Fatma Said, Marianne Crebassa, Lea Desandre, Sabine Devieilhe, Lucienne Renaudin Vary, Jean Rondeau, Yoav Levanon and pushing genre boundaries, the labels explore new horizons with modern classical artists such as RIOPY, Thomas Bangalter, Matteo Myderwyk, Carlos Cipa and Abel Selaocoe.
