After the tour promoting his latest album Junk, Anthony Gonzalez aka M83 took the time to recuperate at home, in the South of France, away from the madness of LA where he has been based for the last ten years. One of the few artists to have broken the United States, the Antibes local felt like he needed a break after the reception of an album that he felt disappointed with. Therefore, he went home and spent a long summer “swimming in the Mediterranean, reading, watching films, and playing 80s video games”. In fact, it’s the music from these retro video games that inspired him for this new album, probably the most intimate of his career.
Deciding to use only old synthesisers, (an ARP 2600, Jean-Michel Jarre’s favourite, the Prophet 6 used by Moroder, the Roland Jupiter 6 used by Tangerine Dream, Kevin Saunderson and the Pet Shop Boys), he thus followed in the footsteps of electronic music pioneers such as Suzanne Ciani, Brian Eno and John Carpenter. The result is this relaxed album, free from all pop considerations and fan expectations since his global hit Midnight City. Timeless music which perfectly illustrates the idea of what a holiday in the Côte d’Azur is like. “There’s something somewhat naïve and touching about video game music. It’s simple and imperfect and it’s exactly what I tried to do with Digital Shades Vol. 2.” Mission accomplished. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz