[ITW] JB DUNCKEL – WHERE MUSIC MEETS THE SPACE AGE

Excerpts from our chat with the musician and founder of duo Air, JB Dunckel.

As a former math teacher, the French composer has always been fascinated by space beyond our home planet. Space inspires his electro music and provides scope to reflect on what the future of humanity could look like.

Where does your passion for space come from?

I’ve been fascinated by space ever since I was a kid. When I look at the stars, I feel at peace. Down here, we fight over money, power, and our borders. But up there, it’s peaceful. I imagine all of us as brothers and sisters in our future in space.

Would you call yourself a citizen of space?

I’ve only been there in my dreams! (Laughs) I feel space in my head! To put it in perspective: I hate flying. The nothingness around the plane scares me. It’s scary, but it also draws me in. I find the vastness of space deeply intriguing.

In your most recent album, H+, you were inspired by transhumanism and space. How do science and technology affect your music?

Science and transhumanism are huge sources of inspiration. I don’t subscribe to transhumanism as a philosophy, but it does inspire me, especially when I imagine how it could play out in our everyday lives. Our future is uncertain. We don’t know whether humanity will flourish or perish, whether it’ll be the end of our world or rebirth on another.

As a composer, you can really see and be involved with how music changes as new technological innovations come on-stream, can’t you?

I think music is the sound of technology. A new machine appeared in the early 90s: the sampler. It can loop sounds and became an important tool for producers. I think that hip hop, a rhythmically looping music, owes its success to the sampler. I think that the best musicians are also excellent programmers.

Thanks, JB Dunckel!