So what, exactly, is Darkel ?

On a purely practical level it's the solo debut from Jean-Benoit Dunckel from Air. On a metaphorical level it's any number of things; an intimate expression of cosmic ideas; a funky French version of New Order; a JB indented indie disco. It’s also somewhere in the region of Timbaland after eight hours of Pink Floyd or The Troggs with spectral filters. “I tried to make something special,” says Dunckel. “That's the point of being an artist; playing with your brain. It's art and music.”

The name has history. “My surname means ‘dark' in German and I wanted to keep the end of the name because it sounded mysterious. There is a magic phonic effect.” There was another reason, too - Dunckel made the album at night. “I wanted a word to crystallize the universe of the night, of dreams.” It was recorded over two years at his 17th arrondissement studio in north Paris. Daytimes were pretty busy, what with the Charlotte Gainsbourg project he and Air partner Nicolas Godin were working on, along with Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon and Nigel Godrich. “It's great because it gives another angle to the Air music.”

After 9 years as a duo, Dunckel's solo record presented some specific problems - although gorgeous piano lines weren't one of them. Still, solo work was difficult. “You're alone, lost, stuck. There is no-one to pull negative ideas out of your mind.” Aside from some assistance translating his ideas into English from Euston Jones and input from bassists Laurent Griffon and Dayan Korolic, Darkel is all his own work. “You have to think about rhythm, production, words. I had to find a story.”

He certainly found some. Just listen to the parallel universe Stooges of “TV Destroy” which adds an intergalactic aspect to the pop punk canon. It's an energised anthem for the pogo massive, a joyful entry into the many shades of Darkel. "There would only be one song like that on the record so the uptempo song had to be really uptempo. I pushed the style of the song as far as I could. People have to be surprised and charmed”. Favorite songs around the recording of Darkel included The Troggs “Jenny Come Down” (“I love those simple guitar riffs”), Talking Heads and Brian Eno. “You feel you are spinning in a liquid of sound with his music. His look was so strange, so glam rock. I loved it.”

Darkel contains the primitive streak of its musical parentage. Those classical synth undercurrents absorbed from Erik Satie and Ryuichi Sakamoto and refined over a decade of million-selling albums including Moon Safari (1998), 10,000 Hz Legend (2001) and Talkie Walkie (2004), as well that the 2000 Virgin Suicides OST are deep in the DNA of Darkel. You'll hear it on songs like “At The End Of The Sky”, “Some Men”, “Pearl” and the piano-dream of the closing song, “Bathroom Spirit”. But you'll hear other songs too. “My Own Sun” is a jaunty electro '60s song, Bob Dylan rounded out with extra splashes of colour and added backwards echo. It also contains this line: “I don't need diamond rings/ to earn my angel wings” Then there's the impact of his hip hop heroes, Timbaland and Babyface, contained on “Earth”. “It's about the love you can feel for your own planet,” he says. “It might sound too ecologist but I don't care. When you are swimming in the sea you are at the interface between liquid and air. It's a very alive feeling.” The same musical genes are dug deep into the architecture of the opener, “Be My Friend” and in his keen use of the pacy pop song - just try not jigging to the Stones-style “Beautiful Woman”. In short, it’s a rolled-gold gem of a record.