Air - Surfing on a Rocket (2004)

What this video is

Released in spring 2004 as a single from Air's third studio album 'Talkie Walkie' (Virgin Records, January 26, 2004), 'Surfing on a Rocket' arrived during a critical moment of reassertion for the French duo, who were widely seen as returning to form after the divisive '10,000 Hz Legend' (2001). The album — and this single — epitomised the early 2000s European chill-out and ambient pop sensibility, rooted in the…

Why it matters

A definitive artefact of early-2000s French ambient electronic pop, the video reinforces Air's identity as designers of immersive audio-visual worlds rather than performers. Co-directed by one of France's most acclaimed commercial and music video directors, it exemplifies the crossover between…

The director

Antoine Bardou-Jacquet is a multi award-winning French director represented by Partizan, best known for the landmark Honda 'Cog' advertisement — widely cited as the most awarded commercial in advertising history — and for founding studio H5, whose work…