Since releasing the instant classic Moon Safari in 1998, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have been making some of the most beautiful music to ever come out of France, which is saying a lot when you consider the musical heritage of Serge Gainsbourg's native land. Air still stand for amour, imagination and rêve all these years later. Born on Christmas day in 1969, Nicolas Godin didn't anticipate the duo would still be going strong in 2016.

"I certainly was not thinking that far ahead," he says. "But when we were recording Moon Safari for example we really wanted to do something timeless. We certainly wanted the songs to stand up and be fresh twenty years later but we were not thinking of actually playing them in twenty years time, although we did feel a song should ideally be able to exist forever. I don't want to put elements that can be sonically dated after a while, so there was a lot of work to find a balance in the sounds and production to do something that would be relevant for a couple of years."

Air are so relevant that they've just released Twentyyears; a whopping 31-song collection containing over two hours of music. "It was horrible process because we had so many songs to choose from, and I hated that," Godin laughs. "Some of the songs I like are not in there but there was not enough room. It is not nice to do a compilation because you have to choose between your children."

Dunckel and Godin are on the road this summer playing the festival circuit, and by all accounts they stole the show at Field Day in London. While there aren't any Irish dates announced as yet, Nicolas is keen to get back on these shores, as a show in the Olympia while touring 10,000 Hz Legend ranks as one of his favourite Air shows. Godin explains why they took some time out. "We'd been touring non-stop for twelve years," he explains. "At some point I was expecting to miss it, but for the first two or three years I was really enjoying my life again and actually having the time to spend with my friends and family. Then, I started missing playing songs and making up sets so little by little we decided to go back on tour."

A Parisian, Godin was deeply shocked and saddened by the events that unfolded in his city last November. "It was a complete shock; like 9/11," he says. "We didn't see it coming and it was awful, even though in the same year we had the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It impacts you and you feel close to the people. For the first time you feel a lot closer to the people you've grown up with because most of the time you hear about terror attacks you don't know the people. It's cruel but you feel less about it, that's the reality. It also was deeply disturbing because it was in a venue. We know Josh Homme and those guys. I saw the picture of all those young people who died. They all looked so friendly and full of love. They were there to have fun. It changed the vibe in Paris completely."

And what is it like since then? "The Euros were on and it was a war zone," he replies. "It was like Sarajevo or somewhere. You needed to carry ID with you at all times and it is checked. The streets were often blocked around the match and the fan zones and often the streets are empty. It's like armageddon after a nuclear war. We've completely changed our habits, it's so strange. You get used to it though. It's like getting on a plane. You know stuff has happened, or could happen, but you still get on the plane. Other stuff will happen (this interview took place before events in Nice) but you don't know where and you don't know when. We live with that risk."

Godin apologises for France beating Ireland in the Euros. "Everyone loved your fans," he says. "Irish people are very warm and friendly. I'm sorry for beating you and I thought God would be on your side because of the cheating hand of Henry, but I don't really understand football to be honest. All my family and friends love it but I never got into it as a child. It's like people who don't like cheese, I don't understand that at all, so people who like cheese don't understand why I don't like football. I played as a child and I found it really difficult to play so I didn't really connect with it, although I do read about it in the newspaper."

So, perhaps Godin would like to share with us his favourite French wine and cheese pairing? "It's complicated because all the good wine has got very expensive and prices have increased so much it is not very affordable, but of the three great categories of wine in France - Bordeaux, Burgundy and Cotes du Rhone - I will say a Cotes du Rhone Chateau de Fonsalette. I absolutely love it. Have that with a nice old conté that has been aged for four or five years. About 2011 or 2012 would be perfect. Pair those together and you'll have a nice moment."

Twentyyears is out now on Warner Music