M83 () is a French
electronic rock group formed in
Antibes
Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...
in 1999. Initially the duo of multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Fromageau and Anthony Gonzalez, Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring for their second album ''
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts''.
Gonzalez remains the sole constant member of the project, as the primary songwriter and lead vocalist.
The band has released nine studio albums, including the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
-nominated ''
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', in addition to two soundtracks. Gonzalez records primarily on his own, with numerous guest musicians. The band is signed to
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
and found breakout success in 2011 with "
Midnight City", ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming''s
lead single. Their sound has been described as
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...
,
new wave,
shoegaze
Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...
, as well as
ambient.
Early life
Anthony Gerard Gonzalez (born 13 March 1980)
grew up in Antibes, France, together with his brother
Yann.
His family had a great interest in football and Gonzalez had trials with
AS Cannes
Association Sportive de Cannes Football (; commonly referred to as AS Cannes or simply Cannes) is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed in 1902 as a sports club and currently plays in the Championnat National 2 ...
,
while his maternal grandfather is the French international
Laurent Robuschi.
At the age of 14 he was injured, and turned to music instead when his parents bought him a guitar.
He developed his interest in music and American culture at secondary school.
With Fromageau, he formed a post-rock group called My Violent Wish.
Career
2001–2005: First recordings

At 17, Gonzalez bought a synth to record a demo, which he sent to a number of French labels. When Paris-based
Gooom Records seemed interested, he recruited Nicolas Fromageau to "help me because I didn't feel like I had the shoulders to carry the project on my own".
They decided to name their band M83, after the
galaxy of that name.
In spring 2001, while Gonzalez was still in college, M83 released its
self-titled debut album recorded on an
8-track.
It did not attract much attention outside Europe until September 2005, when
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
reissued it for worldwide release. M83's second album, ''
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts,'' followed in spring 2003 (summer 2004 in North America) to widespread critical acclaim. After worldwide touring for ''Dead Cities'' resumed, Fromageau left the band; he later formed the band
Team Ghost in 2009.
Gonzalez returned to the studio to record the group's third studio album, ''
Before the Dawn Heals Us'', released in January 2005. In 2016, the song "Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun" was featured in the trailer for the film ''
A Monster Calls'' starring Felicity Jones and Sigourney Weaver. Later in 2005, M83 provided a remix of "The Pioneers" by
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
, which was also included on Bloc Party's remix album ''
Silent Alarm Remixed''. M83 also remixed
Placebo
A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
's "
Protège-Moi",
Goldfrapp's "
Black Cherry",
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
's "
Suffer Well",
Van She's "Kelly", and
The Bumblebeez's "Vila Attack". Similarly, M83's songs have been remixed by Gooom labelmates
Montag and
Cyann & Ben.
2006–2009: ''Digital Shades Vol. 1'' and ''Saturdays = Youth''

In 2006, after the ''Before the Dawn Heals Us'' US tour, Anthony Gonzalez continued to explore a musical direction already heard on earlier M83 tracks and began writing and recording a collection of ambient works. The album was recorded primarily at his home studio with the assistance of Antoine Gaillet. The resulting project was called ''
Digital Shades Vol. 1'', and was released in September 2007 with a sleeve illustrated by Laurent Fetis (known for his work with
DJ Hell,
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
, and
Tahiti 80). It is intended to be part of an ongoing series of ambient works.
''
Saturdays = Youth'', M83's fifth studio album, was released in April 2008. It was recorded with Ken Thomas (known for his work with
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...
,
The Sugarcubes
The Sugarcubes () were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpe ...
,
Boys in a Band,
Cocteau Twins, and
Suede),
Ewan Pearson (who has also produced for
Tracey Thorn,
The Rapture and
Ladytron) and
Morgan Kibby (of
The Romanovs). The album features a more focused approach to song structure and form, and Gonzalez stated that the main influence of the album came from music of the 1980s: "I think that '80s music is such a brilliant period for music history. It was the occasion for me to do a tribute to this '80s music, but
t wasalso a tribute to my teenage years because the main theme of the album is being a teenager, and being a teenager means a lot to me." Four singles were released from the album: "Couleurs" in February 2008, "
Graveyard Girl" in April, "
Kim & Jessie" in July, and "We Own the Sky" in December.
Redbull and Snowboarder
Travis Rice used "We Own the Sky" as the opening song in the 2008 snowboard film ''That's It That's All''. M83 also appeared on a limited edition split 7-inch single with
Maps
A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...
in 2008; M83 remixed Maps' "To the Sky", while Maps provided a remix of M83's "We Own the Sky".
In December 2008, M83 supported
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...
on its UK tour. In January and February 2009, M83 supported
The Killers
The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
across United States tour dates and toured with
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
on its
Tour of the Universe in Italy, Germany, and France. In July, M83 appeared at the
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...
in Japan. In July 2009, M83 appeared at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio. Gonzalez, unprovoked, physically assaulted an elderly security guard when Gonzalez attempted to have members of the crowd join him on an unreinforced stage platform. The band later apologized to its fans for the incident. In 2010, on the eve of turning 30, Gonzalez moved to Los Angeles.
2010–2015: ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', ''Oblivion'' and commercial success
In Spring 2010, M83 composed the score of French director Gilles Marchand's film ''
Black Heaven''. On 5 July 2010, the ''Black Heaven'' Soundtrack was released, which included two new songs by M83 called "Black Hole" and "Marion's Theme", along with five tracks from his back catalog. The soundtrack also includes songs from the score by Emmanuel D'Orlando, Moon Dailly and John & Jehn. However, his feelings towards the record were largely negative, leaving him depressed.
In 2011, Gonzalez started working on a new batch of songs for an album slated for release later in the year. He described the tracks as darker and "very, very, very epic". Speaking with ''
Spin'', he said of the new album "It's a double album. It's mainly about dreams, how every one is different, how you dream differently when you're a kid, a teenager, or an adult. I'm really proud of it. If you're doing a very long album, all the songs need to be different and I think I've done that with this one."
He recorded again with Morgan Kibby as well as others, including
Medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
's mastermind
Brad Laner
Brad Laner (born November 6, 1966, in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with the shoegaze band Medicine (band), Medicine, which he founded and led.
Prior to Medicine, he was involved i ...
,
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
bassist
Justin Meldal-Johnsen and
Zola Jesus.
''
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' is Gonzalez's first double album, something he had dreamed of making ever since hearing
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
' ''
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness''. "I wanted to make a very eclectic album but also something not too long. Making a double album was a dream of mine for a long, long time and I felt ready to make this move," he explains. Discussing the sound and process of creating this album, Gonzalez says it was "written like a soundtrack to an imaginary movie with different ambiances, different atmospheres, different tempos, different orchestrations and different instrumentation.... When I make an album it's always about nostalgia, melancholy in the past and memories."
On 19 July 2011, the breakthrough single "
Midnight City",
the first from ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', was released for streaming and free download on the band's official website. Beginning in October, they toured North America and Europe to promote the album;
Active Child supported the US leg of the tour. The album placed 3rd in
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
's Top 50 Albums of 2011 list; the single "Midnight City" was placed 1st on the Top 100 Tracks list. On 26 January 2012, M83 came in at number 5 on the Triple J Hottest 100 with the single "Midnight City". The track received further exposure in 2013 as the remixed soundtrack to the Gucci Premier fragrance television advert featuring
Blake Lively. It was also used in the 2013 film ''
Warm Bodies''.
On 28 June 2012, it was announced that M83 would compose the soundtrack for the 2013 movie ''
Oblivion'', directed by
Joseph Kosinski and starring
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
. The score was co-written with
Joseph Trapanese. The soundtrack album was released on 9 April 2013 by Back Lot Music featuring
Susanne Sundfor on vocals.
On 26 February 2014, a new song titled "I Need You" was included on the
''Divergent'' soundtrack. The song "Wait" was featured in the 2014 film
''The Fault in our Stars''. It was also featured in the "Perception" episode of ''
Revenge
Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
'' in 2012, "The Backup Dan" episode of ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...
'' in 2012, "Imperfect Circles" episode of ''
Under the Dome'' in 2013 and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" episode of ''
The Vampire Diaries'' in 2014. More recently, "Wait" was used as part of the documentary "The Day We Walked On The Moon" commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and screened in the UK by ITV in July 2019 and in the same year, in a feature film titled ''
Five Feet Apart''. Also from ''Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'', two tracks, "Another Wave from You" and "
Outro", featured in the 2014 remake of ''
The Gambler''. In 2015 and 2016, British-Franco-Canadian drama ''
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
'', uses "Outro" as the theme title. "Outro" was also featured in the popular snowboarding documentary ''
The Art of Flight'', in the reveal trailer for the games "
Paragon" and "
Kerbal Space Program 2", in a Mazda commercial entitled "Feel Alive" in 2018, and as the final song in the finale of both the ''
USA Networks'' TV show ''
Mr. Robot'' and
Fox TV show ''
Enlisted''. Moonchild was featured in Top Gear's McLaren Mercedes SLR Oslo challenge. The Italian-French film ''
Suburra'' from 2015 features music by M83 extensively.
In August 2014, the first three albums produced by the band were re-released by Mute Records with additional material available separately for download. Gonzalez justified the reissues by noting that physical copies of the albums were hard to find and sold for "a ridiculous amount of money".
On 2 March 2015, M83, with indie pop group
Haim, released the song "Holes in the Sky" from ''
The Divergent Series: Insurgent'' soundtrack. He also participated in
Jean-Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...
's album ''
Electronica 1: The Time Machine''.
2016–present: ''Junk'', ''Volta'', Tour, ''DSVII'', and ''Fantasy''
On 1 March 2016, M83's seventh studio album ''
Junk'' was announced along with its lead single, "
Do It, Try It". The album was released on 8 April 2016. The band then embarked on a tour across North America and Europe during the first half of 2016. On 5 December 2016, it was announced that Gonzalez of M83 would be the composer and musical director for
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
's touring show,
Volta.
In July 2019, Gonzalez announced M83's eighth studio album, ''
DSVII'' (standing for ''Digital Shades, Vol. II''). It was released on 20 September 2019.
In December 2021, Gonzalez announced a re-release of ''Hurry Up We're Dreaming'' for its 10th anniversary. On 10 January 2023, M83 released the single "Oceans Niagara", and released their ninth studio album, ''
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
'', on 17 March 2023. A tour of North America in support of the album followed.
On April 16th 2025, on his Instagram account Anthony Gonzalez announced the release the new M83 soundtrack album ''A Necessary Escape'' which is his work for ''Dakar Chronicles'', which appears to be a new documentary directed by the French actor and screenwriter
Jalil Lespert
Style
The band's aesthetic is characterized by dense guitar and synthesizer layering, extensive use of reverb effects, and lyrics often sung softly in a
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...
style. Gonzalez has been inspired by cultural and musical facets of the 1980s, and his songs have been described as "adult-scripted teen dreams".
Inspiration for his music includes bands such as
My Bloody Valentine,
Smashing Pumpkins,
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
,
Jean-Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...
, and
Tangerine Dream.
Members
Current members
* Anthony Gonzalez – lead vocals, synthesizers, keyboards, guitars, piano, bass, drums, percussion, programming, arrangement, mixer, production (1999–present)
Former members
* Nicolas Fromageau – keyboards, synthesizers, arrangement, programming, mixer, production (1999–2004)
*
Morgan Kibby – vocals, piano, keyboards (2008)
* Loïc Maurin – drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards (2008–2023)
Live members
* Kaela Sinclair – keyboards, vocals (2016–present)
* Joe Berry – piano, synthesizers, EWI, saxophone (2016–present)
* Théophile Antolinos – guitars (2023–present)
* Julien Aoufi – drums (2023–present)
* Clément Libes – bass, keyboards, violin (2023–present)
Former live members
* Loïc Maurin – drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards (2004–2016)
* Jordan Lawlor – guitars, vocals, multi-instrumentalist (2011–2016)
* Pierre-Marie Maulini – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, percussion (2008–2009)
* Jonathan Bates – guitar, bass (2009)
*
Morgan Kibby – vocals, piano, keyboards (2008–2015)
* Ian Young – saxophone (2011–2016)
* Philippe Thiphaine – guitars (2004–2005)
* Stéphane Bouvier – bass (2004–2005)
* Ludovic Morillon – drums (2004)
* Alexandre Fogliani – drums (2003)
* Orderic Cousin – bass (2003)
Timeline
Discography
* ''
M83'' (2001)
* ''
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts'' (2003)
* ''
Before the Dawn Heals Us'' (2005)
* ''
Digital Shades Vol. 1'' (2007)
* ''
Saturdays = Youth'' (2008)
* ''
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming'' (2011)
* ''
Junk'' (2016)
* ''
DSVII'' (2019)
* ''
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
'' (2023)
Awards and nominations
See also
*
List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
2001 establishments in France
Ambient music groups
French dream pop musical groups
French electronic music groups
French post-rock groups
Musical groups established in 2001
Mute Records artists
French shoegaze musical groups
French synth-pop groups
Virgin Records artists
English-language musical groups from France