It’s no surprise Anthony Gonzalez, the main man behind M83, grew up in Antibes -- a small town in the South of France. The majestic area -- known for panoramic views of snowcapped mountains, placid oceans and balmy sunsets -- fits the mood of M83’s ambient music. Not to mention a few Hollywood starlets from time to time: Cannes is just around the corner and things become a tad busy in May for the film festival.

Gonzalez has recently been quite the globetrotter – venturing around the world in support of his 2008 release of Saturdays = Youth (Mute Records). It’s M83’s fifth album, with a more optimistic, bright sound. Sure, while on the road, Gonzalez is like every other musician and enjoys exploring different cultures and environments -- but Antibes is truly where he seems to draw most of his inspiration. Perhaps that’s why the title of M83’s newest album reflects back to his years of blissful innocence.

Right before a show at Irving Plaza in New York, Gonzalez chatted with psychoPEDIA and spoke about all things Antibes:

Have you lived in Antibes your whole life?
I was born there, and it’s about 20 kilometers from Cannes in the South of France. My whole family lives there still. However, I moved to Paris and lived there for about four years, and just recently moved back to Antibes.

What made you move back?
Well, I was walking in Paris one day and just decided that it was time to move back. I wanted to focus on my music and put all my energy back into my music.

I guess there are a lot of distractions in Paris?!
Oh yes, there are many! Also, to live in Paris you must make a great deal of money to live a really nice lifestyle and to own an incredible apartment. It’s less expensive to live in the South of France. It was clear for me to move back to Antibes and focus on my music and live an easier lifestyle.

What’s your favorite Antibes restaurant?
There’s this very very very good restaurant called La Cafetière Fêlée. It’s sooo great. I love it there and eat there very often. They have all these different, weird kinds of food to choose from – really unique options. The atmosphere is really cool – very quiet and simple.

How about bars?
There is this one bar that I love where its specialty is Absinthe. I’m sure you know that Absinthe is special to France. It’s a hidden bar called Absinthe Bar La Balade. It’s really cool and it’s in a basement. There’s no name to it, to the locals-– it’s just known as Absinthe Bar.

If I were to stay in a really nice hotel in Antibes, where would you send me if money wasn’t an issue?
Well, every year in May the Cannes Film Festival takes place. It’s only a short distance from Antibes. All of the movie stars come in and stay at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc. It’s really expensive and really fancy hotel. It’s quite beautiful too. Everyone comes and stays there from out of town during that time period for the festival.

What’s really unique about Antibes?
The atmosphere. All my friends and family live in Antibes so that alone makes me happy to be home. It’s not stressful at all. We have the beach where you can go and be with friends to lay out and enjoy. The weather alone is beautiful-– just taking in the sunshine while at the beach, and at the same time looking up to the mountains.

What are the colors like?
It’s really bright, especially when it’s sunny. The sun makes everything bright. We have palm trees too, so there are splashes of green everywhere. Lots of colorful flowers all around the beach, with the backdrop of old city.

That’s up on a hill, right?
Yeah, it’s up high on a hilltop. It’s a really beautiful view.

Tell me a little about some unique town history…
A lot of famous artists and painters have spent their summers in Antibes. They’ve owned houses here and come year after year, like Picasso when he was alive. There is a great museum in the Old City called The Picasso Museum-– I like to go there often. I guess these artists get a lot of inspiration from coming to Antibes.

What’s your most vivid childhood memory of your home city?
Playing football a lot and riding my bicycle around town. Everyone gets around on bicycles here. Swimming in the sea, going skiing on the weekends, lots of wonderful times…

~Jessica McMenamin