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Daft Punk is a duo consisting of Paris musicians Guy-Manuel de
Homem-Christo (born February 8, 1974) and Thomas Bangalter (born January 3,
1975). The duo is considered one of the most successful electronic music
collaborations of all time, both in album sales and in critical acclaim. After
Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in
France, other artists such as Air, Cassius and Dimitri from Paris began to
receive a similar amount of attention.
Daft Punk is also credited with producing songs that were considered
essential in the French house scene. They are currently managed by Pedro
Winter (Busy P), the head of Ed Banger Records.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Early years (1987-1993)
1.2 Homework era (1993-1999)
1.3 Discovery era (1999-2004)
1.4 Human After All era (2004-present)
2 Influences
3 Visual components
4 Live performances
5 Appearances in media
6 Discography
History
Early years (1987-1993)
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo met in 1987 on the
grounds of the Lyc‚e Carnot, a secondary school in Paris. The two became good
friends and later recorded demo tracks with others from the school. This
eventually led to the formation of the guitar-based group Darlin' with
Laurent Brancowitz in 1992. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played bass and
guitar, respectively, while Brancowitz performed on drums. The indie rock
trio had branded themselves after The Beach Boys song of the same name, which
they covered along with an original composition. Stereolab released both
tracks on a multi-artist Duophonic Records EP and invited the band to open
for stage shows in the United Kingdom. Bangalter felt that "The rock n' roll
thing we did was pretty average, I think. It was so brief, maybe six months,
four songs and two gigs and that was it." A negative review in Melody Maker
subsequently dubbed the music "a bunch of daft punk." Instead of dismissing
the review, Bangalter and de Homem-Christo found it to be amusing. As the
latter stated, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and this
happened so quickly." Darlin' soon disbanded, leaving Brancowitz to pursue
other efforts with Phoenix. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk
and experimented with drum machines and synthesizers.
Homework era (1993-1999)
In 1993 Daft Punk attended a rave at EuroDisney, where they met
Stuart Macmillan of Slam, co-founder of the label Soma Quality Recordings.
The demo tape given to Macmillan at the rave formed the basis for Daft Punk's
debut single, "The New Wave", a limited release in 1994.[9] The single also
contained the final mix of "The New Wave" called "Alive".
Daft Punk returned to the studio in May 1995 to record "Da Funk". It
became their first commercially successful single the same year. After the
success of "Da Funk", Daft Punk looked to find a manager. They had no trouble
finding one at the time as they chose Pedro Winter, who regularly promoted
them and other artists at his Hype night clubs. The band signed with Virgin
Records in September 1996 and made a deal through which they licensed their
tracks to the major label through their production company, Daft Trax.
"Da Funk" and "Alive" were later included on Daft Punk's 1997 debut
album Homework. The album was regarded as an innovative synthesis of techno,
house, acid house and electro styles, and is widely acknowledged as one of
the most influential dance music albums of the nineties. "Da Funk" was also
included on The Saint film soundtrack. It was during this period of change in
dance music that Daft Punk became largely successful. They combined the
aforementioned music styles and elements of rave that were crowd pleasers.
The most successful single from Homework was "Around the World", which is
known for the repeating chant of the song's title. Daft Punk also produced a
series of music videos for Homework directed by Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry,
Roman Coppola and Seb Janiak. The collection of videos was released in 1999
and titled D.A.F.T. - A Story about Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes.
Discovery era (1999-2004)
By 1999 the duo were well into the recording sessions for their
second album, which had begun a year earlier. 2001's Discovery took on a
slicker and distinctly synthpop-oriented style, initially stunning fans of
Daft Punk's previous material in Homework. The group states that the album
was conceived as an attempt to reconnect with a playful, open-minded attitude
associated with the discovery phase of childhood. This accounts for the heavy
use of themes and samples from the late '70s to early '80s era on the album.
It reached #2 in the United Kingdom, and its single "One More Time" was a
major club hit, creating a new generation of fans mainly familiar with the
second Daft Punk release. "One More Time" is believed to contain a sample of
"More Spell on You" by Eddie Johns, but this is uncredited in the Discovery
liner notes. Bangalter reportedly denied using any samples for the song.
The singles "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
were also very successful in the UK and on the United States dance chart, and
"Face to Face" hit #1 on the USA club play charts despite a limited single
release. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger would later be successful as an
underground song at Australia in 2007. A 45-minute excerpt from a
Daftendirektour performance recorded at Birmingham, UK in 1997 was also
released in 2001, entitled Alive 1997.
2003 first saw the release of the feature-length animated film
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Daft Punk produced the
film under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto, whom they have said is their
childhood hero. The album Daft Club was also released to promote the film. It
features a collection of remixes previously made available through an online
membership service of the same name.
Human After All era (2004-present)
Daft Punk in their robotic suitsStarting on September 13 and ending
November 9, 2004, Daft Punk devoted six weeks to creating new material. The
duo released the album Human After All in March 2005. Reviews were mixed,
mostly citing its overly repetitive nature and seemingly rushed recording.
The singles taken from this album were "Robot Rock", "Technologic", "Human
After All" and "The Prime Time of Your Life". The earliest official statement
from Daft Punk concerning the album was "we believe that Human After All
speaks for itself."
A Daft Punk anthology CD/DVD entitled Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005 was
released on April 4, 2006. It contains new music videos for "The Prime Time
of Your Life" and "Robot Rock (Maximum Overdrive)". Daft Punk also released a
remix album of Human After All called Human After All: Remixes. A limited
edition included two kubricks of Daft Punk as robots.
On May 21, 2006, Daft Punk premiered their first directed film, Daft
Punk's Electroma at the Cannes Film Festival sidebar Director's Fortnight.
The film doesn't include their own music, which is a first for the duo
considering their previous DVD and film releases (D.A.F.T. for Homework and
Interstella 5555 for Discovery). Midnight screenings of the film were shown
in Paris theaters starting from the end of March '07. Initial public comments
have since been positive.
Daft Punk released their second live album titled Alive 2007 on
November 19, 2007. It contains the duo's performance in Paris from their
Alive 2007 tour. The album includes a 50-page book showcasing photographs
shot while on tour. The live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"
from Alive 2007 was released as a single. A music video for the single
directed by Olivier Gondry features footage shot by 250 audience members at
Daft Punk's Brooklyn appearance at KeySpan Park, Coney Island.
Influences
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo years before the release of
Homework Bangalter and de Homem-Christo have credited many sources that
influenced their musical style. Years before producing electronic music as a
duo, they were stated to have shared tastes for Elton John, MC5, The Rolling
Stones, The Beach Boys and The Stooges. Their mutual admiration for rock
bands led to the founding of their own independent project, Darlin'.
Bangalter expressed that "It was still maybe more a teenage thing at that
time. It's like, you know, everybody wants to be in a band." They drew
inspiration from the rock and acid house displayed in the United Kingdom
during the early 1990s. De Homem-Christo pointed to Screamadelica by Primal
Scream as an influential work, as the record "put everything together" in
terms of genre.
The liner notes of Homework pay tribute to a large number of musical
artists and contains a quote from Brian Wilson. Bangalter expressed that "In
Brian Wilson's music you could really feel the beauty - it was very spiritual.
Like Bob Marley, too." When questioned on the success of their debut album
and rising popularity of their associated musical genre, Bangalter responded,
"before us you had Frankie Knuckles or Juan Atkins and so on. The least you
can do is pay respect to those who aren't known and who have influenced
people." The Daft Punk track "Teachers" on Homework refers to several
influences including Romanthony and Todd Edwards. De Homem-Christo stated
that "Their music had a big effect on us. The sound of their productions
- the compression, the sound of the kick drum and Romanthony's voice, the
emotion and soul - is part of how we sound today."
Romanthony and Edwards later collaborated with Daft Punk in tracks
for Discovery. For the album Daft Punk focused on new styles of electronic
music. A major inspiration was the Aphex Twin single "Windowlicker", which
was "neither a purely club track nor a very chilled-out, down-tempo
relaxation track" according to Bangalter. The duo also utilized vintage
equipment to recreate the sound of a previous artist. As stated by de
Homem-Christo, "On 'Digital Love' you get this Supertramp vibe on the bridge,"
which was generated through an in-studio Wurlitzer piano. During a later
interview, de Homem-Christo clarified that "we didn't make a list of artists
we like and copy their songs."
Visual components
Daft Punk are noted for their use of visual components associated
with their musical productions. The music videos for their singles from
Homework featured memorable characters and placed emphasis on storytelling
instead of musical performance. The album Discovery subsequently became the
soundtrack to Interstella 5555.
Their outward personae have also changed over time. During their
Homework years, the duo would usually wear masks to hide their appearance.
When not wearing disguises, they occasionally preferred to be replaced by
animation (as they appeared in The Work of Director Michel Gondry DVD) or
have their faces digitally obscured for press kits. Very few photos of the
duo's faces exist, including a blurry one found in the Homework liner notes.
In their more visible Discovery years, they have appeared as
futuristic robots for publicity photo shoots, interviews, live shows and
music videos. These suits, engineered by Tony Gardner and Alterian, Inc.,
sport complicated helmets capable of various LED effects and metallic finger
gloves. Daft Punk introduced the costumes to many U.S. television viewers
through an advertisement for a special presentation of their videos during
Cartoon Network's Toonami block. Thomas Bangalter once stated, "We didn't
choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working
on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, it exploded.
When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots."
During a video interview shot in Japan, Daft Punk stated that they
donned their robot masks to easily merge the characteristics of humans and
machines. However, Bangalter later admitted that the costumes were initially
the result of shyness. "But then it became exciting from the audiences' point
of view. It's the idea of being an average guy with some kind of superpower".
When asked on whether the duo expressed themselves differently within the
robotic suits, Bangalter stated "No, we don't need to. It's not about having
inhibitions. It's more like an advanced version of glam, where it's definitely
not you." With the release of Human After All, the musical duo's outfits
became slightly less complicated, consisting of simplified versions of the
Discovery head gear and dark leather jumpsuits. The latter were designed by
Hedi Slimane.
During the filming and promotion of Daft Punk's Electroma, the duo
went to great lengths to avoid showing their faces. While on the set of the
film, the duo chose to be interviewed with their backs turned. As reported
on October 2006, the band went as far as to wear black cloth over their heads
during a televised interview.
It is believed that the mystery of their identity and the elaborate
nature of their disguises has added to their popularity. The iconic status of
the robotic costumes has been compared to the makeup of KISS and the leather
jacket worn by Iggy Pop. Bangalter stated, "The mask gets very hot, but after
wearing it as long as I have, I am used to it."
Live performances
In the mid-to-late nineties, Daft Punk performed live without costumes
in many places including the United States. In particular, a rare bootlegged
video featuring the duo in Wisconsin matches the verified identity of Thomas
Bangalter. Less clearly seen, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is to Bangalter's
right and is mostly cut off from the camera. Comparing the artwork packaging
of Homework to the video footage, one can verify that the album's liner note
photo was taken during this event.
In the fall of 1997 they did their Daftendirektour to promote Homework
in several cities throughout the world. For this tour Daft Punk opted to
utilize their home studio equipment for the live stage instead of creating a
more conventional D.J. set. As Bangalter stated, "Everything was synched up
the drum machines, the bass lines. The sequencer was just sending out the
tempos and controlling the beats and bars. On top of this structure we built
all these layers of samples and various parts that we could bring in whenever
we wanted to." May 25, 1997 saw them perform at the Tribal Gathering festival
at Luton Hoo, England, headlining with Orbital and Kraftwerk. Also of note is
the November 8 performance in Birmingham, UK, from which came the recording
of Alive 1997.
At the start of 2006, Daft Punk announced plans for a number of
special summer shows. On April 29, Daft Punk performed at the Coachella
Valley Music and Arts Festival where they received a jubilant reception for
their first U.S. performance since 1997. Thomas Bangalter had initially been
reported as saying that there would be a DVD of their recent live set. He
later emphasized his reluctance for such a release, as the duo felt that
online amateur videos of their performances were more compelling than anything
captured professionally. In an interview with the Miami Herald Guy-Manuel de
Homem-Christo stated that their November 11 appearance at the Bang Music
Festival was their final for 2006 and that Daft Punk would conduct more
performances in the future. The band later specified a date for a live show
at Bercy, Paris for June 2007. Also reported were dates at the Rock Ness
Festival and Wireless Festival in June, the Oxegen festival in July and
Lollapalooza in August. Daft Punk then announced a world tour called Alive
2007.
Daft Punk played at the Rock Ness Festival by the banks of Loch Ness
on June 10, 2007 as the headline act in the 10,000 capacity Clash tent. To
the crowds displeasure, the show was delayed, but the crowd gave the duo a
jubilant welcome when they appeared. Due to popularity, part of the tent was
removed to allow thousands of people outside to see the show. On June 16, 2007
Daft Punk successfully headlined the third day of the O2 Wireless Festival to
positive reaction and reviews. The Times described the set as a "memorable
sensory spectacle, both dazzling and deafening" and ThisisLondon declared it
"an almost faultless set of relentless electro euphoria".
Daft Punk headlined Stage 2/NME Stage at the Oxegen music festival on
July 8, 2007. Their live set was preceded by a showing of the trailer for the
film Daft Punk's Electroma. Subsequent reports stated that the Daft Punk
appearance was the highlight of the festival. NME expressed that the
performance was "a robotic spectacular", while Shoutmouth described the set
as "typically triumphant". Four days later, the duo played at Traffic Torino
Free Festival in Parco della Pellerina in Turin, Italy.
Daft Punk headlined the AT&T stage on August 3, 2007, the first night
of the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. Their show there was praised
by Pitchfork Media stating that the experience of watching the performance
"was a much-needed reminder of the still-potent power of communicative pop."
They composed the music for the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008
Womenswear Full Show on October 7, 2007. The duo also headlined the Vegoose
festival in Las Vegas on October 27. They appeared at the festival along with
bands Rage Against the Machine, Muse and Queens of the Stone Age. At the end
of the month, Daft Punk performed in Mexico City. The duo also performed in
the two other largest cities in Mexico: Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Modular announced that Daft Punk would appear in Australia for an
event in December 2007 called Never Ever Land. The announcement addressed
years of speculation on whether Daft Punk would visit Australia for live
performances. Never Ever Land included Australian acts The Presets, Cut Copy,
Muscles, Van She and the Bang Gang Deejays. Daft Punk were supported by their
regular acts Sebastian and Kavinsky at the appearances, which had been
announced as an extension the Alive 2007 tour. Never Ever Land toured to
Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Perth at the Esplanade, Brisbane at
the Riverstage and finally Sydney at the Sydney Showground Main Arena. A
Triple J interview with Pedro Winter (Busy P) revealed that Daft Punk's
Sydney appearance on December 22 would be their final show for 2007 and the
last to feature the pyramid light scheme. Tickets for the Australian tour
sold more quickly than for any Daft Punk-related event in their history. The
duo stated in an EMI-sponsored live webchat that there will be no tour
performances for 2008, and that they would instead focus on new projects.
The duo appeared with Kanye West to perform a reworked version of
"Stronger" on stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the appearance,
Daft Punk utilized four JazzMutant Lemur controllers. A press release
specified that this was the first televised live performance by the duo in
their career. Bangalter's wife Clodie Bouchez also attended the event.
Appearances in media
Daft Punk appeared with Juliette Lewis in a commercial for The Gap,
and were contractually obliged to appear only in Gap clothing. Daft Punk make
a cameo appearance as their robot alter-egos in their animated film
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.
Daft Punk's "Technologic" was sampled by Swizz Beatz for a Busta
Rhymes song called "Touch It". In a later remix of "Touch It" the line touch
it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, stop, format it from
"Technologic" was sung at a slower pace by R&B and rap artist Missy Elliott.
Daft Punk appeared in a television ad to promote Sony-Ericsson's
Premini mobile phone.
In 2005, LCD Soundsystem recorded a song called "Daft Punk Is Playing
at My House". It reached #29 in the UK and was nominated for Best Dance
Recording in the 2006 Grammys. The Soulwax remix of the track also contains
samples of many Daft Punk tracks.
"Losing My Edge", the first single by LCD Soundsystem, also bragged
about being the first to "play Daft Punk to the rock kids."
They produced the Teriyaki Boyz song "HeartBreaker" on the album Beef
or Chicken. The song contains a sample of "Human After All".
Kanye West's 2007 song "Stronger" from the album Graduation features
a sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Daft Punk's robotic costumes
make an appearance in the music video for "Stronger".
The track "Daftendirekt" from Daft Punk's debut album Homework was
sampled for the Janet Jackson song "So Much Betta" from her 2008 album
Discipline.
The robotic Daft Punk costumes make an appearance in the "Masterclass"
section on Gonzales' 2006 DVD release From Major to Minor.
In the Flight of the Conchords episode "Sally", a music video for the
Flight of the Conchords song "Robots" is shot with homemade robot costumes
fashioned by the band's manager, Murray. Jemaine comments, "They don't look
like Daft Punk. We wanted ones that look like Daft Punk." Murray, often
revealed to lack basic knowledge of music, replies, "I don't know who he is."
In the film 25th Hour, Anna Paquin enters a nightclub and comments,
"Like, Daft Punk was in here."
Daft Punk's discography appeared on an iPhone ad in which the person
using the iPhone selects Discovery and purchases "Aerodynamic" from the
iTunes Store. Alive 2007 can also be seen as a selection on the iPhone.
Discography
Studio albums
Homework - March 25, 1997
Discovery - March 13, 2001
Human After All - March 14, 2005
Other albums
Alive 1997 (live album) - November 6, 2001
Daft Club (remix album) - December 1, 2003
Human After All: Remixes (remix album) - March 29, 2006
Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005 (compilation album) - April 4, 2006
Alive 2007 (live album) - November 20, 2007
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