Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house, funk, disco, techno and rock. They are regarded as one of the most influential acts in electronic dance music (EDM).
Daft Punk formed after their previous group, the indie rock band Darlin', disbanded. They were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter, the head of Ed Banger Records. Their debut album, Homework, was released by Virgin Records in 1997 to positive reviews, backed by the singles "Around the World" and "Da Funk". Alive 1997, a live album that was recorded in November 1997 in Birmingham, was released four years later in 2001. From 1999, Daft Punk assumed robot personas for their rare public and media appearances, with helmets, outfits and gloves to disguise their identities; Bangalter took on a silver-helmet, while Homem-Christo wore gold. Daft Punk's second album, Discovery (2001), earned acclaim and further success, with the hit singles "One More Time", "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". It became the basis for an animated film, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003), supervised by the Japanese artist Leiji Matsumoto. Bangalter found success outside of Daft Punk as part of Stardust, most notably for their song "Music Sounds Better with You" (1998).
Daft Punk's third album, Human After All (2005), received mixed reviews, though the singles "Robot Rock" and "Technologic" were successful in the United Kingdom. Daft Punk directed an avant-garde science-fiction film, Electroma, released in 2006. They toured throughout 2006 and 2007 and released the live album Alive 2007, which won a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album; the tour is credited for broadening the appeal of dance music in North America. Daft Punk composed the score for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy. In 2013, Daft Punk left Virgin for Columbia Records and released their fourth and final album, Random Access Memories, to great acclaim. The lead single, the Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers-featured "Get Lucky", reached the top 10 in the charts of 27 countries, and was one of the most recognisable songs of the 2010s. Random Access Memories won five Grammy Awards in 2014, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for "Get Lucky".
In 2016, Daft Punk gained their only number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Starboy", a collaboration with the Weeknd. Rolling Stone ranked them the 12th-greatest musical duo of all time in 2015, and included Discovery and Random Access Memories on their 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Daft Punk announced their amicable split in 2021 after 28 years as a duo.
History 1987–1992: Early career and Darlin'
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter met in 1987 while attending the Lycée Carnot secondary school in Paris. The two became friends and recorded demos with others from the school. In 1992, they formed the band Darlin', with Bangalter on bass, Homem-Christo on guitar, and Laurent Brancowitz on guitar and drums. The trio named themselves after the Beach Boys song "Darlin", which they covered along with an original composition. Both tracks were released on a multi-artist EP called Shimmies in Super 8 under Duophonic Records, a label owned by the London-based band Stereolab, who invited Darlin' to open for shows in the United Kingdom.
Darlin' disbanded after around six months, having played two gigs and produced four songs. Bangalter described the project as "pretty average". Brancowitz formed another band, Phoenix. Bangalter and Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk, using electronic instruments purchased with money Bangalter received for his 18th birthday. Their name was taken from a negative review of Darlin' in Melody Maker by Dave Jennings, who dubbed their music "a daft punky thrash". The band found the review amusing. Homem-Christo said, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and [this name] happened so quickly."
1993–1996: First performances and singles In September 1993, Daft Punk attended a rave at EuroDisney organised by the DJ Nicky Holloway, where they met Stuart Macmillan of Slam, the co-founder of the Scottish label Soma Quality Recordings.Daft Punk in Glasgow: Slam on 'the two quiet wee guys' who used to crash on their sofa , Jules Boyle, Glasgow Live, 24 February 2021 They gave him a demo tape, which formed the basis for Daft Punk's debut single, "The New Wave", a limited release in 1994. The single also contained the final mix of "The New Wave" called "Alive", which appeared on Daft Punk's first album.
Daft Punk returned to the studio in May 1995 to record "Da Funk". After it became their first commercially successful single, they hired a manager, Pedro Winter, who regularly promoted them and other artists at his Hype nightclubs. They signed with Virgin Records in September 1996 and made a deal to license tracks through their production company, Daft Trax. Bangalter said that while they received numerous offers from record labels, they wanted to wait and ensure that they did not lose creative control. He considered the deal with Virgin more akin to a partnership.
In the mid-to-late nineties, Daft Punk performed live at various events, without the costumes they later became known for. In 1996, they made their first performance in the United States, at an Even Furthur event in Wisconsin.Daft Punk, live at Even Furthur 1996 driftglass.org. Retrieved 4 October 2008. In addition to live original performances, they performed in clubs using vinyl records from their collection. They were known for incorporating numerous styles of music into their DJ sets.
1997–1999: Homework Daft Punk released their debut album, Homework, on 20 January 1997. That February, the UK dance magazine Muzik published a Daft Punk cover feature and described Homework as "one of the most hyped debut albums in a long long time".Bush, C. (1997), Frog Rock, Muzik, IPC Magazines Ltd, London, Issue No.21 February 1997. According to The Village Voice, the album revived house music and departed from the Eurodance formula.Woods, Scott (5 October 1999). "Underground Disco?" . The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 February 2012. The critic Alex Rayner wrote that it combined established club styles and the "burgeoning eclecticism" of big beat.Rayner, Alex (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. p. 812. New York, NY: Universe Publishing. 2006. . Retrieved 8 May 2012. In 1997, Daft Punk embarked on an international concert tour, Daftendirektour, using their home equipment for the live stage. On 25 May, they headlined the Tribal Gathering festival at Luton Hoo, England, with Orbital and Kraftwerk.2 Cents: Kraftwerk, Tribal Gathering (25 May 1997). Retrieved 7 February 2007.
The most successful single from Homework was "Around the World". "Da Funk" was also included on the Saint film soundtrack. Daft Punk produced a series of music videos for Homework directed by Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Roman Coppola and Seb Janiak. The videos were collected in 1999 as D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes.
After the release of Homework, Bangalter and Homem-Christo created their own record labels, Roulé and Crydamoure, and released side projects and records by their friends. Homem-Christo released music as a member of Le Knight Club with Eric Chedeville. Bangalter released music as a member of Together with DJ Falcon and founded the group Stardust with Alan Braxe and Benjamin Diamond. In 1998, Stardust released their only song, the hit "Music Sounds Better With You".
1999–2003: Discovery Daft Punk's second album, Discovery, was released on 12 March 2001. They said it was an attempt to reconnect with the playful, open-minded attitude associated with the discovery phase of childhood.Chris Gill, "Robopop" (May 2001) Remix Magazine Online. Retrieved 6 March 2007. The album reached No. 2 in the UK, and its lead single, "One More Time", was a hit. The singles "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" were also successful in the UK and on the US Dance Chart, and "Face to Face" hit number one on the US club play charts.
Discovery created a new generation of Daft Punk fans. It also saw Daft Punk debut their distinctive robot costumes; they had previously worn Halloween masks or bags for promotional appearances. Discovery was later named one of the best albums of the decade by publications including Pitchfork and Resident Advisor. In 2020, Rolling Stone included it at number 236 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2021, Pitchfork cited Discovery as the centrepiece of Daft Punk's career, "an album that transcended the robots' club roots and rippled through the decades that followed".
Daft Punk partnered with the Japanese manga artist Leiji Matsumoto to create Interstella 5555, a feature-length animation set to Discovery. The first four episodes were shown on Toonami in 2001, and the finished film was released on DVD in 2003. That December, Daft Punk released Daft Club, a compilation of Discovery remixes. In 2001, Daft Punk released a 45-minute excerpt from a Daftendirektour performance as Alive 1997.Alive 1997 (liner notes). Daft Punk. Virgin Records, a division of Universal Music Group. 2001.
2004–2007: Human After All and Alive 2007
In March 2005, Daft Punk released their third album, Human After All, the result of six weeks of writing and recording.Human After All liner notes (2005). Retrieved 17 December 2007. Reviews were mixed, with criticism for its repetitiveness and darker mood. "Robot Rock", "Technologic", "Human After All" and "The Prime Time of Your Life" were released as singles. A Daft Punk anthology CD/DVD, Musique Vol. 1 1993–2005, was released on 4 April 2006. Daft Punk also released a remix album, Human After All: Remixes.
On 21 May 2006, Daft Punk premiered a film, Daft Punk's Electroma, at the Cannes Film Festival sidebar Director's Fortnight.Daft Punk's Electroma review Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2007. It does not include Daft Punk's music. Midnight screenings were held in Paris theatres from March 2007.Daft Punk's Electroma Screenings Info allocine.fr. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
For 48 dates across 2006 and 2007, Daft Punk performed the Alive 2006/2007 world tour, performing a "megamix" of their music from a large LED-fronted pyramid. The tour was acclaimed and is credited for bringing dance music to a wider audience, especially in North America. The Guardian journalist Gabriel Szatan likened it to how the Beatles' 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show had brought British rock and roll to the American mainstream.
Daft Punk's performance in Paris was released as their second live album, Alive 2007, on 19 November 2007.Exclusive: Daft Punk Unveil Live Album Details; Midlake to Release EP Spin. Retrieved 27 August 2007. The live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single,Live Album To Chronicle Daft Punk Tour Billboard. Retrieved 17 August 2007. with a video by Olivier Gondry comprising audience footage of their performance in Brooklyn.Daft Punk Announce Live Album side-line.com. Retrieved 31 August 2007. In 2009, Daft Punk won Grammy Awards for Alive 2007 and its single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
2008–2011: Tron: Legacy In 2007, Kanye West sampled "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" in his single "Stronger". Daft Punk made a surprise appearance at the 50th Grammy Awards on 10 February 2008, and performed a reworked version of "Stronger" with West at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Daft Punk Make Surprise Grammy Appearance with Kanye West NME. Retrieved 10 February 2008. It was the first televised Daft Punk live performance.