Daft Punk

Daft Punk is a French electronic duo from Paris, formed in 1993 by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The pair is active between 1993 and 2021 and is associated with club, dance, disco, EDM, electro and electro house, as well as house, funk, techno, rock and synth-pop.

Early history and image

Bangalter and de Homem-Christo form Daft Punk after their previous group, the indie rock band Darlin', splits up. In the late 1990s they become closely linked with the French house movement. From 1996 to 2008, Pedro Winter, the founder of Ed Banger Records, manages the duo. In 1999, they begin appearing in public as robots, using helmets, gloves and costumes to hide their identities.

Albums and singles

Their debut album, Homework, is released on Virgin Records in 1997 and includes the singles “Around the World” and “Da Funk”. Their second album, Discovery, appears in 2001 and brings further commercial success with “One More Time”, “Digital Love” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. Discovery also provides the basis for the animated film Interstella 5555, supervised by Leiji Matsumoto.

Daft Punk release Human After All in 2005. Its singles “Robot Rock” and “Technologic” achieve chart success in several countries. The duo direct the science fiction film Electroma in 2006 and tour in 2006 and 2007, later issuing the live album Alive 2007.

Later work and awards

In 2010, Daft Punk compose the score for Tron: Legacy. In 2013 they leave Virgin Records, sign with Columbia Records and release their fourth and final studio album, Random Access Memories. The album includes “Get Lucky”, which reaches the top ten in numerous countries. At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Random Access Memories wins five awards, including Album of the Year, while “Get Lucky” wins Record of the Year. Their collaboration with the Weeknd, “Starboy”, becomes their only number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016.

Recognition

Rolling Stone ranks Daft Punk twelfth on its list of the greatest musical duos in 2015. The magazine later includes Discovery and Random Access Memories in its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.