Daft Punk
Un article de Vev.
Daft Punk is a duo consisting of Paris house musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (born February 8, 1974)<ref name="MusiqueVol.1" /> and Thomas Bangalter (born January 3, 1975).<ref name="MusiqueVol.1" /> The duo is considered one of the most successful electronic music collaborations of all time, both in album sales and in critical acclaim.<ref>Daft Punk page at thedjlist.com. Retrieved on December 24 2006.</ref> 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.<ref name="Mixmag 2006" />
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.
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History
Early years (1987–1993)
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo met on the grounds of the Lycée Carnot in Paris in 1987.<ref name="MusiqueVol.1">Daft Punk Musique Vol. 1 Official Website. Archived from April 10 2006.</ref> The two became good friends and later recorded demo tracks with others from the school.<ref name="RFI Musique">RFI Musique - Biography - Daft Punk rfimusique.com. Retrieved on March 3 2007.</ref> This eventually led to the formation of the guitar-based group Darlin' with Laurent Brancowitz in 1992.<ref name="DarlinBio" /> Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played bass and guitar, respectively, while Brancowitz performed on drums.<ref name="FrenchConn">James, Martin. French Connections: From Discotheque to Discovery. London, United Kingdom: Sanctuary Publishing Ltd., 2003. pgs 265; 267; 268. (ISBN 1-8607-4449-4)</ref> The indie rock trio had branded themselves after The Beach Boys song of the same name, which they covered along with an original composition.<ref name="Shimmies">Shimmies In Super 8 at Discogs. Retrieved on July 17 2007.</ref> Stereolab released both tracks on a multi-artist Duophonic Records EP<ref name="Shimmies" /> and invited the band to open for stage shows in the United Kingdom.<ref name="ROBOPOP" /> 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."<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997" /> 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.<ref name="RFI Musique" /> As the latter stated, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and this happened so quickly."<ref name="DaftPulse">Alan Di Perna, "We Are The Robots" Pulse!, April 2001, pp. 65-69.</ref> Darlin' soon disbanded, leaving Brancowitz to pursue other efforts with Phoenix.<ref name="DarlinBio" /> Bangalter and de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk and experimented with drum machines and synthesizers. Daft punk have attributed a lot of their music to the early works of "Ace Munroe", a little known musician from the late seventies.
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.<ref name="RFI Musique" /> 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.<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997" /> 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.<ref name="FrenchConn"/> The band signed with Virgin Records in September 1996<ref name="MusiqueVol.1" /> and made a deal through which they licensed their tracks to the major label through their production company, Daft Trax.<ref name="FrenchConn"/> "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. 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.<ref name="MTVeInterview" /> 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.<ref name="ROBOPOP">Chris Gill, "ROBOPOP" (May 2001) Remix Magazine Online. Retrieved on March 6 2007.</ref> 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 UK, 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. The singles "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" were also very successful in the UK and on the U.S. dance chart, and "Face to Face" hit #1 on the U.S. club play charts despite a limited single release. 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.<ref name="5555Insert">Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem companion leaflet (2003)</ref> 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)
Starting on September 13 and ending November 9 2004, Daft Punk devoted six weeks<ref>Human After All liner notes (2005). Retrieved on December 17 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="ElectromaReview">Daft Punk's Electroma review variety.com. Retrieved on February 26 2007.</ref> The film does not 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 2007.<ref name="DaftAllocine">Daft Punk's Electroma Screenings Info Modèle:Fr icon allocine.fr. Retrieved on April 11 2007.</ref> Initial public comments have since been positive.<ref name="ElectromaNews">Daft Punk's Electroma news thedaftclub.com. Retrieved on March 29 2007.</ref>
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.<ref name="Spin.com">Exclusive: Daft Punk Unveil Live Album Details; Midlake to Release EP Spin.com. Accessed on August 27 2007.</ref> The live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" from Alive 2007 was released as a single.<ref name="Billboard" /> A music video for the single directed by Oliver Gondry features footage shot by 250 audience members at Daft Punk's Brooklyn appearance at KeySpan Park, Coney Island.<ref>Daft Punk Announce Live Album side-line.com. Retrieved on August 31 2007.</ref>
Influences
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,<ref>Les Inrockuptibles (March 2005).</ref> MC5, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Stooges.<ref name="DarlinBio">Darlin' biography at Discogs. Retrieved on February 20 2007.</ref> 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."<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997">Matthew Collin, ("Do You Think You Can Hide From Stardom?" (August 1997) Mixmag. Retrieved on March 6 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="Mixmag 2006" />
The liner notes of Homework pay tribute to a large number of musical artists and contain 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."<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997" /> 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 are not known and who have influenced people."<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997" /> 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."<ref name="ROBOPOP" />
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.<ref name="MTVeInterview">"Daft Punk Embark On A Voyage of Discovery" MTVe.com. Retrieved on February 22 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="mixonlineinterview">Bryan Reesman, Daft Punk interview mixonline.com. Retrieved on March 6 2007.</ref> During a later interview, de Homem-Christo clarified that "we didn't make a list of artists we like and copy their songs."<ref name="MiamiHerald" />
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.<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997"/> 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.,<ref name="Disc liner">Liner notes of the Discovery album - "Bionics Engineering by Tony Gardner & Alterian"</ref> 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.<ref name="ToonamiDaft">Toonami: Digital Arsenal toonamiarsenal.com Retrieved on April 14, 2007.</ref> Thomas Bangalter once stated, "We did not 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."<ref name="ROBOPOP"/>
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."<ref name="Mixmag 2006">Suzanne Ely, "Return of the Cybermen" Mixmag, July 2006, pp. 94-98.</ref> 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."<ref name="Mixmag 2006" /> 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.<ref name="Mixmag 2006" />
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.<ref>Daft Punk Talk Electroma. While Wearing Bags On Their Heads. twitchfilm.net. Retrieved on March 6 2007.</ref>
It is believed that the mystery of their identity and the elaborate nature of their disguises has added to their popularity.<ref name="Mixmag 2006" /> 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."<ref name="Paper">Daft Punk and the Rise of the Parisian Nightlife Paper Magazine. Retrieved on November 4 2007.</ref>
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 notably opted to utilize their home studio equipment for the live stage instead of creating a more conventional DJ set.<ref name="Interview at Mixmag 1997"/> 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."<ref name="ROBOPOP" /> Also of note is the November 8 performance in Birmingham, U.K., 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.<ref>Merry Swankster, Coachella Show Review (May 05, 2006) Retrieved on February 25 2006.</ref> Thomas Bangalter had initially been reported as saying that there would be a DVD of their recent live set.<ref>Interview at French Touch Forum Retrieved on March 7 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="Vagoose">Las Vegas Weekly: Chatting with a robot Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved on October 26 2007.</ref> In an interview with the Miami Herald<ref name="MiamiHerald">Michael Hamersly, "Ask the DJ" (November 10, 2006) Miami Herald. Retrieved on March 6 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="DaftPunkMySpace">Daft Punk's Official MySpace Page myspace.com. Retrieved on August 31 2007.</ref> Also reported were dates at the Rock Ness Festival and Wireless Festival in June,<ref>Rockness '07 rockness.co.uk. Retrieved on February 28 2007</ref><ref>Wireless Festival '07 wirelessfestival.co.uk. Retrieved on June 16 2007</ref> the Oxegen festival in July<ref>Oxygen '07 oxegen.ie. Retrieved on February 24 2007</ref> and Lollapalooza in August.<ref>Lolla '07 lollapalooza.com. Retrieved on April 12 2007.</ref> Daft Punk also announced a world tour called Alive 2007.<ref name="DaftPunkMySpace" />
Daft Punk played at the Rock Ness Festival on June 10 2007 as the headline act in the 10,000 capacity Clash tent. 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.<ref name="Rock Ness">Clash Magazine Rock Ness Review. clashmagazine.com Retrieved on June 17 2007.</ref> 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"<ref>Wireless Festival review Times Online. Retrieved on July 6 2007</ref> and ThisisLondon declared it "an almost faultless set of relentless electro euphoria".<ref>O2 Wireless Festival London 2007 review ThisisLondon. Retrieved on July 6 2007</ref>
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",<ref>Daft Punk close Oxegen with robotic spectacular NME.com. Retrieved on July 12 2007.</ref> while Shoutmouth described the set as "typically triumphant".<ref>Daft Punk Closes Out Oxegen Festival shoutmouth.com. Retrieved on July 12 2007.</ref> Four days later, the duo played at Traffic Torino Free Festival in Parco della Pellerina in Turin, Italy.<ref>Daft Punk at Traffic Torino Free Festival trafficfestival.com. Retrieved on July 13 2007.</ref>
The duo 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."<ref>Lollapalooza Report Friday (Scott Plagenhoef) Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on August 7 2007.</ref>
Daft Punk composed the music for the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008 Womenswear Full Show on October 7 2007.<ref>Louis Vuitton Fashion Show Retrieved on October 9 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="DaftPunkMySpace" /> At the end of the month, Daft Punk performed in Mexico City.<ref>Révision: Daft Punk Ciudad de México Modèle:Sp icon vivirmexico.com. Retrieved on November 6 2007.</ref> The duo also performed in the two other largest cities in Mexico: Guadalajara<ref>Gallery Calendar guadalajarareporter.com. Retrieved on November 6 2007.</ref> and Monterrey.<ref>Daft Punk Monterrey Weekend: Part One URB. Retrieved on November 6 2007.</ref>
Modular announced that Daft Punk would appear in Australia for an event in December 2007 called Never Ever Land.<ref>Daft Punk ARE coming to Australia inthemix.com.au. Retrieved on August 30 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="DaftPunkMySpace" /> 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.<ref>Official Never Ever Land site. Retrieved on August 30 2007.</ref> 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.<ref>Daft Punk to Play Last Shows in Australia abc.net.au. Retrieved on October 19 2007.</ref> Tickets for the Australian tour sold more and quicker than any Daft Punk-related event in their history.<ref>Zan Rowe Interviews Busy P on Triple j triplej.net.au. Retrieved on September 30 2007.</ref>
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.
- 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 lines from "Technologic" were sung 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 from many of Daft Punk's tracks.
- "Losing My Edge", the first single by LCD Soundsystem, also bragged about being the first to "play Daft Punk to the rock kids."
- Daft Punk 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".<ref name="Billboard">Live Album To Chronicle Daft Punk Tour Billboard.com. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.</ref>
Discography
References
External links
- Official website
- Alive 2007 official website
- Modèle:Imdb name
- Modèle:Discogs artist
- Modèle:Musicbrainz artist
- Modèle:Allmusicguide
- Modèle:MySpace
- Modèle:Last.fm
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