Daft Punk Breaks Up
Daft Punk (via Pitchfork)
After 28 years, the acclaimed French duo Daft Punk, composed of members Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, has split.
The group announced their breakup through a YouTube video entitled “Epilogue”. The video shows a clip taken from their 2006 film, Electroma. Throughout the eight-minute scene, two robots meet in the desert. Eventually, they say goodbye, before one of the robots self-destructs. A timestamp appears on the screen of 1993-2021 — marking the years Daft Punk was together before their disbandment.
The band’s longtime publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to multiple outlets, including Pitchfork and Billboard.
In 1997, Daft Punk released their debut studio album, Homework. The album helped solidify house music in the mainstream. Initially, Homework was not conceptualized as an album, since the duo planned to work on a collection of singles over a five-month period. However, after realizing the cohesiveness of the singles produced, they decided to curate the tracks into a full-length album. Homework received critical acclaim and international success, selling two million copies within five years after its release.
Their sophomore album, Discovery, furthered the group’s popularity. The album was influenced by the music of the duo’s youth, and saw them embracing the soundscape of 70s and 80s pop. It consisted of some of Daft Punk’s most commercially successful singles, including “One More Time” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. The album soundtracked the anime film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem. Before the release of Discovery, the duo starting using robot helmets in press events, which became an integral part of their public image.
Throughout their nearly 30-year run, Daft Punk gained international acclaim for being a leading pioneer and influencer of electronic and French house music. Their distinctive style helped introduce dance music and EDM to a larger audience. They have been nominated for 12 Grammy awards, and have won six. In 2014, they won Album of the Year for their final studio album, Random Access Memories, as well as Song of the Year for their 2014 hit single “Get Lucky”, featuring writing credits from both Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, co-founder of Chic.
The group gained their first and only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 for their collaboration with The Weeknd on the title track for his 2016 album, Starboy. Throughout the 21st century, they have established a growing cultural presence. Their cultural influence can be seen through the many projects, references, and samples involving their work. In 2010, the duo composed the score for the Disney’s Tron sequel, Tron: Legacy. In 2005, LCD Soundsystem released their classic indie hit “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”. And in 2007, Kanye West sampled “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” on his hit single, “Stronger”.
Despite their popularity, the duo attempted to establish levels of anonymity within their public persona. Their signature uniform covered their entire body through their routine use of futuristic motorcycle helmets, suits, and gloves. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bangalter noted the theatrical visuals behind Kraftwerk and David Bowie as inspiration, stating, “We’re interested in the line between fiction and reality, creating these fictional personas that exist in real life”.
Daft Punk ends their career with a large body of work, including four studio albums and two live albums. In 2019, Pitchfork placed their work among their lists of the 200 best songs and albums of the 2010s.
Edited by Sha Frasier, editor of News
Cover art by Miriam Sills