Da Funk
Encyclopedia
"Da Funk" is an instrumental track by Daft Punk
initially released as a single in 1995 and later included on their debut album Homework. "Da Funk" and its accompanying video directed by Spike Jonze
are considered classics of 1990s house music
.
label with the B-side "Rollin' & Scratchin'" and again in late 1996 after the band signed with Virgin Records
with the B-side "Musique", a track that later appeared in the album Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005
.
In an interview with Fredrik Strage for swedish magazine Pop #23 Bangalter reveal that "Da Funk" was made after listening to Westcoast G-Funk for weeks.
In September 2010 Pitchfork Media
included the song at number 18 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.
was directed by Spike Jonze
and entitled Big City Nights. It focuses on the character Charles (Tony Maxwell
), an anthropomorphic dog in a leg cast with a crutch wearing urban clothing. Charles, who has lived in New York City
for only one month, is shown walking around with a boombox
blasting "Da Funk" at a high volume. His hobbled walk is made fun of by a pair of children. He is turned down when he attempts to participate in a public survey. His boombox annoys a bookseller on the sidewalk from whom Charles buys a paperback novel entitled Big City Nights. Charles meets a woman named Beatrice (Catherine Kellner
), who was once his childhood neighbor. They agree to have dinner together at her home, traveling by way of a city bus. Beatrice boards the bus, but Charles is startled by a sign stating "NO RADIOS". As he is unable to turn off his boombox (which is earlier indicated to have a broken/missing volume button) he reluctantly remains at the bus stop, as the bus drives off with Beatrice.
Although the video has drawn several interpretations, Thomas Bangalter
has stated:
and they drive off into the sunset.
The concept for this video echoes that of the "Da Funk" video, in that the track is treated as nothing more than a score against which the story plays out. "Fresh" was directed by Daft Punk themselves; Jonze makes a guest appearance as the director of Charles' film. According to the D.A.F.T.
audio commentary, Daft Punk wanted Charles to return in a happier environment, to cheer up fans who saw him in a depressing situation in the "Da Funk" video. This would see him enjoying an acting career, receiving compliments, and dating Beatrice.
Daft Punk
Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter . Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop...
initially released as a single in 1995 and later included on their debut album Homework. "Da Funk" and its accompanying video directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
are considered classics of 1990s house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
.
Background
"Da Funk" was initially released as a 12 inch single in 1995 under the Soma Quality RecordingsSoma Quality Recordings
Soma Quality Recordings is a Scottish techno and house label co-founded in 1991 by the electronic music duo Slam...
label with the B-side "Rollin' & Scratchin'" and again in late 1996 after the band signed with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
with the B-side "Musique", a track that later appeared in the album Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005
Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005
Musique Vol. 1 1993–2005 is an anthology by Daft Punk released in Japan on 29 March 2006, in the United Kingdom on 3 April 2006, and in the United States on 4 April 2006. A special edition includes a bonus DVD with 12 music videos—two of which are new, "The Prime Time of Your Life" and "Robot Rock "...
.
In an interview with Fredrik Strage for swedish magazine Pop #23 Bangalter reveal that "Da Funk" was made after listening to Westcoast G-Funk for weeks.
- "It was around the time Warren GWarren GWarren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
.'s "Regulate" was released and we wanted to make some sort of gangsta-rap and tried to murk our sounds as much as possible. However no one has ever compared it to hip-hop. We've heard that the drums sounds like Queen and The Clash, the melody is reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder, and the synthesizers sound like electro and thousand of other comparisons. No one agree with us that it sounds like hip-hop"
In September 2010 Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
included the song at number 18 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.
Music video
The track's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
and entitled Big City Nights. It focuses on the character Charles (Tony Maxwell
Tony Maxwell
Tony Maxwell is an American musician.From 1991 to 1997 he was the drummer for the band That Dog. After the breakup of the band, he worked as composer on the films Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl....
), an anthropomorphic dog in a leg cast with a crutch wearing urban clothing. Charles, who has lived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for only one month, is shown walking around with a boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
blasting "Da Funk" at a high volume. His hobbled walk is made fun of by a pair of children. He is turned down when he attempts to participate in a public survey. His boombox annoys a bookseller on the sidewalk from whom Charles buys a paperback novel entitled Big City Nights. Charles meets a woman named Beatrice (Catherine Kellner
Catherine Kellner
Catherine Kellner is an American character actress.Kellner was born in Manhattan, New York to a psychologist/photographer mother and a squash player/Greek classics scholar father who was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant...
), who was once his childhood neighbor. They agree to have dinner together at her home, traveling by way of a city bus. Beatrice boards the bus, but Charles is startled by a sign stating "NO RADIOS". As he is unable to turn off his boombox (which is earlier indicated to have a broken/missing volume button) he reluctantly remains at the bus stop, as the bus drives off with Beatrice.
Although the video has drawn several interpretations, Thomas Bangalter
Thomas Bangalter
Thomas Bangalter is a French electronic musician best known as a member of the French house music duo Daft Punk. He has also recorded and released music as a member of the trio Stardust, the duo Together, and as a solo artist including compositions for the film Irréversible.Thomas Bangalter owns a...
has stated:
"Fresh" video
Charles would indeed return in the music video for the Daft Punk track "Fresh", which is also from Homework. In this video, he is an actor shooting scenes for a film set on a beach. When the day's shoot is over, he discusses techniques with the director and then runs into Beatrice; they have apparently become boyfriend and girlfriend. The two make plans to go to a restaurant for dinner. Charles gets into Beatrice's red convertibleConvertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
and they drive off into the sunset.
The concept for this video echoes that of the "Da Funk" video, in that the track is treated as nothing more than a score against which the story plays out. "Fresh" was directed by Daft Punk themselves; Jonze makes a guest appearance as the director of Charles' film. According to the D.A.F.T.
D.A.F.T. - A Story about Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes
D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes is a video collection by Daft Punk that was released in 1999. It features music videos of tracks from Daft Punk's Homework album...
audio commentary, Daft Punk wanted Charles to return in a happier environment, to cheer up fans who saw him in a depressing situation in the "Da Funk" video. This would see him enjoying an acting career, receiving compliments, and dating Beatrice.
5-track DJ single
- "Da Funk" (Short Edit) – 2:41
- "Da Funk" (Long Edit) – 3:48
- "Da Funk" (LP Version) – 5:35
- "Ten Minutes of Funk" – 10:08
- "Call Out Hook" – 0:10
Chart positions
| Charts (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
31 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 20 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 9 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 96 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 16 |
| French Singles Chart | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |