Daft Punk
Encyclopedia
Daft Punk are an electronic music
duo consisting of French
musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
(born February 8, 1974) and Thomas Bangalter
(born January 3, 1975). 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
. The duo is also credited with producing songs that are considered essential in the French house
scene. They were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter
(Busy P), the head of Ed Banger Records
.
Early in the group's career, the band members were strongly influenced by groups such as The Beach Boys
and The Rolling Stones
. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were originally in a band called Darlin'
, which disbanded after a short period of time, leaving the two to experiment musically on their own. The duo became Daft Punk, and released their critically acclaimed debut album Homework in 1997. The 2001 release Discovery
was even more successful, driven by the club singles "One More Time
", "Digital Love
" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
". In March 2005, the duo released the album Human After All to mixed reviews. However, the singles "Robot Rock
" and "Technologic
" achieved success in the United Kingdom. Daft Punk toured throughout 2006 and 2007
and released the live album Alive 2007
, which won a Grammy award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
. The duo composed the score of the film Tron: Legacy and in 2010 released the soundtrack album of the film
.
Daft Punk are noted for their elaborate live shows, in which visual elements and effects are incorporated with the music. The group is also known for its emphasis on visual and story components associated with their musical productions, as well as for wearing ornate robot
costumes in public and while performing.
and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
met in 1987 while attending the Lycée Carnot
, a secondary school in Paris
. The two became good friends and later recorded demo
tracks with others from the school. This eventually led to the formation of the guitar-based group called Darlin'
with Laurent Brancowitz
in 1992. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played bass
and guitar
, respectively, while Brancowitz performed on drums
. The trio had branded themselves after The Beach Boys
song of the same name, which they covered
along with an original composition. Stereolab
released both tracks on a multi-artist Duophonic Records
EP and invited the band to open for stage shows in the United Kingdom. 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." A negative review in Melody Maker
subsequently dubbed the music "a bunch of daft punk
." Instead of dismissing the review, they found it amusing. As de Homem-Christo stated, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and this happened so quickly." Darlin' soon disbanded, leaving Brancowitz to pursue other efforts with Phoenix
. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk and experimented with drum machine
s and synthesizer
s.
at EuroDisney
, where they met Stuart Macmillan of Slam
, co-founder of the label Soma Quality Recordings
. 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. The single also contained the final mix of "The New Wave" called "Alive", which was to be featured on their first album.
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 eventually settled on Pedro Winter
, who regularly promoted them and other artists at his Hype night clubs. The band signed with Virgin Records
in September 1996 and made a deal through which they licensed their tracks to the major label through their production company, Daft Trax. Bangalter spoke of the duo's decision to sign with Virgin:
With regard to the artistic control and freedom, Bangalter stated:
"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. "Da Funk" was also included on The Saint
film soundtrack. It was during this period of change in dance music that Daft Punk became largely successful. They combined the aforementioned music styles with crowd pleasing elements of rave
. 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 video
s 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.
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. 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 United Kingdom, and its single "One More Time
" was a major club and mainstream hit, which nearly topped the UK Singles Chart. The song is well known for being heavily auto-tuned
and compressed. The song and album created 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 United States dance chart, and "Face to Face
" hit #1 on the USA 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. 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.
", "Technologic
", "Human After All
", "The Prime Time of Your Life
" and "The Brainwasher". 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. 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. Initial public comments have since been positive.
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 live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" from Alive 2007 was released as a single. A music video for the single directed by Olivier Gondry features footage shot by 250 audience members at Daft Punk's Brooklyn
appearance at KeySpan Park, Coney Island
.
label and his work as Busy P. He stated in a later interview that the duo are working with an unspecified management company in Los Angeles
. In 2008, Daft Punk placed 38th in a worldwide official poll of DJ Magazine after debuting at position 71 in the year before. On February 8, 2009, Daft Punk won Grammy Award
s for Alive 2007 and its single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
Daft Punk provided eleven new mixes featuring their music for the video game DJ Hero
. They also appear in the game as playable characters, along with their own venue. The duo appear wearing their Discovery-era helmets and Human After All-era leather attire. Daft Punk's playable likenesses are absent from the sequel DJ Hero 2
, which includes a remixed version of their song "Human After All".
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the duo composed 24 tracks for the film Tron: Legacy. Daft Punk's score was arranged and orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese
. The band collaborated with him for two years on the score, from pre-production to completion. The score features an 85-piece orchestra, recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios in London. Joseph Kosinski
, director of Tron: Legacy, referred to the score as being a mixture of orchestral and electronic elements. Daft Punk also make a cameo appearance as disc jockey
programs wearing their trademark robot masks within the film's virtual world. Tron: Legacy co-star Olivia Wilde
stated that the duo may be involved with future promotional events related to the film. A teaser trailer features Daft Punk and their track "Derezzed" from Tron: Legacy. The soundtrack album of the film
was released on December 6, 2010. A deluxe 2-disc edition of the album was also released that includes a poster of the duo from the film. Additional bonus tracks are also available through various online vendors. An official music video for "Derezzed" also premiered on the MTV Networks on the same day the album was released. The video was later made available for purchase from the iTunes Store
. Walt Disney Records
released a remix album of the score titled Tron: Legacy Reconfigured on April 5, 2011.
In 2010 Daft Punk were admitted into the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
, an order of merit
of France. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were individually awarded the rank of Chevalier (knight).
Soma Records
released a previously unpublished Daft Punk track called "Drive" that was made during the same time the duo was still with Soma Records and recording "Rollin' and Scratchin'" and "Da Funk
". The track was included in a 20th anniversary multi-artist compilation of the Soma label. In October 2011, Daft Punk placed 28th in a worldwide official poll of DJ Magazine after appearing at position 44 in the year before.
as a duo, they were stated to have shared tastes for Elton John
, MC5
, The Rolling Stones
, The Beach Boys
and The Stooges
. Their mutual admiration for rock
bands led to the founding of their own independent project, Darlin'. Bangalter stated that "It was still maybe more a teenage thing at that time. It's like, you know, everybody wants to be in a band." They drew inspiration from the rock and acid house
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.
The liner notes of Homework pay tribute to a large number of musical artists and contains a quote from Brian Wilson
. Bangalter stated that "In Brian Wilson's music you could really feel the beauty—it was very spiritual. Like Bob Marley
, too." When questioned on the success of Daft Punk's 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." 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."
Romanthony and Edwards later collaborated with Daft Punk on 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. 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
. During a later interview, de Homem-Christo clarified that "we didn't make a list of artists we like and copy their songs."
During another interview, Bangalter named Andy Warhol
as one of Daft Punk's early artistic influences.
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. 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 official 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., 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. 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."
Daft Punk have said that they donned their robot masks to easily merge the characteristics of humans and machines. However, Bangalter later stated 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." When asked 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." With the release of Human After All, the musical duo's outfits became slightly less complicated by consisting of black leather jacket and pants and simplified versions of the Discovery headgear. The attire was designed by Hedi Slimane
.
According to Bangalter, the duo has a "general rule about not appearing in videos." Although the duo rarely grants interviews, Bangalter is cited as being the more talkative and opinionated one. In regards to fame and stardom, he said:
In the same interview, he was also asked a question if stardom can be avoided.
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.
It is believed that the mystery of their identity and the elaborate nature of their disguises has added to their popularity. 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." He also stated:
In the mid-to-late nineties, Daft Punk performed live without costumes in many places including the United States. In 1996, the duo were featured at an Even Furthur event in Wisconsin
, their first public performance in the U.S. In addition to live original performances, they performed a number of times in various clubs using vinyl records from their collection. They were known for incorporating various styles of music into their DJ
sets.
In the fall of 1997 they did their Daftendirektour to promote Homework in several cities throughout the world. For this tour Daft Punk opted to utilize their home studio equipment for the live stage. 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." May 25, 1997 saw them perform at the Tribal Gathering
festival at Luton Hoo
, England, headlining with Orbital
and Kraftwerk
. Also of note is the November 8 performance in Birmingham, UK, 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. Thomas Bangalter had initially been reported as saying that there would be a DVD
of their recent live set. 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. In an interview with the Miami Herald 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. Also reported were dates at the Wireless Festival
and RockNess in June, the Oxegen
festival in July and Lollapalooza
in August. Daft Punk then announced a world tour called Alive 2007.
Daft Punk played at the RockNess Festival by the banks of Loch Ness
, Scotland on June 10, 2007 as the headline act in the 10,000 capacity Clash tent. To the crowd's displeasure, 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. 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" and ThisisLondon declared it "an almost faultless set of relentless electro euphoria".
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
wrote that the performance was "a robotic spectacular", while Shoutmouth described the set as "typically triumphant". Four days later, the duo played at Traffic Torino Free Festival in Parco della Pellerina in Turin, Italy
.
Daft Punk 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." On August 5 they performed at the International Centre
in Toronto
followed by an August 9 performance at KeySpan Park
in Brooklyn
, New York
.
Daft Punk mixed and composed much of the music for the Louis Vuitton
Spring/Summer 2008 Womenswear Full Show on October 7, 2007. 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
. At the end of the month, Daft Punk performed in Mexico City
. The duo also performed on Friday November 2, 2007 at the Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico and Guadalajara.
Modular announced that Daft Punk would appear in Australia for an event in December 2007 called Never Ever Land. The announcement addressed years of speculation on whether Daft Punk would visit Australia for live performances. Daft Punk were supported by their regular acts SebastiAn and Kavinsky
at the appearances, which had been announced as an extension to the Alive 2007 tour. 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. 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. Tickets for the Australian tour sold more quickly than for any Daft Punk-related event in their history. The duo stated in an EMI
-sponsored live webchat
that there will be no tour performances for 2008, and that they would instead focus on new projects.
Daft Punk made a surprise appearance at the 50th Grammy Awards
on February 10, 2008. The duo appeared with Kanye West
to perform a reworked version of "Stronger
" on stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the appearance, Daft Punk utilized four JazzMutant Lemur
controllers. A press release specified that this was the first televised live performance by the duo in their career. Bangalter's wife Élodie Bouchez
also attended the event.
In February 2009, a website stated that a "hidden" tour had been set for 2009. An event for February 13, 2009 in Shanghai, China was mentioned in the website. It was later revealed to be a hoax unaffiliated with Daft Punk and a scam to sell tickets for a nonexistent event. Representatives of the band announced that Daft Punk have no tour plans for 2009, but stated that the duo is looking forward to performing in China during their next world tour "in 2010 or 2011". The announcement also stated that all of Daft Punk's shows are and will be posted on their official MySpace
page, and that the page can therefore be used to verify validity. In September 2010, The Daily Swarm reported that the duo would perform live sets in major cities to promote the film Tron: Legacy.
Daft Punk made a surprise guest appearance during the encore of Phoenix
's October 20, 2010 show at Madison Square Garden
in New York City
. They played a medley of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and "Around the World" before the song segued into Phoenix's song "1901". The duo also included elements of their tracks "Rock'n Roll", "Human After All", as well as one of Bangalter's side projects, "Together".
Daft Punk's popularity has been partially attributed to their appearances in mainstream media. The duo appeared with Juliette Lewis
in an advertisement for The Gap
, featuring the single "Digital Love
", and were contractually obliged to appear only in Gap clothing. In the summer of 2001, Daft Punk appeared in an advertisement on Cartoon Network's Toonami timeslot, promoting the official Toonami website and the duo's animated music videos for their album Discovery
. The music videos later appeared as scenes in the feature-length film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
, in which Daft Punk make a cameo appearance
as their robot alter-egos. The duo later appeared in a television advertisement wearing their Discovery-era headgear to promote Sony Ericsson
's Premini mobile phone. Their robotic costumes also make an appearance in the "Masterclass" section on Gonzales
' 2006 DVD release From Major to Minor. In 2010, Daft Punk appeared in Adidas
advertisements promoting a Star Wars
-themed clothing line.
The duo has also been acknowledged in works by other artists. "Losing My Edge
", the first single by LCD Soundsystem
, bragged about being the first to "play Daft Punk to the rock kids." LCD Soundsystem also recorded the song "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
", which reached #29 in the UK and was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
. The Soulwax
remix of the song also contains samples of many Daft Punk tracks as well as tracks by Thomas Bangalter. The song "Number 1 Girl" by the Dutch music project Le Le mentions the names Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo among other producers and artists. In the Flight of the Conchords
episode "Sally
", a music video for the Flight of the Conchords
song "Robots" is shot with homemade robot costumes fashioned by the band's manager, Murray. Jemaine comments, "It doesn't look like Daft Punk. We wanted ones like Daft Punk."
A number of Daft Punk tracks have been sampled or covered by other artists. "Technologic
" was sampled by Swizz Beatz
for the Busta Rhymes
song "Touch It
". In a later remix of "Touch It" the line touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start, format it from "Technologic" was sung by R&B and rap artist Missy Elliott
. Kanye West
's 2007 song "Stronger
" from the album Graduation
features a vocal sample of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
". Daft Punk's robotic costumes make an appearance in the music video for "Stronger". The track "Daftendirekt" from Daft Punk's album Homework was sampled for the Janet Jackson
song "So Much Betta" from her 2008 album Discipline
. The track "Aerodynamic
" was sampled for Wiley
's 2008 single "Summertime". "Veridis Quo" from the album Discovery was sampled for the Jazmine Sullivan
song "Dream Big" from her 2008 album Fearless
. DJs Marc Mysterio
and Téo Moss released a cover version of "One More Time
" featuring the vocals of Yardi Don. Daft Punk's "Around the World
" was sampled for JoJo's 2009 song "You Take Me (Around the World)". The song "Cowboy George" by The Fall contains a clip of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
Daft Punk has also produced music for other artists. They produced the Teriyaki Boyz
's debut single "HeartBreaker
" on the album Beef or Chicken?
. The song contains a sample of "Human After All". Daft Punk later produced N.E.R.D's song "Hypnotize U". Daft Punk are featured on the cover of the December 2010 issue of British publication Dazed & Confused
to promote the film Tron: Legacy, for which the duo composed the score. They also made a cameo appearance within the film as masked DJs at a nightclub.
In 2011, Coca-Cola
distributed Limited Edition Coca-Cola bottles designed by Daft Punk (called Daft Coke). They were only sold in France
. A newer version of these themed bottles now exist as collectors items, some parts of the bottles such as the cap and Coke logo being plated in gold.
s are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
of the United States. Daft Punk has received seven nominations and two awards.
|-
| || "Da Funk" || Best Dance Recording
||
|-
| || "Around the World" || Best Dance Recording
||
|-
|rowspan="2"| ||"One More Time" || Best Dance Recording
||
|-
| "Short Circuit"|| Best Pop Instrumental Performance
||
|-
| || Human After All || Best Electronic/Dance Album
||
|-
|rowspan="2"| ||"Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" || Best Dance Recording
||
|-
| Alive 2007|| Best Electronic/Dance Album
||
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo consisting of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo; is a founding member of the French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has also produced several works from his record label Crydamoure with label co-owner Éric Chedeville. He and Chedeville formed the musical duo Le Knight...
(born February 8, 1974) and 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...
(born January 3, 1975). Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house
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...
movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
. The duo is also credited with producing songs that are considered essential in the French house
French house
French house is a catch-all term for house music by many French artists, a popular strand of the late 1990s and 2000s European dance music scene and a form of Euro disco. The genre has also been referred to as "neu-disco" , "French touch", "filter house" and "tekfunk" over the years...
scene. They were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter aka Busy P is a French electrohouse DJ, producer, manager and owner of the Ed Banger Records label. Pedro Winter manages Cassius, Cosmo Vitelli, artists on his Ed Banger Records label, and managed Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008.-Life:...
(Busy P), the head of Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records
Ed Banger Records is a French electronic music record label run by Pedro Winter. It was founded in 2002 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. The label is home to French electronic acts Justice, SebastiAn, Daft Punk, Cassius, Uffie, Krazy Baldhead, DJ Mehdi, Mr Oizo, Mr...
.
Early in the group's career, the band members were strongly influenced by groups such as The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were originally in a band called Darlin'
Darlin' (band)
Darlin was formed in 1992 as a Beach Boys inspired group with the band members, Laurent Brancowitz, Thomas Bangalter, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Together, Darlin' released their songs under the Duophonic record label, contained in the Shimmies In Super 8 compilation...
, which disbanded after a short period of time, leaving the two to experiment musically on their own. The duo became Daft Punk, and released their critically acclaimed debut album Homework in 1997. The 2001 release Discovery
Discovery (Daft Punk album)
Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
was even more successful, driven by the club singles "One More Time
One More Time (Daft Punk song)
"One More Time" is a song by Daft Punk first released as a single on 13 November 2000 and later included in the 2001 album Discovery. The song's vocal performance by Romanthony is heavily auto-tuned and compressed. As part of the album, the track is featured in the introduction to the film...
", "Digital Love
Digital Love
"Digital Love" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It was released as the third single from the album Discovery. As part of the album, the song is featured in the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem....
" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French duo Daft Punk. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007 on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance...
". In March 2005, the duo released the album Human After All to mixed reviews. However, the singles "Robot Rock
Robot Rock (song)
"Robot Rock" is the first single from Daft Punk's 2005 album Human After All. Whilst the single reached a moderately high chart position, many critics found the song overly repetitive...
" and "Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
" achieved success in the United Kingdom. Daft Punk toured throughout 2006 and 2007
Alive 2006/2007
Alive 2006/2007 was a concert tour by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, their first tour as a group since 1997. While the 2006 concerts were not given a formal title, the 2007 performances were advertised as "Alive 2007". The 2006 performances and 2007 tour as a whole was later retroactively...
and released the live album Alive 2007
Alive 2007
Alive 2007 is a live album by Daft Punk, first released on November 19, 2007. It is the second album recorded live by the duo, following Alive 1997...
, which won a Grammy award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres...
. The duo composed the score of the film Tron: Legacy and in 2010 released the soundtrack album of the film
Tron: Legacy (soundtrack)
Tron: Legacy is the soundtrack album for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy, released by Walt Disney Records on December 3, 2010. It is the first film score by French music duo Daft Punk.-Background:...
.
Daft Punk are noted for their elaborate live shows, in which visual elements and effects are incorporated with the music. The group is also known for its emphasis on visual and story components associated with their musical productions, as well as for wearing ornate robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
costumes in public and while performing.
Early years (1987–1993)
Thomas BangalterThomas 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...
and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo; is a founding member of the French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has also produced several works from his record label Crydamoure with label co-owner Éric Chedeville. He and Chedeville formed the musical duo Le Knight...
met in 1987 while attending the Lycée Carnot
Lycée Carnot
The Lycée Carnot is a public secondary and higher education school located at 145 Boulevard Malesherbes in the 17th arrondissement, Paris, France. A prestigious Parisian high school, it is also known as one the best classe préparatoire aux écoles de commerce...
, a secondary school in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The two became good friends and later recorded demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tracks with others from the school. This eventually led to the formation of the guitar-based group called Darlin'
Darlin' (band)
Darlin was formed in 1992 as a Beach Boys inspired group with the band members, Laurent Brancowitz, Thomas Bangalter, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Together, Darlin' released their songs under the Duophonic record label, contained in the Shimmies In Super 8 compilation...
with Laurent Brancowitz
Laurent Brancowitz
Laurent Brancowitz is a musician best known for being one of the guitarists from the French alternative rock band Phoenix.- Darlin' :...
in 1992. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, respectively, while Brancowitz performed on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. The trio had branded themselves after The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
song of the same name, which they covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
along with an original composition. Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
released both tracks on a multi-artist Duophonic Records
Duophonic Records
Duophonic Ultra High Frequency Disks Limited, known as Duophonic Super 45s, is a London based independent record label formed by the British pop group Stereolab...
EP and invited the band to open for stage shows in the United Kingdom. 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." A negative review in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
subsequently dubbed the music "a bunch of daft punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
." Instead of dismissing the review, they found it amusing. As de Homem-Christo stated, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and this happened so quickly." Darlin' soon disbanded, leaving Brancowitz to pursue other efforts with Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk and experimented with drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s.
Homework era (1993–1999)
In 1993 Daft Punk attended a raveRave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
at EuroDisney
Disneyland Resort Paris
Disneyland Paris is a holiday and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The complex is located from the centre of Paris and lies for the most part within the commune of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne....
, where they met Stuart Macmillan of Slam
Slam (band)
Slam are a producer/DJ duo from Glasgow, consisting of Stuart MacMillan and Orde Meikle . They are co-founders of Soma Quality Recordings. Their music style consists of house and techno.-History:...
, co-founder of the label Soma Quality Recordings
Soma Quality Recordings
Soma Quality Recordings is a Scottish techno and house label co-founded in 1991 by the electronic music duo Slam...
. The demo tape given to Macmillan at the rave formed the basis for Daft Punk's debut single, "The New Wave
The New Wave
"The New Wave" is a song by Daft Punk, released as their first single in 1994 on the Soma Recordings label. It was later released the same year on the UMM label under license from Soma Recordings...
", a limited release in 1994. The single also contained the final mix of "The New Wave" called "Alive", which was to be featured on their first album.
Daft Punk returned to the studio in May 1995 to record "Da Funk
Da Funk
"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.-Background:...
". It became their first commercially successful single the same year. After the success of "Da Funk", Daft Punk looked to find a manager. They eventually settled on Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter
Pedro Winter aka Busy P is a French electrohouse DJ, producer, manager and owner of the Ed Banger Records label. Pedro Winter manages Cassius, Cosmo Vitelli, artists on his Ed Banger Records label, and managed Daft Punk from 1996 to 2008.-Life:...
, who regularly promoted them and other artists at his Hype night clubs. 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...
in September 1996 and made a deal through which they licensed their tracks to the major label through their production company, Daft Trax. Bangalter spoke of the duo's decision to sign with Virgin:
With regard to the artistic control and freedom, Bangalter stated:
"Da Funk" and "Alive" were later included on Daft Punk's 1997 debut album
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
Homework. The album was regarded as an innovative synthesis of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, house
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...
, acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
and electro styles, and is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential dance music albums of the nineties. "Da Funk" was also included on The Saint
The Saint (film)
The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
film soundtrack. It was during this period of change in dance music that Daft Punk became largely successful. They combined the aforementioned music styles with crowd pleasing elements of rave
Rave music
Rave music may either refer the late 1980s genre or any genre of electronic dance music that may be played at an electronic dance party such as a rave. Very rarely, the term is used to refer to less electronic related genres glam, powerpop, psychedelic rock and dub music parties...
. The most successful single from Homework was "Around the World
Around the World (Daft Punk song)
"Around the World" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It appeared on the duo's debut album, Homework and was released as a single the same year. It subsequently became a major club hit around the world and arrived at #1 in dance charts. The song is particularly known for the...
", which is known for the repeating chant of the song's title. Daft Punk also produced a series of music video
Music 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...
s for Homework directed by Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze
Spike Jonze is an American director, producer and actor, whose work includes music videos, commercials, film and television...
, Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
, Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola
Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...
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. The 2001 release DiscoveryDiscovery (Daft Punk album)
Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
took on a slicker and distinctly synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
-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. 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 United Kingdom, and its single "One More Time
One More Time (Daft Punk song)
"One More Time" is a song by Daft Punk first released as a single on 13 November 2000 and later included in the 2001 album Discovery. The song's vocal performance by Romanthony is heavily auto-tuned and compressed. As part of the album, the track is featured in the introduction to the film...
" was a major club and mainstream hit, which nearly topped the UK Singles Chart. The song is well known for being heavily auto-tuned
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
and compressed. The song and album created a new generation of fans mainly familiar with the second Daft Punk release. The singles "Digital Love
Digital Love
"Digital Love" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It was released as the third single from the album Discovery. As part of the album, the song is featured in the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem....
" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French duo Daft Punk. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007 on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance...
" were also very successful in the UK and on the United States dance chart, and "Face to Face
Face to Face (Daft Punk song)
"Face to Face" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals and co-production by Todd Edwards. It was released as the fifth single from the 2001 album Discovery as a promotion for the 2003 remix album Daft Club. As part of Discovery, the song appears in the film...
" hit #1 on the USA 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
Alive 1997
Alive 1997 is a live album by Daft Punk released in 2001. It contains a 45-minute excerpt of a live performance recorded at Birmingham's Que Club on November 8, 1997.-Background:The album was initially released online as part of the Daft Club service...
.
2003 first saw the release of the feature-length animated film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
is a feature-length Japanese animated musical film originally released on December 1, 2003. The film is the visual realization of Discovery, an album by Daft Punk. Each track from the album has been animated as an episode in the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band...
. Daft Punk produced the film under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto
is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His wife is also known as a manga artist.-Space opera:Matsumoto is famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato...
, whom they have said is their childhood hero. The album Daft Club
Daft Club
Daft Club is an album by Daft Punk featuring numerous remixes of tracks from their 2001 album Discovery and one from Homework. It was released in 2003 .-History:...
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 (2004–2008)
Starting on September 13 and ending November 9, 2004, Daft Punk devoted six weeks 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 RockRobot Rock (song)
"Robot Rock" is the first single from Daft Punk's 2005 album Human After All. Whilst the single reached a moderately high chart position, many critics found the song overly repetitive...
", "Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
", "Human After All
Human After All (song)
"Human After All" is Daft Punk's third single and the title track from their third studio album, Human After All. It was released as a single on October 31, 2005. "Human After All" is the only single from the album released without an accompanying music video...
", "The Prime Time of Your Life
The Prime Time of Your Life
"The Prime Time of Your Life" is Daft Punk's fourth and final single from their third studio album, Human After All. On the album Alive 2007, "The Prime Time of Your Life" is put together with "The Brainwasher" from Human After All, as well as with the tracks "Rollin' & Scratchin'" and "Alive" from...
" and "The Brainwasher". 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
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
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
Daft Punk's Electroma
Daft Punk's Electroma is a 2007 film by French duo Daft Punk. The plot revolves around the quest of two robots to become human. The music featured in this film is not by Daft Punk, which is a first for the duo after their previous film and home video releases, D.A.F.T. and Interstella 5555...
at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
sidebar Director's Fortnight. 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
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
theaters starting from the end of March 2007. Initial public comments have since been positive.
Daft Punk released their second live album titled Alive 2007
Alive 2007
Alive 2007 is a live album by Daft Punk, first released on November 19, 2007. It is the second album recorded live by the duo, following Alive 1997...
on November 19, 2007. It contains the duo's performance in Paris from their Alive 2007 tour. The live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" from Alive 2007 was released as a single. A music video for the single directed by Olivier Gondry features footage shot by 250 audience members at Daft Punk's Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
appearance at KeySpan Park, Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
.
Recent projects (2008–present)
Following the Alive 2007 tour, Daft Punk focused on other projects. A 2008 interview with Pedro Winter revealed that the duo returned to their Paris studio to work on new material. Winter also stepped down from managing Daft Punk to focus attention on his Ed Banger RecordsEd Banger Records
Ed Banger Records is a French electronic music record label run by Pedro Winter. It was founded in 2002 as a division of Headbangers Entertainment. The label is home to French electronic acts Justice, SebastiAn, Daft Punk, Cassius, Uffie, Krazy Baldhead, DJ Mehdi, Mr Oizo, Mr...
label and his work as Busy P. He stated in a later interview that the duo are working with an unspecified management company in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In 2008, Daft Punk placed 38th in a worldwide official poll of DJ Magazine after debuting at position 71 in the year before. On February 8, 2009, Daft Punk won Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for Alive 2007 and its single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
Daft Punk provided eleven new mixes featuring their music for the video game DJ Hero
DJ Hero
DJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...
. They also appear in the game as playable characters, along with their own venue. The duo appear wearing their Discovery-era helmets and Human After All-era leather attire. Daft Punk's playable likenesses are absent from the sequel DJ Hero 2
DJ Hero 2
DJ Hero 2 is a rhythm video game and a sequel to DJ Hero, a spinoff of the Guitar Hero series. DJ Hero 2 uses a special turntable-controller, the same as introduced in DJ Hero, to simulate turntablism, the act of creating a new musical work from one or more previously recorded songs using record...
, which includes a remixed version of their song "Human After All".
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that the duo composed 24 tracks for the film Tron: Legacy. Daft Punk's score was arranged and orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese
Joseph Trapanese
Joseph Trapanese is a composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for for films, television, theater and concerts. He currently lives in Los Angeles.-Film and Television Music:...
. The band collaborated with him for two years on the score, from pre-production to completion. The score features an 85-piece orchestra, recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios in London. Joseph Kosinski
Joseph Kosinski
Joseph Kosinski is an American television commercial and feature film director best known for his computer graphics and computer generated imagery work. He made his big-screen directorial debut with the Disney Digital 3-D science fiction film Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 film Tron...
, director of Tron: Legacy, referred to the score as being a mixture of orchestral and electronic elements. Daft Punk also make a cameo appearance as disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
programs wearing their trademark robot masks within the film's virtual world. Tron: Legacy co-star Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
stated that the duo may be involved with future promotional events related to the film. A teaser trailer features Daft Punk and their track "Derezzed" from Tron: Legacy. The soundtrack album of the film
Tron: Legacy (soundtrack)
Tron: Legacy is the soundtrack album for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy, released by Walt Disney Records on December 3, 2010. It is the first film score by French music duo Daft Punk.-Background:...
was released on December 6, 2010. A deluxe 2-disc edition of the album was also released that includes a poster of the duo from the film. Additional bonus tracks are also available through various online vendors. An official music video for "Derezzed" also premiered on the MTV Networks on the same day the album was released. The video was later made available for purchase from the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is a family music record label owned by the Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Records was formed in 1956 as Disneyland Records. Before that time, Disney recordings were licensed out to a variety of other labels such as . It was Walt Disney’s brother Roy O...
released a remix album of the score titled Tron: Legacy Reconfigured on April 5, 2011.
In 2010 Daft Punk were admitted into the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
, an order of merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
of France. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were individually awarded the rank of Chevalier (knight).
Soma Records
Soma Quality Recordings
Soma Quality Recordings is a Scottish techno and house label co-founded in 1991 by the electronic music duo Slam...
released a previously unpublished Daft Punk track called "Drive" that was made during the same time the duo was still with Soma Records and recording "Rollin' and Scratchin'" and "Da Funk
Da Funk
"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.-Background:...
". The track was included in a 20th anniversary multi-artist compilation of the Soma label. In October 2011, Daft Punk placed 28th in a worldwide official poll of DJ Magazine after appearing at position 44 in the year before.
Influences
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo have credited many sources that influenced their musical style. Years before producing electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
as a duo, they were stated to have shared tastes for Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
. Their mutual admiration for rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands led to the founding of their own independent project, Darlin'. Bangalter stated that "It was still maybe more a teenage thing at that time. It's like, you know, everybody wants to be in a band." They drew inspiration from the rock and acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s. De Homem-Christo pointed to Screamadelica
Screamadelica
Screamadelica is the third studio album by the Scottish alternative rock group Primal Scream and was their first to be a commercial success. It was released on 23 September 1991 in the UK by Creation Records, and 8 October 1991 in North America by Sire Records. Screamadelica peaked at #8 on the UK...
by Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
as an influential work, as the record "put everything together" in terms of genre.
The liner notes of Homework pay tribute to a large number of musical artists and contains a quote from Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
. Bangalter stated that "In Brian Wilson's music you could really feel the beauty—it was very spiritual. Like Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, too." When questioned on the success of Daft Punk's debut album and rising popularity of their associated musical genre, Bangalter responded, "before us you had Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...
or Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins is an American musician. He is widely credited as the originator of techno music, specifically Detroit techno along with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson...
and so on. The least you can do is pay respect to those who are not known and who have influenced people." The Daft Punk track "Teachers" on Homework refers to several influences including Romanthony
Romanthony
Romanthony is an American disc jockey, producer and singer. He is best known for his work with French duo Daft Punk ....
and Todd Edwards
Todd Edwards
Todd Edwards is an American house and garage producer.-History:Todd Edwards began his musical career around 1992. He employs vocal reconstruction techniques to his songs, creating a unique vocal collage set to a four-on-the-floor beat...
. 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."
Romanthony and Edwards later collaborated with Daft Punk on tracks for Discovery. For the album Daft Punk focused on new styles of electronic music. A major inspiration was the Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
single "Windowlicker
Windowlicker
"Windowlicker" is a song by British electronic music artist Richard D. James , released as a single in 1999 on Warp Records. The single peaked at #16 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming his highest-charting song on the chart...
", which was "neither a purely club track nor a very chilled-out, down-tempo relaxation track" according to Bangalter. 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
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
vibe on the bridge," which was generated through an in-studio Wurlitzer piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
. During a later interview, de Homem-Christo clarified that "we didn't make a list of artists we like and copy their songs."
During another interview, Bangalter named Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
as one of Daft Punk's early artistic influences.
Visual components and image
Their outward personae have also changed over time. During their Homework years, the duo would usually wear masks to hide their appearance. 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 official 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
Tony Gardner (designer)
Tony Gardner is an American makeup and special effects designer. He has been involved in films Zombieland, 127 Hours, Hairspray, The Addams Family, Seed of Chucky, Shallow Hal and There's Something About Mary...
and Alterian, Inc., sport complicated helmets capable of various LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
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
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
's Toonami
Toonami
Toonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
block. 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."
Daft Punk have said that they donned their robot masks to easily merge the characteristics of humans and machines. However, Bangalter later stated 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." When asked 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
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, where it's definitely not you." With the release of Human After All, the musical duo's outfits became slightly less complicated by consisting of black leather jacket and pants and simplified versions of the Discovery headgear. The attire was designed by Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer of Tunisian, Italian-Brazilian origins. He studied political sciences , and Art History at the École du Louvre, and was also educated as a tailor...
.
According to Bangalter, the duo has a "general rule about not appearing in videos." Although the duo rarely grants interviews, Bangalter is cited as being the more talkative and opinionated one. In regards to fame and stardom, he said:
In the same interview, he was also asked a question if stardom can be avoided.
It is believed that the mystery of their identity and the elaborate nature of their disguises has added to their popularity. The iconic status of the robotic costumes has been compared to the makeup of KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and the leather jacket worn by Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. Bangalter stated, "The mask gets very hot, but after wearing it as long as I have, I am used to it." He also stated:
Live performances
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, their first public performance in the U.S. In addition to live original performances, they performed a number of times in various clubs using vinyl records from their collection. They were known for incorporating various styles of music into their DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
sets.
In the fall of 1997 they did their Daftendirektour to promote Homework in several cities throughout the world. For this tour Daft Punk opted to utilize their home studio equipment for the live stage. 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." May 25, 1997 saw them perform at the Tribal Gathering
Tribal Gathering
Tribal Gathering was a dance music festival that catered for different types of dance music cultures such as drum and bass, techno, rave and house. -History:...
festival at Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo
Luton Hoo straddles the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire borders between the towns of Harpenden and Luton. The unusual name "Hoo" is a Saxon word meaning the spur of a hill, and is more commonly associated with East Anglia.- Early History :...
, England, headlining with Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
and Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
. Also of note is the November 8 performance in Birmingham, UK, 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
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
where they received a jubilant reception for their first U.S. performance since 1997. Thomas Bangalter had initially been reported as saying that there would be a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of their recent live set. 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. In an interview with the Miami Herald 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
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
Opened in 1984, Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, often abbreviated as POPB or Bercy, is an indoor sports arena on boulevard de Bercy located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for June 2007. Also reported were dates at the Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival
The Wireless Festival is a music festival in England that takes place every year in Hyde Park, London, and took place at Harewood House, Leeds in 2006 and 2007. It is owned and managed by Live Nation....
and RockNess in June, the Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
festival in July and Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
in August. Daft Punk then announced a world tour called Alive 2007.
Daft Punk played at the RockNess Festival by the banks of Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
, Scotland on June 10, 2007 as the headline act in the 10,000 capacity Clash tent. To the crowd's displeasure, 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. On June 16, 2007 Daft Punk successfully headlined the third day of the O2 Wireless Festival to positive reaction and reviews. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described the set as a "memorable sensory spectacle, both dazzling and deafening" and ThisisLondon declared it "an almost faultless set of relentless electro euphoria".
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
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
wrote that the performance was "a robotic spectacular", while Shoutmouth described the set as "typically triumphant". Four days later, the duo played at Traffic Torino Free Festival in Parco della Pellerina in Turin, Italy
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
Daft Punk headlined the AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
stage on August 3, 2007, the first night of the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Their show there was praised by 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...
stating that the experience of watching the performance "was a much-needed reminder of the still-potent power of communicative pop." On August 5 they performed at the International Centre
International Centre
thumb|250px|International Centre.The International Centre is a multi-purpose convention centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 6900 Airport Road, near the Toronto Pearson International Airport. The building was opened in 1972 by DeHavilland...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
followed by an August 9 performance at KeySpan Park
KeySpan Park
MCU Park is a minor league baseball stadium in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City, USA. The home team is the New York Mets-affiliated Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York - Penn League...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Daft Punk mixed and composed much of the music for the Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
Spring/Summer 2008 Womenswear Full Show on October 7, 2007. The duo also headlined the Vegoose
Vegoose
Vegoose was an annual Halloween music and arts festival that took place in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unlike the Bonnaroo Music Festival — put on by the same organizers, Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment — Vegoose does not offer on-site camping...
festival in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
on October 27. They appeared at the festival along with bands Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
and Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
. At the end of the month, Daft Punk performed in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. The duo also performed on Friday November 2, 2007 at the Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico and Guadalajara.
Kavinsky
Kavinsky is a French electro house artist, and has released three EPs on the Record Makers label: Teddy Boy in 2006, 1986 a year later and "Nightcall" in 2010. He has been remixed by SebastiAn and others. He toured alongside Daft Punk, The Rapture, Justice, and SebastiAn in 2007...
at the appearances, which had been announced as an extension to the Alive 2007 tour. Never Ever Land toured to Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Sidney Myer Music Bowl
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain, close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinct...
, Perth at the Esplanade, Brisbane at the Riverstage and finally Sydney at the Sydney Showground
Sydney Showground (Homebush Bay)
The Sydney Showground is a purpose built venue used each year for the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Located at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, it was opened in 1998, as a venue for the 2000 Summer Olympics and to replace the ageing old Sydney Showground at Moore Park...
Main Arena. 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. Tickets for the Australian tour sold more quickly than for any Daft Punk-related event in their history. The duo stated in an EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
-sponsored live webchat
Web chat
A web chat is a system that allows users to communicate in real time using easily accessible web interfaces. It is a type of internet online chat distinguished by its simplicity and accessibility to users who do not wish to take the time to install and learn to use specialized chat software. This...
that there will be no tour performances for 2008, and that they would instead focus on new projects.
Daft Punk made a surprise appearance at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
on February 10, 2008. The duo appeared with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
to perform a reworked version of "Stronger
Stronger (Kanye West song)
"Stronger" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his third studio album Graduation. It was produced by West and contains an extended outro co-produced with Mike Dean...
" on stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the appearance, Daft Punk utilized four JazzMutant Lemur
Lemur Input Device
The Lemur Input Device was a highly-customizable multi-touch device from French company JazzMutant which serves as a controller for musical devices such as synthesizers and mixing consoles as well as for other media applications such as video performances...
controllers. A press release specified that this was the first televised live performance by the duo in their career. Bangalter's wife Élodie Bouchez
Élodie Bouchez
Élodie Bouchez-Bangalter is a French actress. She is best known in the United States for her role as Renée Rienne on the fifth and final season of the television show Alias...
also attended the event.
In February 2009, a website stated that a "hidden" tour had been set for 2009. An event for February 13, 2009 in Shanghai, China was mentioned in the website. It was later revealed to be a hoax unaffiliated with Daft Punk and a scam to sell tickets for a nonexistent event. Representatives of the band announced that Daft Punk have no tour plans for 2009, but stated that the duo is looking forward to performing in China during their next world tour "in 2010 or 2011". The announcement also stated that all of Daft Punk's shows are and will be posted on their official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, and that the page can therefore be used to verify validity. In September 2010, The Daily Swarm reported that the duo would perform live sets in major cities to promote the film Tron: Legacy.
Daft Punk made a surprise guest appearance during the encore of Phoenix
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
's October 20, 2010 show at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
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...
. They played a medley of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and "Around the World" before the song segued into Phoenix's song "1901". The duo also included elements of their tracks "Rock'n Roll", "Human After All", as well as one of Bangalter's side projects, "Together".
Appearances in media and tributes
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
in an advertisement for The Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, featuring the single "Digital Love
Digital Love
"Digital Love" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It was released as the third single from the album Discovery. As part of the album, the song is featured in the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem....
", and were contractually obliged to appear only in Gap clothing. In the summer of 2001, Daft Punk appeared in an advertisement on Cartoon Network's Toonami timeslot, promoting the official Toonami website and the duo's animated music videos for their album Discovery
Discovery (Daft Punk album)
Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
. The music videos later appeared as scenes in the feature-length film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
is a feature-length Japanese animated musical film originally released on December 1, 2003. The film is the visual realization of Discovery, an album by Daft Punk. Each track from the album has been animated as an episode in the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band...
, in which Daft Punk make a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as their robot alter-egos. The duo later appeared in a television advertisement wearing their Discovery-era headgear to promote Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
's Premini mobile phone. Their robotic costumes also make an appearance in the "Masterclass" section on Gonzales
Gonzales (musician)
Gonzales, , is a Grammy-nominated Canadian musician currently residing in Paris, France. Though best known for his first MC and electro albums, he is also a pianist, producer, and songwriter....
' 2006 DVD release From Major to Minor. In 2010, Daft Punk appeared in Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
advertisements promoting a Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
-themed clothing line.
The duo has also been acknowledged in works by other artists. "Losing My Edge
Losing My Edge
"Losing My Edge" is the first single by LCD Soundsystem, released on July 8, 2002 and later featured on their eponymous debut.The song was listed at #13 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s...
", the first single by LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
, bragged about being the first to "play Daft Punk to the rock kids." LCD Soundsystem also recorded the song "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
Daft Punk Is Playing at My House
"Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" is the fifth single from LCD Soundsystem, released on February 21, 2005. The accompanying music video paid tongue-in-cheek homage to Spike Jonze's and Michel Gondry's music videos for Daft Punk's "Da Funk" and "Around the World," respectively...
", which reached #29 in the UK and was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
. The Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
remix of the song also contains samples of many Daft Punk tracks as well as tracks by Thomas Bangalter. The song "Number 1 Girl" by the Dutch music project Le Le mentions the names Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo among other producers and artists. In the Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
episode "Sally
Sally (Flight of the Conchords)
"Sally" is the pilot episode of the American television sitcom Flight of the Conchords. It first aired on the HBO television channel in the United States at 10:30 PM on Sunday, June 17, 2007 in the time slot preceded by Entourage, and vacated by the last episode of the final season of The...
", a music video for the Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
song "Robots" is shot with homemade robot costumes fashioned by the band's manager, Murray. Jemaine comments, "It doesn't look like Daft Punk. We wanted ones like Daft Punk."
A number of Daft Punk tracks have been sampled or covered by other artists. "Technologic
Technologic
"Technologic" is a song by French duo Daft Punk from the album Human After All. It was released as the second single on June 14, 2005. The music video for "Technologic" was directed by Daft Punk.-Composition:...
" was sampled by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
for the Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
song "Touch It
Touch It
"Touch It" is a rap/hip-hop song by Busta Rhymes which contains a sample from "Technologic" by the electronic band Daft Punk. Released as an official single on May 13, 2006, it was the first single from Rhymes' Aftermath/Interscope debut, The Big Bang...
". In a later remix of "Touch It" the line touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start, format it from "Technologic" was sung by R&B and rap artist Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
. Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's 2007 song "Stronger
Stronger (Kanye West song)
"Stronger" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released as the second single from his third studio album Graduation. It was produced by West and contains an extended outro co-produced with Mike Dean...
" from the album Graduation
Graduation (album)
Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released September 11, 2007 on Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2005 to 2007 at Chung King Studios and Sony Music Studios in New York City and at Chalice Studios and The Record Plant...
features a vocal sample of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a song by French duo Daft Punk. The single was first released on 13 October 2001. A live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was released as a single from the album Alive 2007 on 15 October 2007. This version won a Grammy Award for Best Dance...
". Daft Punk's robotic costumes make an appearance in the music video for "Stronger". The track "Daftendirekt" from Daft Punk's album Homework was sampled for the Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
song "So Much Betta" from her 2008 album Discipline
Discipline (Janet Jackson album)
Discipline is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released by Island Records on February 26, 2008. It was her only album released for Island Records, after her five-album deal with Virgin Records was fulfilled with the release of 20 Y.O....
. The track "Aerodynamic
Aerodynamic (song)
"Aerodynamic" is an instrumental track by Daft Punk featuring a prominent guitar solo. The track was released on March 28, 2001 as the second single from the Discovery album.-Composition:...
" was sampled for Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
's 2008 single "Summertime". "Veridis Quo" from the album Discovery was sampled for the Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Marie Sullivan is an American recording artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also the protégé of rapper Missy Elliott. Her debut single "Need U Bad" reached number one on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while her second single, "Bust Your Windows" peaked at number four...
song "Dream Big" from her 2008 album Fearless
Fearless (Jazmine Sullivan album)
Fearless is the debut album of American R&B recording artist Jazmine Sullivan, released September 23, 2008, on J Records. Production for the album took place during 2007 to 2008 and was handled by several record producers, including Missy Elliott, Stargate, Carvin & Ivan, Wyclef Jean, and Salaam...
. DJs Marc Mysterio
Marc Mysterio
Marc Mysterio is a Canadian DJ and producer with two labels - World Class Records and Amerada Music. He is also signed as an artist to various labels globally, including Sony Music in 2011.-Career:...
and Téo Moss released a cover version of "One More Time
One More Time (Daft Punk song)
"One More Time" is a song by Daft Punk first released as a single on 13 November 2000 and later included in the 2001 album Discovery. The song's vocal performance by Romanthony is heavily auto-tuned and compressed. As part of the album, the track is featured in the introduction to the film...
" featuring the vocals of Yardi Don. Daft Punk's "Around the World
Around the World (Daft Punk song)
"Around the World" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It appeared on the duo's debut album, Homework and was released as a single the same year. It subsequently became a major club hit around the world and arrived at #1 in dance charts. The song is particularly known for the...
" was sampled for JoJo's 2009 song "You Take Me (Around the World)". The song "Cowboy George" by The Fall contains a clip of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".
Daft Punk has also produced music for other artists. They produced the Teriyaki Boyz
Teriyaki Boyz
Teriyaki Boyz is a Japanese hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan. The group consists of Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme, Verbal from M-Flo, rapper Wise and Nigo, the DJ and founder of the popular Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape...
's debut single "HeartBreaker
HeartBreaker
"HeartBreaker" is the debut single released by the J-Hip-hop group, Teriyaki Boyz, and is included within the group's debut album, Beef or Chicken. The single was only released in the U.K. market...
" on the album Beef or Chicken?
Beef or Chicken?
Beef or Chicken is the first album by Teriyaki Boyz, released November 16, 2006, on BAPE Sounds/Def Jam. The album includes the group's first single, "HeartBreaker", and was produced by a variety of renowned hip hop producers, including Mark Ronson, The Neptunes, Just Blaze and DJ Premier.-Track...
. The song contains a sample of "Human After All". Daft Punk later produced N.E.R.D's song "Hypnotize U". Daft Punk are featured on the cover of the December 2010 issue of British publication Dazed & Confused
Dazed & Confused (magazine)
Dazed & Confused is a British style magazine, that was set up in 1992 and published monthly. Its founding editors were Jefferson Hack and Rankin...
to promote the film Tron: Legacy, for which the duo composed the score. They also made a cameo appearance within the film as masked DJs at a nightclub.
In 2011, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
distributed Limited Edition Coca-Cola bottles designed by Daft Punk (called Daft Coke). They were only sold in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. A newer version of these themed bottles now exist as collectors items, some parts of the bottles such as the cap and Coke logo being plated in gold.
Discography
- Homework (1997)
- DiscoveryDiscovery (Daft Punk album)Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
(2001) - Human After All (2005)
Grammy Awards
The Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
of the United States. Daft Punk has received seven nominations and two awards.
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| || "Da Funk" || Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
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| || "Around the World" || Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
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|-
|rowspan="2"| ||"One More Time" || Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
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|-
| "Short Circuit"|| Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011.*In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental*From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance...
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| || Human After All || Best Electronic/Dance Album
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres...
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|-
|rowspan="2"| ||"Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)" || Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
||
|-
| Alive 2007|| Best Electronic/Dance Album
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres...
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