Music >> Artists >> Dance
Formed:
1992 in Paris, France

Genre:
Dance

Years Active:
'90s, '00s, '10s






Daft Punk

Biography

Evolving from French house pioneers in the '90s to 2000s tastemakers to mainstream successes in the 2010s, Daft Punk remained one of dance music's most influential and iconic acts. The combined talents of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the Parisian duo quickly won acclaim for their unique blend of first-wave acid house and techno with pop, indie rock, and hip-hop. One of the pair's first projects together was Darling, an instrumental indie cover band; their current recording name derives from a review in U.K. music weekly Melody Maker of a compilation tape Darling were featured on, released by Krautrock revivalists Stereolab (their lo-fi D.I.Y. cover of a Beach Boys song was derided as "daft punk"). Subsequently ditching the almost inevitable creative cul-de-sac of rock for the more appealing rush of the dancefloor, the pair released their debut single, "The New Wave," in 1993 on the celebrated Soma label. Instantly hailed by the dance music press as the work of a new breed of house innovators, the single was followed by "Da Funk," the band's first true hit (the record sold 30,000 copies worldwide and saw thorough rinsings by everyone from Kris Needs to the Chemical Brothers).. Evolving from French house pioneers in the '90s to 2000s tastemakers to mainstream successes in the 2010s, Daft Punk remained one of dance music's most influential and iconic acts. The combined talents of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the Parisian duo quickly won acclaim for their unique blend of first-wave acid house and techno with pop, indie rock, and hip-hop. One of the pair's first projects together was Darling, an instrumental indie cover band; their current recording name derives from a review in U.K. music weekly Melody Maker of a compilation tape Darling were featured on, released by Krautrock revivalists Stereolab (their lo-fi D.I.Y. cover of a Beach Boys song was derided as "daft punk"). Subsequently ditching the almost inevitable creative cul-de-sac of rock for the more appealing rush of the dancefloor, the pair released their debut single, "The New Wave," in 1993 on the celebrated Soma label. Instantly hailed by the dance music press as the work of a new breed of house innovators, the single was followed by "Da Funk," the band's first true hit (the record sold 30,000 copies worldwide and saw thorough rinsings by everyone from Kris Needs to the Chemical Brothers).

Although the group had only released a trio of singles ("The New Wave" and "Da Funk," as well as the 1996 limited pressing of "Musique"), in early 1996 Daft Punk were the subject of a minor bidding war. The group eventually signed with Virgin, with its first long-player, Homework, appearing early the following year (a brief preview of the album, "Musique," was also featured on the Virgin compilation Wipeout XL next to tracks from Photek, Future Sound of London, the Chemical Brothers, and Source Direct). As with the earlier singles, the group's sound is a brazen, dancefloor-oriented blend of progressive house, funk, electro, and techno, with sprinklings of hip-hop-styled breakbeats and excessive, crowd-firing samples similar to other anthemic dance-fusion acts such as the Chemical Brothers and Monkey Mafia. In addition to his role in Daft Punk, Bangalter operates the Roulé label and has recorded under his own name (the underground smash "Trax on da Rocks") as well as Stardust (the huge club/commercial hit "Music Sounds Better with You").

After four long years of fans eagerly awaiting a follow-up to their brilliant debut, Daft Punk finally issued Discovery in March 2001. The live record Alive 1997 followed at the end of the year, and a by-now predictable four-year wait preceded the release of Human After All in early 2005. One year later, Daft Punk released a compilation, Musique, Vol. 1: 1993-2005, and in 2007 their second live record, Alive 2007, arrived. The album and its single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" won Grammy Awards early in 2009; shortly after, it was announced that the duo would compose the soundtrack to Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 classic sci-fi film Tron. Daft Punk's music for the movie was released in November 2010, shortly before the film — which featured the group in a cameo — arrived in theaters.

Early in 2013, Daft Punk announced that they planned to have a new album released by May of that year. That March, the duo announced the album's title, Random Access Memories, and launched an extensive press campaign that featured snippets of the album's lead single, "Get Lucky," and interviews with some of their collaborators, who included Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams, Giorgio Moroder, and Panda Bear. The single was officially released in April, and Random Access Memories arrived in May. The album became one of Daft Punk's biggest successes, ultimately winning Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronica Album, Album of the Year, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; "Get Lucky" earned Grammys for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. In 2014, the duo appeared on Pharrell's album G I R L and collaborated with Jay-Z on the song "Computerized."

Top Albums

Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
1. Random Acces..
TRON: Legacy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Daft Punk
2. TRON: Legacy..
TRON: Legacy Reconfigured, Daft Punk
3. TRON: Legacy..
Discovery, Daft Punk
4. Discovery
Alive 2007 (Live) [Deluxe Edition], Daft Punk
5. Alive 2007 (..
Human After All, Daft Punk
6. Human After ..
Homework, Daft Punk
7. Homework
Musique, Vol. 1 (1993-2005), Daft Punk
8. Musique, Vol..
Daft Club, Daft Punk
9. Daft Club
Alive 1997, Daft Punk
10. Alive 1997
Harder Better Faster Stronger - EP, Daft Punk
11. Harder Bette..
Around the World - EP, Daft Punk
12. Around the W..
Something About Us (Love Theme From Interstella) - EP, Daft Punk
13. Something Ab..
Revolution 909 - EP, Daft Punk
14. Revolution 9..
Robot Rock - EP, Daft Punk
15. Robot Rock -..
Burnin' - EP, Daft Punk
16. Burnin' - EP
Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) [Daft Punk Remix] - EP, Daft Punk
17. Get Lucky (f..
Harder Better Faster Stronger - Single, Daft Punk
18. Harder Bette..
Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive 2007) - Single, Daft Punk
19. Harder Bette..
Prime Time of Your Life - Single, Daft Punk
20. Prime Time o..

Top Songs

NameAlbumTimePrice
1.
Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams &..Random Access Memories6:09$1.29
2.
One More TimeDiscovery5:20$0.99
3.
Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharre..Random Access Memories5:53$1.29
4.
Harder Better Faster StrongerDiscovery3:44$1.29
5.
Doin' It Right (feat. Panda Bear..Random Access Memories4:11$1.29
6.
Instant Crush (feat. Julian Casablan..Random Access Memories5:37$1.29
7.
Around the WorldHomework7:09$0.99
8.
TechnologicHuman After All4:44$0.69
9.
Give Life Back to MusicRandom Access Memories4:34$1.29
10.
DerezzedTRON: Legacy (Original Moti..1:44$1.29
11.
Face to FaceDiscovery4:00$0.69
12.
Digital LoveDiscovery5:01$1.29
13.
Da FunkHomework5:28$0.99
14.
Derezzed (Remixed by The Glitch Mob)TRON: Legacy Reconfigured4:22$1.29
15.
Around the World / Harder Better Fas..Alive 2007 (Live) [Deluxe E..5:42$0.69
16.
Robot RockHuman After All4:47$1.29
17.
Giorgio by MoroderRandom Access Memories9:04$1.29
18.
Something About UsDiscovery3:52$1.29
19.
AerodynamicDiscovery3:32$1.29
20.
Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams &..Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell W..10:32Album Only
21.
VoyagerDiscovery3:47$1.29
22.
ContactRandom Access Memories6:21$1.29
23.
Derezzed (From "TRON: Legacy"..Dconstructed5:03$1.29
24.
Human After AllHuman After All5:19$1.29
25.
Fragments of Time (feat. Todd Edward..Random Access Memories4:39$1.29

Top Music Videos

Derezzed (from TRON: Legacy), Daft Punk
1. Derezzed (fro...
Lose Yourself to Dance, Daft Punk
2. Lose Yourself...
Around The World, Daft Punk
3. Around The Wo...
One More Time, Daft Punk
4. One More Time
Instant Crush (feat. Julian Casablancas), Daft Punk
5. Instant Crush...
Harder Better Faster Stronger (Interstella), Daft Punk
6. Harder Better...
Harder Better Faster Stronger (Live) [Edit Version], Daft Punk
7. Harder Better...
Technologic, Daft Punk
8. Technologic
Aerodynamic, Daft Punk
9. Aerodynamic
Da Funk, Daft Punk
10. Da Funk
Digital Love, Daft Punk
11. Digital Love
Something About Us, Daft Punk
12. Something Abo...
Too Long, Daft Punk
13. Too Long
Harder Better Faster Stronger (Live Edit Version), Daft Punk
14. Harder Better...
High Life, Daft Punk
15. High Life
Voyager, Daft Punk
16. Voyager
Face To Face, Daft Punk
17. Face To Face
Veridis Quo, Daft Punk
18. Veridis Quo
Superhereos, Daft Punk
19. Superhereos
Crescendolls, Daft Punk
20. Crescendolls


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