If you love hip-hop beats with electronic elements and pop sensibility, these artists will no doubt strike a chord.
Daft Punk are a French musical duo formed in 1993. They quickly gained widespread acclaim during the late ’90s thanks to their house music inspired by funk, disco, and rock genres. When performing publicly wearing robotic costumes with helmets while donning helmets as helmets they also prefer not doing media interviews as much as before.
The origin
Daft Punk brought an electronic music revolution, reinventing their shows into an audio-visual experience with their iconic masks – now worn by many other artists who take up this aesthetic as much for aesthetic reasons as beats and bass.
The duo’s fascination with technology and how it affects humans and machines is evident throughout their songs, live performances and image. Random Access Memories was named as such to signify both human and machine memory – as well as represent their belief that technology is moving toward humanity as opposed to earlier albums that depicted technology moving away from it.
Daft Punk’s first album Homework was founded on hip-hop; its heavy basslines and gritty beats gave the album a distinct edge and young rebellion that set them apart from other French electro-pop acts of its time. Furthermore, Homework used sampling tracks by Dr Dre and George Clinton as its centerpiece to create its ode to hip-hop culture.
Though Daft Punk haven’t released an album since 2013, they continue to tour and remain an influence on modern EDM. Artists such as Deadmau5 have adopted Daft Punk’s signature cyborg persona for themselves, and their concerts feature as much flashing lights and smoke machines as otherworldly sounds.
Daft Punk will continue to leave an indelible mark long after their last performance at Coachella 2006. Their legendary album Random Access Memories remains one of the top selling albums ever, still heard regularly in DJ sets across the world today and known for its mix of retro synths and funk rhythms that makes it one of the timeless dance records ever released.
The sound
Daft Punk made quite an impression with their debut 12″ single in 1996, drawing both praise and criticism alike. Feeling overwhelmed by all of this attention, they decided for their subsequent record release to release it under an alias name. So people could listen to music without any preconceived expectations based on its popularity, yet end up discovering an album completely different than expected from them. Human After All was an atmospheric, dark and moody album which took a more pessimistic view of technology than previous releases by them. Additionally, this release featured more distorted guitars than its predecessors and ran longer than any prior work from them. Furthermore, this work stood out as sounding very different than anything else available at that time – precisely what they intended to create!
Homework by Daft Punk was an instantaneous hit that caused great excitement within the dance music community in 1997. It included elements of House, Acid House, Techno, Disco and Funk that combined perfectly for an engaging listening experience. While its rave scene success was immense, many outside of it also appreciated it – especially people not involved with rave culture! Additionally, MTV enabled them to reach more people by making videos for five of the tracks from Homework which helped introduce them to new listeners who may otherwise never heard their music otherwise!
The video for their song Discovery is an outstanding example of their style, featuring futuristic LED lights, triangular light fixtures and an enormous pyramid – like something you’d find on a movie set! Not to mention its catchy tune and fun dancing moves – one reason it has become one of their most beloved songs to date.
Since their debut album was released, they have released three more studio albums and been an enormous influence in EDM culture. Artists such as Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and deadmau5 have all mentioned them as major influences; even Joseph Trapanese who specializes in blending electronics and orchestras collaborated to compose Tron: Legacy’s soundtrack!
The style
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo had established themselves as leading underground Parisian techno musicians and DJs before embarking on their second album, Discovery. Their music took inspiration from popular sounds at the time – including Chicago house beats combined with sensuous disco pump. For the final touch they added avant garde French glamour.
This made them hugely popular with both dancers and non-dancers, marking the first time that dance music albums achieved widespread mainstream success. Now considered classics by countless artists worldwide, their success gave rise to EDM genre.
Random Access Memories was released as their third and final studio album in 2013. By then they had already adopted more human personas in an effort to make it easier for audiences to connect with their music and reach a broader audience. It deals with human interactions with technology through its title itself – Random Access Memories being an onomatopoeia for random-access memory (RAM), the primary component in computers.
The album’s release marked an important turning point in their careers; as their first album to be distributed by Disney and featured them both appearing as cameo characters in Tron Legacy film, working with such an enormous corporation was quite daunting, they wanted to ensure they retained autonomy over their work and could pursue it under their own terms.
Over the years, Daft Punk has become one of the biggest influences in electronic music. They paved the way for other electronic acts and are continuing their legacy with collaborations with designers like Hedi Slimane, Virgil Abloh, and Gosha Rubchinskiy – as well as reinvigorating vinyl record sales and popularizing retro clothing styles.
Parcels is a German synthpop trio formed in 2013. Their music echoes Daft Punk and their latest album is entitled Overnight.
The future
No matter your opinion of Daft Punk, no doubt they revolutionized electronic music. Combining elements from techno, funk, disco and rock into something completely unique while inspiring other artists to push further the genre’s limits. They’ve created numerous hits and soundtracked movies like Tron: Legacy while working alongside everyone from Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers of Chic to Hedi Slimane of Yves Saint Laurent fashion shows!
Random Access Memories was their poppiest album yet. While Homework relied heavily on analogue sounds, Random Access Memories employed less synths and keyboards; instead the duo relied more on acoustic instruments, vintage drum machines, string sections, choirs, and woodwind instruments for its signature sound. Yet despite its diverse style changes, Random Access Memories remains a fantastic showcase of versatility and talent from these musicians.
Although Bangalter and De Homem-Christo wore their influences proudly, this never got in the way of their creative process. Their use of samples created a distinctive analogue sound which is hard to recreate using modern technology; additionally, their inventive melodies and memorable hooks elevated dance music even further.
Not only did they incorporate various genres, they also infused their songs with storytelling and cinematography elements. Discovery’s video was an animated tale featuring an alien-pop band which blended fiction with reality; this helped ensure its wide reach and made it memorable to listeners.
Daft Punk may have disbanded in 2021, yet their legacy will live on in music culture long past their departure. They have inspired young musicians to push the limits of their own styles further while making an impressionful mark in every corner of popular culture. If you want some funky retro futuristic beats then check out our playlist of music inspired by Daft Punk!