Parisian dance auteurs Daft Punk have called it a day.
The trailblazing, helmet-clad duo announced that they would be closing their chapter via an eight-minute video titled “Epilogue”, a nod to their 2006 record Electroma. The band’s publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to Pitchfork.
Daft Punk, comprised of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, have left an indelible legacy over their 28-year career.
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo crossed paths as teenagers in the mid-’80s at school. The pair, alongside friend Laurent Brancowitz (of Phoenix) went on to form the Beach Boys-inspired rock act, Darlin’.
Darlin’ contributed a song to a compilation on Stereolab’s Duophonic label. In a review in Melody Maker, the track was slammed for being “daft punky thrash” and, consequently, the seed of Daft Punk was planted.
Brancowitz left the band. In 1997, the duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo released their landmark debut album, Homework. The album spawned a number of Daft Punk’s most beloved hits including ‘Around the World’ and ‘Da Funk.’
Though it was 2001’s Discovery that projected the duo to the highest echelons of electronic music royalty. It was also a record that saw the duo experiment with making public appearances in robot outfits, a move that would define the rest of their career.
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Discovery bore a number of songs that have since become perennial, generation-spanning dancefloor classic, like ‘One More Time’ and ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ — of which Kanye West notably sampled in his Graduation track ‘Stronger’.
‘Stronger’ went on to earn Kanye West a Grammy award for best solo performance at the 2008 ceremony — where he and Daft Punk performed together.
That following year, the duo would go on to score a Grammy nod of their own. A live version of ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ won Daft Punk the best dance recording Grammy – their first win – and their 2007 effort Alive scored best electronic/dance album.
The band’s final album, 2014’s bombastic Random Access Memories, is perhaps the crowning jewel of their canon. The record earned the band Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammy Awards — establishing Daft Punk as the first-ever electronic act to earn the awards highest honour.
Random Access Memories single ‘Get Lucky’, the earworm collaboration with Pharrell Wiliams and Nile Rogers, also scored a nod for record of the year. A future without Daft Punk feels a little bleak, but what a god damn swan song to end it on.
Watch their farewell video below.
Daft Punk – Epilogue
Eternally grateful pic.twitter.com/Z25bUIKBtU
— Chris (@QueensChristine) February 22, 2021
thinking about how every stage of my life would have gone so differently if it weren’t for Daft Punk
— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) February 22, 2021
🙏🙏thank you for it all, daft punk. what a band.
see u on ur comeback tour in a year or two?— Glass Animals (@GlassAnimals) February 22, 2021
THE greatest to EVER do it. Words can’t describe the inspiration & knowledge we gained from listening to the 2 robots over the years. Wishing them nothing but good energy & positivity for the future – Thank you for everything Guy & Thomas 😢♥️ unreal…
— Disclosure (@disclosure) February 22, 2021
Daft punk breaking up hits hard. I found their music on Cartoon Network when I was like 12 becuz they played the Harder better faster stronger music vid. Fell in love w them saw them live at their first Coachella performance. Thank u for all the music & inspiration 🥲
— dillonfrancis (@DillonFrancis) February 22, 2021
