In similar company with new-school French progressive
dance artists such as
Motorbass,
Air,
Cassius, and
Dimitri from Paris, Parisian duo
Daft Punk quickly rose to acclaim by adapting a love for first-wave
acid house and
techno to their younger roots in pop,
indie rock, and
hip-hop. The combined talents of DJs Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and
Thomas Bangalter, the pair's first projects together included Darling, a voiceless 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 their 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 Roule 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 eagerly awaiting a follow-up to their brilliant debut,
Daft Punk finally issued
Discovery in March 2001. The live record Alive 1997 followed near 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, the duo released a compilation, Musique, Vol. 1: 1993-2005, and in 2007 their second live record, Alive 2007. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
