Daft Punk! – a French electronic music duo formed in Paris in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. It’s a French house band famous for their robot helmets and spectacular live concerts. They have released several groundbreaking and influential albums as well as critically acclaimed film work. Both are Paris born (in France).A year older than each other. Guy Manuel was born in 1974 (44), Thomas in 1975 (45). Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is of Portuguese descent was born in the suburbs of Paris. They are both married with (2) Children each. Now, let’s touch on how they emerged to become worldwide stars in dance music and later mainstream pop music.
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter first met in 1987 attending Lycee Carnot, a secondary school in Paris, France in 1987 when they were 12 years old. They became fast friends and were drawn together by their similar tastes in music and film. They formed the guitar-based pop band Darlin’ with Laurent Brancowitz in 1992- name which came from the Beach Boys song “Darlin’. Shortly after the group broke up, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo put together Daft Punk with Thomas Bangalter while Laurent Brancowitz pursued separate musical directions. What a fantastic beginning!
Absolutely! On how they became mainstream pop music now guys! Their breakthrough was after reaching the top 10 on pop charts in both the UK and France hitting #1 on the dance chart in 1995 with “Da Funk,” followed by their debut album Homework in 1997. Their debut album Homework reached the top 10 in several countries as well as the hit single “Around the World.” Daft Punk earned Grammy Award nominations in the US for both “Da Funk” and “Around the World” while the album only reached #150 on the album chart.
No 4 “Da Funk – #1 on the dance chart in 1995 in UK and France in 1995 and one of the first 2 Grammy nominated hit songs
Moving on to their 2nd album now! I wish they had added Robotic to the album instead of “Discovery” alone because they didn’t fully adopt the robot personas until the release of this album in February 2001- Discovery saw their sound shift into more solidly synth-pop territory. Comparing their stylistic approach to their previous album, Thomas Bangalter described Discovery as an exploration of song structures and musical forms whereas Homework was “raw” electronic music. He also described Discovery as a reflection of the duo’s childhood memories, when they listened to music with a more playful and innocent viewpoint.
On how they became robots through this album: they were doing a track and their sampler crashed and exploded and there were sparks according to Bangalter years back. “We were hurt a little bit so we had to make a little surgery and then we became robots.” It seemed to signify a new beginning. “Everything was erased, we had to start all over again,” Bangalter said in that same interview. “We don’t keep a record of the time when we make music.”Discovery the album basically brought them into the top 25 of the US album chart. “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” was another very popular and distinctive single from this album.
Discovery peaked at #2 in UK &France #23 in US. It was certified triple platinum in France in 2007 and certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 11 October 2010. The lead single “One More Time” was its most successful. It peaked at #2 on the UK pop hit singles chart, reached the top 10 in different countries around the world and topped the US dance chart. We play that as our bonus 1 earlier in introducing the segment. Now you know. It remained the group’s most successful single until the release of “Get Lucky” in 2013.
Their 3rd album Human After All was released in 2005. This year wasn’t so great for them as there were mixed reviews towards the album leading Daft Punk first serious downturn.. Some critics claimed it was recorded too hastily. They took time off from recording to tour around the world instead. All through 2006/2007, Daft Punk maintained a low profile. Though, they had some performances and appearances: live shows which memorialized on the album Alive 2007. Finally in 2008, they had Grammy Awards appearance with Kanye West to perform a version of his hit “Stronger” which included samples from their single “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
Unfortunately between 2006 and 2013, Daft Punk hasn’t made it to the top 10 on the pop singles chart in either France or the UK. However, “Human After All” reached number one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. 2 singles off the album:”Robot Rock” and “Technologic” charted in several countries while the title track “Human After All” charted in France.
No 3 “Get Lucky” off 4th album ( Random Access Memories – won Grammy Award for Album of the Year)
No 2 Overnight’
In 2017, the track ‘Overnight’ leaked before Daft Punk officially released it, surfacing in a similar way as this recent “leak”.
Even though they experienced serious downturn in the course of their career, Daft Punk came back with 4th fourth studio album Random Access Memories in 17 May 2013, collaborating with prominent artists with great promo. They wer able to make it to the top of the UK pop singles chart with Get Lucky” – Daft Punk’s first #1 hit single in the UK. #2 in the US. The album Random Access Memories later earned the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Daft Punk had successful return in 2016 with their first #1 hit in the US collaborating with Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd on his “Starboy,” a #1 pop hit single in the US. In 2017, rumors had it Daft Punk were considering a world concert tour and they even became more popular than before. Now ranking as one of the top dance-pop acts in the world.
Rumour: Daft Punk splitting up
There are rumors floating of a solo project in the works from member Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Reports once had it that A French independent magazine, Tsugi, roughly translated to English that: “One half of Daft Punk, Guy-Manuel Homem-Christo, is currently registering a solo album in the near western suburbs of Paris,” the publication reports. “Of course, no release date has yet been scheduled, but what is already known is that it will be full of guests on this album vocal solo. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo has been reported to have dabbled away from Daft Punk many times in the past, producing for other performers and working with some records founder
Rumors of their new track, album even tour were constantly making the rounds the first quarter of this year – 2018
Daft Punk hasn’t been heard from since its performance and Album of The Year acceptance at The Grammys in January…
Discography/Music
Daft Punk -French electronic music duo Daft Punk has released four studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, three remix albums, one video album, twenty-two singles and eighteen music videos
Award/Nomination
Billboard Music Awards (w) 2 (N)4. Brit Awards (W)1 (N) 5 Grammy Awards
(W) 6 (N) 12. MTV Europe Music Awards (W) 1
Awards won 10 and Nominations 40
“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (2001) The song was a dance hit in two different versions. The studio release reached the top 10 on the dance chart in the US while a live recording from 2007 earned a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. Sampled in Kanye West’s #1 pop hit single “Stronger
Conclusion
The story about how Daft Punk became famous only makes their legacy that much more brilliant. They have enjoyed the finest aspects of musical celebrity. These guys have created universally respected records, always ranked among the finest achievements in the much-maligned electronic dance genre.
They get multimillion-dollar recording budgets and maintain a ravenous fan base. Are you wondering how a band that has managed to keep its face hidden for so long, made it this big.
