Daft Punk, the Parisian duo responsible for some of the most popular dance and pop songs ever created, have split up. They made the news with an 8-minute video entitled ‘Epilogue’, an excerpt from their 2006 film ElectromeAsked if Daft Punk was gone, their longtime publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to Pitchfork, but gave no reason for the breakup.
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo founded Daft Punk in Paris in 1993 and helped define the French style of house music. Their debut album, 1997’s Homework, was a milestone in dance music, with classic singles ‘Around the World’ and ‘Da Funk’. Due to the release of its follow-up, Discovery, in 2001, the duo had started making public appearances in the robotic outfits that became their trademark. The singles “One More Time” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” have cemented them as global superstars. Their mark on the popular imagination continued to deepen in the following years, with records including a third album Still human, live LP Live 2007, and the Tron Legacy soundtrack album.
Twenty years into their career, Daft Punk blew up again with ‘Get Lucky’, the lead single from their 2013 album. Random Access Memories The ubiquitous single sold millions of copies around the world and won two Grammys for the duo and guests Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams; the follow-up “Lose Yourself to Dance”, which also features Pharrell, has won a handful of awards. Random Access Memories, their latest album to date, led to a spectacular Coachella headline set that summed up their magic and mythology. ‘If you know how a magic trick is done, it is so depressing, “Bangalter told Pitchfork in a 2013 cover story.” We focus on the illusion, because giving away how it’s done instantly eliminates the feeling of excitement and innocence. “
The album earned Daft Punk three more Grammys, including Album of the Year. In the year of its release they also got co-produced on several of Kanye West’s songs Jesus, including the formidable opening trio ‘On Sight’, ‘Black Skinhead’ and ‘I Am a God’. They would team up with The Weeknd on the 2016 single “Starboy” – Daft Punk’s first Billboard singles chart-topper – as well as “I Feel It Coming.”