Bored with electronics, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter “wanted to do what we used to do with machines and samplers, but with people,” the latter said.įor all its success and adulation at the time, “Random Access Memories” - which is re-released today in a lavish 10th anniversary edition, with a fascinating 35-minute companion album of previously unreleased material - is a challenging and often-contrarian album, and viewed outside of the heat of the moment of its arrival, those factors have become clearer (as part of a sort of revisionist history, Pitchfork recently revised its score down to a 6.8). There are guitar solos, tinkling electric pianos, ‘70s funk bass, piledriving drums and even acoustic guitars. Fans expecting another electronic masterpiece instead they got a deliberately retro album that intentionally used the technology and recording techniques of the ‘70s and ‘80s to evoke the pristine, perfectionist grooves of Michael Jackson, Chic, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac and others - and even unfurled a yacht-rock flag on “Fragments of Time.” It has orchestras, choirs and a battery of top-notch musicians including pioneering Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers, virtuoso bassist Nathan East, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz and powerhouse drummer Omar Hakim. Yet it was a drastic about-face for the pioneering duo, whose electronic and dance music of the previous 15-odd years had spawned countless influencees, and whose world-shaking 2006-7 tour basically spawned EDM. At the time of its release, the supernova of cool around Daft Punk was so pervasive - and the hits from the album, particularly “Get Lucky,” were so ubiquitous - that it topped charts all around the world, won five Grammys (including album of the year and best-engineered album) and got a whopping 8.8 score from Pitchfork, a publication that played no small role in the longrunning French duo’s rise. The piece features interviews with the late, great DJ Deeon, Neil Landstrumm and more.When Daft Punk launched its fourth and presumably final mission statement, “Random Access Memories,” into the atmosphere 10 long years ago, it was greeted with the kind of genre- and generation-spanning adulation that’s rare in any art form. Revisit Gabriel Szatan's January 2022 feature on Daft Punk's landmark album 'Homework' to mark its 25th anniversary. In April, Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter spoke out about why the duo decided to retire the project in 2021. In May, Daft Punk released an expanded 10th anniversary edition of ‘Random Access Memories’ featuring 35 minutes of previously unreleased music. Check it out below and pre-order/save a copy of 'Daft Punk Random Access Memories (Drumless Version)' here.Įarlier this month, the duo shared the fifth episode of their ‘Memory Tapes’ series, which features an interview and archival footage with Todd Edwards in the studio recording 'Fragments of Time.' Previous guests on the mini-documentary series, which comprises eight episodes in total, include the Strokes' Julian Casablancas and Chilly Gonzales. The LP's first single, 'Within' - the fourth track on 'Random Access Memories', which features Chilly Gonzales on piano - is available to listen to now. Daft Punk have announced a new drumless edition of ‘Random Access Memories’.Īrriving on 17th November, 'Daft Punk Random Access Memories (Drumless Version)' is due to be released as part of the duo's ongoing 10th anniversary celebration of their 2013 LP 'Random Access Memories.'
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