Since their surprise separation in 2021, do you miss Daft Punk? They are also missed by the authors of this book, who lovingly put together this consoling work. One would have thought that this abundant tribute, teeming with anecdotes and full of sap, would have been made in France. But it was produced by the British, the two co-founders of the former excellent magazine on club culture Jockey Slut (1993-2004), Paul Benney and John Burgess, now at the head of the biannual Disco Pogo. What could be more normal in reality, since Daft Punk started across the Channel on the Scottish label Soma, and has had such an international career that most are unaware that the helmeted duo is French.
Daft Punk, a life of robots sweeps away the entire musical epic of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homen Christo, from the beginnings of the very first 45T under the name Daft Punk in 1994, to their separation one day in February 2021 with a video called Epilogue, posted on YouTube. And since “Everyone has their favorite version of Daft Punk.”as the authors note, all the versions of this visionary group which has never ceased to break the codes and push the boundaries, in the studio, live, but also visually, are dissected here in an entertaining way and often with humor .
We first taste their first interview in the English press, at Jockey Slut. We then savor the cover that the magazine devoted to them in 1996, one of the last where they appeared with their faces uncovered. Articles published at the time in Mixmag et Music give a good idea of the perception of the group among the British – journalists regularly emphasizing the difficulty of getting something out of the silent and shy Guy-Man, “which would make Rodin's thinker look like a jester of the prim king”.
We also scrutinize the tandem's fax interview, saturated with drawings and scribbles, published in 1997 in the Melody Makerand the life-size photo of the original DAT cassette that Daft Punk had sent to the Soma label, host of their first two EPs (The New Wave/Alive in April 1994 et Da Funk / Rollin’ & Scratchin’ in August 1995).
The five-voice story of the duo's meeting with the turbulent band of this Scottish label is both extremely funny and fascinating, one of the must-haves of the book. They remember two discreet boys but very determined and sure of what they wanted, including the visuals, and whose Music “sounded like no one else at the time.” They also recount the whirlwind of madness that the label experienced for two years thanks to them. When the title Da Funk took off, following his appearance on Radio 1, the label started getting so many phone calls at the office that they took to joking when they picked up the phone – instead of saying “Soma Records, bonjour !”they said “Da Funk, hello!”recalls label director Stuart McMillan.
The story of the first two albums, Homework et Discoveryare told, today, in this same choral form by those who saw it unfold before their eyes, like their manager Pedro Winter, Erol Alkan, and their friends the Dewaele brothers aka Soulwax and 2 Many Dj's (who signed the preface of the book).
This book is one of those that you can open to any page, because everything is delightful, starting with the photos from the early days, when they began to play with masks and joke glasses. . The kind of book that you can peck at any time and be sure to smile or learn something. For example, the artists are detailed, around forty, whose names Thomas recites on the title Teacherstribute to their inspirations, from George Clinton to Jeff Mills via Kenny Dope and DJ Hell.
The dozen EPs released on the Roulé label by Thomas Bangalter are also analyzed one by one. Their use of samples is also the subject of an article, as is their unique filmography and their clips. Without forgetting a moving evocation of their incredible performances on the turntables at the Bugged Out! evenings, in Manchester, London or Ibiza, which built their reputation as much as their music.
An interview with LCD's James Murphy Sound system, author of the hit Daft Punk is playing at my houseis on the menu, as well as a captivating testimony from Tony Gardner, prosthetics specialist for Hollywood who designed the duo's famous fiberglass helmets, with their color-changing LEDs, a real technological challenge at the time.
And then, of course, a book on Daft Punk would not be complete without an interview with their manager Pedro Winter, today at the head of the Ed label Banger, who here remembers “the most beautiful period of his life”. A period when he was one of the friends carrying suitcases containing the stage equipment of future robots, that is to say their entire home studio (TR-909, sequencers, Juno 106, SP 1200) and the cable boxes that went with it. A period where the manager spent his time saying “non” to the requests to which his foals were subject, to the point that he was nicknamed “Mr No”… until the proposal (with incredible cachet) from the Coachella festival to play Daft Punk in 2006, to which he responded “oui”after a week of reflection with “boys”.
The book of course goes behind the scenes of this spectacular show, the famous pyramid, which “hallucinate” the whole little world of electronics and festivals in its time, changing live electronic music forever. Who to take up the challenge today ?
“Daft Punk, a life of robots” by Disco Pogo, preface by David and Stephen Dewaele (Marabout, 35 euros)
