The End of an “EDM” Era: Daft Punk Breaks Up
French electronic duo Daft Punk announces musical split after more than 28 years together
Listeners across the world are mourning the breakup of Daft Punk, one of the first, and arguably most influential, electronic dance music (EDM) groups of all time.
Announced this past Monday through an eight-minute video posted to their website titled, “Epilogue,” the French music duo confirmed the end of their collaborative career. This was later reaffirmed by the band’s longtime publicist, Kathryn Frazier.
Garnering more than 8 million views in the expanse of just a few hours, the video quickly moved to the No. 1 trending spot on Youtube shortly after its release.
The short video pictures the duo walking alone on an infinite horizon, an homage to their popular 2006 film, “Electroma.” The camera follows the two robotic artists as they walk through the barren desert. The characters stop and stare at each other through their iconic helmets while one sets off a time bomb on the other robot’s suit. As the clock runs out, the robot watches on as the other walks away and eventually explodes into thin air. The video fades to black, with the dates 1993-2021 appearing on the screen, solidifying the end to Daft Punk’s musical career.
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo—the men behind the masks—met at a Paris high school in 1997 and made a name for themselves in the late 1990s as the “French house movement” began to pick up steam across Europe.
Combining elements of house, techno, disco and funk, Daft Punk appealed to a variety of fan bases, providing the duo ample bedrock for later global popularity. Their unique ability to synthesize various musical components into a style all their own not only led to widespread recognition of their talent, but also helped to bring the burgeoning EDM scene to the mainstream.
The notoriously private musicians released their debut album, “Homework,” in 1997, followed shortly by “Discovery” in 2001. Their first album turned heads with the success of “Da Funk,” and “One More Time,” the hit single featured on “Discovery,” received incredible acclaim, topping several U.K. charts while simultaneously playing in almost every major European nightclub following its release.
Despite these initial accolades, Daft Punk was far from reaching the pinnacle of their musical career.
After more than two decades in the spotlight, Daft Punk released their critically-acclaimed album, “Random Access Memories,” in May of 2013, which gained an enormous amount of public attention and recognition, including the Grammy Awards’ highest honor: Album of the Year.
Throughout the course of their career, the duo received a total of 43 award nominations and 13 award wins, six of which were Grammys in notable categories like Record of the Year.
Since Monday’s announcement, musicians across the globe have flocked to Twitter to express their sadness regarding the end of Daft Punk.
“'Daft Punk - Discovery’ was the first album I ever bought,” producer and DJ, Zedd wrote on Twitter following the announcement. “‘One More Time’ is the first electronic song I ever fell in love with. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Daft Punk. Long live the kings that paved the way for EDM.”
Record executive, producer and prominent DJ Mark Ronson also had heartfelt words to share about the influential group.
“Daft Punk left the game with a flawless legacy,” he wrote via Twitter. “I would say enviable but impossibly unattainable is more appropriate.”
Fans have also not shied away from acknowledging the band’s influence on their lives.
“Thinking about how every stage of my life would have gone so differently if it weren’t for Daft Punk,” one Twitter user wrote. “Thank you Daft Punk,” another commented, “I guess we’re going to figure it out for ourselves from now on.”
While the infamous duo’s musical career may be ending as of this week, their EDM legacy is far from over.