Daft Punk was the French electronic duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, formed in Paris in 1993 and dissolved in 2021 — the act that made French house a global language. Homework (1997) and Discovery (2001) are the pillars; Random Access Memories (2013) took Album of the Year at the Grammys. Browse Daft Punk vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Daft Punk formed in Paris in 1993 around Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who had previously performed together in the indie rock band Darlin' (a Melody Maker review of which had used the dismissive phrase a daft punky thrash, providing the name). They signed with Glasgow's Soma Recordings for their early singles and then Virgin Records for their landmark debut Homework (1997). The duo's robotic costume identities were established with Discovery (2001). They moved to Columbia for Random Access Memories (2013), which won Album of the Year at the 2014 Grammys. They announced their dissolution on February 22, 2021.
Daft Punk's sound spans French house, electronic dance music, disco, funk, and synth-pop. Their work essentially defined French house as an internationally recognized genre and shaped multiple subsequent waves of electronic and pop production. Random Access Memories (2013) marked a pivot toward live-musician disco-funk production with Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers, and Pharrell Williams as collaborators.
Original Virgin and Columbia pressings of the Daft Punk catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, including 10th anniversary editions of Random Access Memories and Homework 25th anniversary editions, have been released.
Listeners new to Daft Punk typically start with Discovery (2001) or Random Access Memories (2013).
