Daft Punk (not fatal but apparently permanently irreconcilable)

From my sound engineering days there aren't many artists for whom I never got to see live or wasn't able to work with whom I was a fan of or respected, but Daft Punk escaped me, to the point that it was joked that a long time friend within the industry was secretly part of the iconic duo. I always joke that if I could have picked to be any famous person in the world that it would have been a member of Daft Punk, for the ability to hide in plain sight. Prior to an Orbital show at 930 club in 1999 we mixed "around the world" to the diana ross "upside down" and pointer sisters "automatic" the latter of which went on to become a frequently mixed combo. 

I hope that they're well in mind and health in their decision to part ways. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed to hear it, but I'm thankful for what they contributed.  Here's hoping they continue some creative work on their own terms.

I don't know a thing about Daft Punk but I really liked the Tron Legacy Remix they did.   Good to listen to while exercising...

In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :

That music video made me want to get a Ferrari 400/412 regardless of how the internet feels about them. I'll pursue eBay and the like every once and a while for some cheap examples.

I don't suppose we have any word on reasons yet?

I've heard that both artists are fine and that it was a mutual decisions, but that's about it.

I'm guessing/hoping that it's just a case of, "We've been doing this ages. I don't think we've got another album in us, and don't really feel like touring anymore. Let's chill and just collect royalties."

To me it sounds like more of a retirement. Think about bands like REM and slayer. Sometimes it's better to hang it up while you still feel ok, or you risk turning into someone like (in my opinion) metallica, who should have hung it up like 15 years ago. 

They've made a lot of great stuff, but most of it is in Discovery, which will go down in history as one of the greatest electro albums of all time.

Beer Baron said:

I don't suppose we have any word on reasons yet?

I've heard that both artists are fine and that it was a mutual decisions, but that's about it.

I'm guessing/hoping that it's just a case of, "We've been doing this ages. I don't think we've got another album in us, and don't really feel like touring anymore. Let's chill and just collect royalties."

The video would imply that. Silver Punk just ran out of want. That's a long time to be doing high energy electronica. At some point you're not 22 anymore :)

captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

... Prior to an Orbital show at 930 club in 1999 we mixed "around the world" to the diana ross "upside down" and pointer sisters "automatic" the latter of which went on to become a frequently mixed combo. 

You saw Orbital live in 1999? I swear to god, I was the only kid on the west coast that knew who Orbital was in the late 90s and they were my favorite...They haven't fallen far in my esteem to be honest. I figured you were cool-ish before...but now I envy you that experience.  

So what do you mean "we mixed...". Are you saying you opened for Orbital?

Heck, Orbital was on the Hackers soundtrack in 1996. My oldest Orbital album is from 1991. Guess London Ontario was ahead of the curve ;)

In reply to Mezzanine :

I was a sound engineer for IMP, unless the act had a set tracklist to play prior to taking the stage the house DJ and I would make selections before the acts came on.  I'll have to get digging as I have the DAT from that show still. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

You're right...and thinking back I suppose I should have said early 90s since I got hooked in 1993 on the brown album. 

In reply to captdownshift :

DAT tapes for the win! Post that thing up pretty please. 

I've done zero research on this so mark this all down as assumption on my part; I don't know if I would take the Epilogue video as an indication of who decided to quit the group.  It's just a way of saying they're no longer a functioning group.  I imagine we'll get the real story in bits and peices over years.

I also think they ended on a pretty good note for the most part but new output from the group was obviously reduced of late.  The guys seem extremely creative so I'm sure they'll find ways to find their time (and probably get paid to do it).

The desert scene in the Epilogue video is actually from their movie Electroma.

I borrowed all the available Daft Punk CDs from the local library but haven't yet had time to listen to them.  Any suggestions on songs or albums to start with...?

Hard to say what'll tickle your fancy without knowing your tastes, but it would be interesting to go through their work chronologically.  The danger there would be that their earlier stuff may be too aligned with the state of 90's club scenes, especially the Homework album.  I'd argue that they really came into their own with Discovery.  Personally, I love the Alive album as there's some real bangers in there, but it is essentially a concert recording and includes a lot of their existing work.  By the time you get to Random Access Memories you can tell they're not really concerned with creating a dance music album anymore as it's more focused on collaborations and has an almost sentimental tone to it.

I'm sure others could describe these albums better than me. Take it for what it is - basic impressions of a layman.

edit - there was obviously a bunch of work I didn't mention here (Tron, Human after all, etc.).  I wouldn't skip those.