Yesterday, Daft Punk announced they were breaking up. It has left many fans disappointed and the music and entertainment industry have been reacting to the news.
An eight minute video entitled ‘Epilogue’ was uploaded on their YouTube channel yesterday.
It featured Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – in the desert in their trademark futuristic helmets. However, when one of them hit a button, an explosion went off and the screen turned to black.
The video ended with a pair of robot hands alongside the dates 1993-2021.
Their publicist, Kathryn Frazier later confirmed that Daft Punk had spilt up and didn’t offer a reason as to why they have decided to call time on their music.
The pair formed the group in 1995. Before that, they had played in a rock band called Darlin’ with their friend Laurent Brancowitz. The band’s name was inspired by a Beach Boys song with the same name.
The band didn’t have any success and one review from a British critic called them “daft punky thrash”.
They would form Daft Punk and Brancowitz would go onto start French band Phoenix.
Now the music and entertainment world have shared their tributes to the duo online.
Legendary French DJ Jean-Michel Jarre said “they always cultivated a taste for the paradoxical” as he praised the duo’s “extremely elegant manner of saying goodbye to their fans”.
Nile Rodgers who collaborated with the band on their huge hit ‘Get Lucky’ took to Twitter to offer his tribute.
#daftpunk thank "you" for your music, trust, artistry and humanity. You didn't #getlucky you got real #life and real #love. pic.twitter.com/r70Qmy1S3z
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) February 23, 2021
American DJ Porter Robinson struck a familiar chord in his tribute to Daft Punk.
thinking about being 11 and exploring limewire, searching “daft punk music videos” and seeing interstella 5555 piece by piece. seeing that fusion of electronic music and anime for the very first time . haahhhhhhghj damn i am crying pic.twitter.com/yb2MxzyQqV
— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) February 22, 2021
Defected Records called them “legends” and “game changers”.
Daft Punk.
Game changers.
Legends.
🤖🤖1993 – 2021 pic.twitter.com/p6BUJQAa9n
— Defected Records (@DefectedRecords) February 22, 2021
Writer and Director Edgar Wright shared his appreciation for Daft Punk.
Felt like posting one of my favourite music videos of all time. (sniffs) https://t.co/0sJSU7sLOv
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) February 22, 2021
He later revealed that Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo once attended his screening of Phantom of The Paradise for its 40th anniversary. He was asked by their manager before the show to not announce their presence at the screening but revealed the two were at it and were seated in seats G9 and G10.
Zane Lowe took to Instagram to share his feelings on the band and you can check it out here.
In 2013, The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas collaborated with Daft Punk on the track ‘Instant Crush’.
Last December in an interview with The Needle Drop, Casablancas revealed he was trying to work with Daft Punk again.
However, Casablancas had been told they weren’t “doing music right now”, with “one of them focused on video stuff and the other one kind of obsessing with ancient aliens or something”.
Their 2006 iconic performance at Coachella has been said to be the spark that ignited America’s EDM scene. The two performed inside a giant LED pyramid and was scenes like that were soon replicated from the likes of Deadmau5.
Nobody knows what the future holds for the two, but they will be sorely missed by all.
