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Maegwyn -> Issue 28 - It's All a Bunch of Daft Punk (Suikoman444) (7/23/2008 11:28:53)
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It's All a Bunch of Daft Punk
By Suikoman444
House. No, not the TV show, but actually the genre of music. I know many of you might not know what house music is, as it has never really been mainstream in the US, but this genre of electronic music includes many of my favorite songs.
House music gets its roots from disco, soul, funk and other music from the 1970s. Wikipedia says, "House music takes disco's use of a prominent bass drum on every beat and developed a new style by mixing in a heavy electronic synthesizer bassline, electronic drums, electronic effects, funk and pop samples, and reverb- or delay-enhanced vocals." If that is still confusing, you may want to go look up some samples. Some examples I suggest to look at are Daft Punk, Justice, Haddaway, Basement Jaxx, and The Chemical Brothers.
One of the most successful groups in the genre is the French duo Daft Punk. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter have been working together since 1992, when they were called Darlin'. They didn't start in on electronic music until the following year. Working in their basements, they released their first album, Homework, in 1997. Much of Homework has a funky electro sound. If you see Daft Punk now, you'll note their unique outfits. They claim, "We did not choose to become robots. There was an accident in our studio. We were working on our sampler, and at exactly 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999, it exploded. When we regained consciousness, we discovered that we had become robots." They later would make appearances on Cartoon Network's Toonami to promote their second album, Discovery, in 2001. This album is quite different than the first; it utilizes a more pop-like sound and includes their most successful song, One More time, which you've probably all heard at one point. This album was also turned into an anime with the help of Leiji Matsumoto. Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem turns Discovery into a story about blue-skinned musicians. Their third album was released in 2004 under the title Human After All. This album, which was made in six weeks, was made as an intentional contrast with their earlier albums, which also took much longer to produce. It has a harder rock sound than their previous albums. In addition to being musicians, Daft Punk are also directors. They directed the movie "Daft Punk's Electroma," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and will be released on DVD in North America on July 22nd.
Because Daft Punk uses many different styles of house music in their work, there is probably something for each of you. In addition to their studio albums, they also put on a superb show during their live concerts. Like many other electronic artists, they mix music together on stage into a completely new sound. If you're a fan of them or the genre, I really recommend seeing them live if you get the chance. They put on a spectacular show that is hard to forget (not that you'd want to).
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