My best friend is probably among the top 10 Daft Punk super-fans spanning the globe. On February 22, 2021, I received this message, “Daft Punk……broke….up..” After reading this I knew that this meant his world was about to come crumbling down.

The duo that I had heard so many rants about, that we listened to for countless hours on long drives, the one that occupies so much of his music-related brain-space was no more. 

He lied to me, as he replied to “Are you ok?” with a series of texts detailing how this was their time, how they haven’t produced music in eight years, and how they will continue as solo artists. I did not respond and as predicted I received this message shortly after;

“In reality, I am very very sad about it and I have almost cried many times, but honestly they’ve already completed their mission. They have already made an insane impact on modern music.”

If I were to make an assumption, I would say that this is the general sentiment among fans. The duo, famous for their intricate helmets and French-style house music, was made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They started the group in 1993 in Paris with their first album titled Homework and the rest was history. 

Daft Punk’s most popular singles include “Get Lucky,” “One More Time,” “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” and “Around the World,” classics that I certainly grew up listening to. The end to Daft Punk most certainly feels like an end to an era, one filled with exciting hooks and dynamic melodies. 

The impact that Daft Punk has had on the music industry, specifically Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is undeniable. Throughout their career, they have advocated against the creation of easy and formulaic EDM, as they continued to produce creative and enticing albums. Bangalter and Homem-Christo have served as an inspiration to artists in the genre and outside of electronic music as well. 

The duo is absolutely iconic as they hide their appearance and are rarely heard during interviews. Bangalter was quoted in 2006 saying,

“Usually we just don’t do interviews. We really try to communicate by making music or making weird things rather than interviews.”

The fact that they were able to establish such a strong fan base and have an impact on the music industry when they barely speak to their audience is a feat in and of itself. 

Daft Punk released their final album in 2013, titled Random Access Memories, and eight years later the duo released a video on YouTube called “Epilogue” containing an 8-minute clip from their documentary Electroma. Their publicist, Kathryn Frazier, confirmed their breakup but did not provide a reason for the separation. 

Goodbye Daft Punk. We at The Banner will certainly miss you.