Daft Punk (a.k.a. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo) has not only been a leading force in the electronica revolution, it has also been one of the few such acts to catch on overseas. Referring to themselves as robots in their lyrics-and donning ridiculous metallic helmets when they perform-they first wooed America’s alternative music fans with their 1998 debut, “Homework.” Its repetitive and quirky mechanics inspired a video by producer-to-the-creative-elite Spike Jonze (Fatboy Slim, Bjork) that became a cult classic. The song’s charming clunkiness proved that techno didn’t always have to be just beats and precision.
In true Daft Punk fashion, the two have set out to destroy the “cool” status that Paris’s nightlife has at last achieved. Their new album, “Discovery,” celebrates France’s long-ridiculed post-disco heritage-soaring synthesized melodies, polyester-melting beats and mechanized vocals a la Midnight Star’s 1983 single, “Freak-a-Zoid.” (That was the smash hit from the classic album, “No Parking (on the Dance Floor).”) Somehow, however, Daft Punk’s CD still sounds good. The album’s dizzying smash, “One More Time,” has already hit No. 1 on America’s dance charts. It’s also in the Top 30 on the pop charts and has a video by Leiji Matsumoto, one of the top Japanese animators. One final validation: the clip’s currently all over MTV, making Daft Punk one of the few electronic bands ever to crack the network’s prime-time rotation.
Inside a minimalist hotel room in New York City, a very chatty Bangalter discussed musical freedom, the challenge of reinvention and the joys of bad taste with NEWSWEEK’s Lorraine Ali. His partner, de Homem Christo, spoke only once and sat quietly through the rest of the interview. (Maybe he’s not quite ready to abandon that robot thing.)
Newsweek: You’ve shed the robot suits and are taking on a human form now. As mere mortal men, how do you feel this album differs from your debut?
Bangalter: On the first album, we really only worked on production, sound textures, making people dance. Here, the approach was breaking the rules of these formats, working to combine emotions and melodies, being much more open. We were ambitious in combining things that seem very far apart-heavy metal, disco, soul, funk, electro. Things that could be seen as different genres.
De Homem Christo: Sometimes we even resorted to bad taste by trying to combine anything with anything, and not worrying about what people think is good or bad. We referred a lot to our childhood years, when you listen to music and don’t judge it. We tried to feel as free as possible, without sounding irrelevant. A hook or a sound should appeal to you like a color or a particular candy.
The album sounds very quirky. It’s exploring the netherworld between disco and new wave.
Bangalter: People ask about the late ’70s- early ’80s influence on the album, but it’s just the first ten years of our lives rather than a decade we liked. It’s much more personal than just a retro fad.
You’re leaders in a genre that’s very much about change and constant movement. How do you keep ahead of the game?
Bangalter: What we have learned from the independent electronic scene is to constantly reinvent: question yourself, innovate, experiment. If you have a minimum of success, you become the establishment very fast. The only good thing about that is that you have more control to innovate and then destroy it at your own will.
There must have been a lot of destruction and rebuilding with “Discovery,” because aside from other projects you took on as producers, your album took two and half years to make.
Bangalter: We really wanted to work with new formats, and not do the same thing as on our first album. We wanted to show that electronic music was not just about dance tracks for clubs or very mellow, chill out music-it could be something in between. It could be energetic and you could listen to it in situations off the dancefloor.
Now that you have a name and people actually know your music, isn’t the concept of drastically changing your sound somewhat frightening? I mean, what if it doesn’t work this time around?
Bangalter: Being in a safe situation is the least exciting thing in life. You take challenges when you start, and you should not stop taking challenges when you get some success. We wanted to do something we have not done before and have fun.
You are lucky in that you have complete control of your music-from the way it’s made to how it’s marketed. You have your own studio, label, production company [Daft Life] and rights to own publishing. It allows you to make a record entirely unmolested by the larger interest of a major label.
Bangalter: There was a time when electronic music was not that understood or accepted. It existed in the independent network of record shops, labels and clubs. So we built ourselves up independently, with lots of freedom and control. But we were broke and had to finance everything we did. Now, electronic music is accepted and understood by Madonna and major labels, and we are somewhat successful. But we still wanted to stay free, do what we want to, which is not to just sit and stay content, but move on.
Is the online Daft Club part of that desire to constantly tackle new frontiers?
Bangalter: We experiment not only in the way we make music, but in the way we deliver it to people. If you buy our CD, there is a membership to the Daft Club inside. If you log on to daftclub.com and enter your membership number, you can download new, exclusive songs. The music is a gift only available to members. It’s a constructive, positive answer to things like Napster, rather than attacking it. It’s also gives us more flexibility as artists to express ourselves, and break down traditional formats like the CD.
And you’re still having fun?
Bangalter: Yes. There’s a lot of humor in what we do. It’s really fun for us and should be fun for the people. It can be entertaining and light without being fluffy.
