Daft Punk Announce Break Up Via Weird Video
The legendary dance duo Daft Punk have called it quits. They broke the news with an 8-minute video posted this morning, titled “Epilogue,” excerpted from their 2006 film Electroma. Asked if Daft Punk were no more, their longtime publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to Variety but gave no reason for the breakup.
Watch their farewell video, titled Epilogue here:
*Sees new Daft Punk video*
— Dave @ SGF (@DaveOshry) February 22, 2021
"OH BOY"
*5 minutes later* pic.twitter.com/AaEiwKy3xZ
The eight-minute clip features the duo, wearing their iconic space helmets and leather jackets, walking around the desert. After a few minutes, one of the members looks at the other, removes his jacket and reveals a power pack on the back. The other touches a button on the pack, activating a countdown timer of 60 seconds. The first member walks away quickly, and then is blown to smithereens. The scene cuts to a sunrise, as a choral version of the group’s song “Touch” plays.
Bangalter and de Homem-Christo met in the mid-’80s at school in Paris as teenagers and soon after began working together on music, Variety reports. They formed a rock band called Darlin’, inspired by the Beach Boys song of the same name, with their friend Laurent Brancowitz in 1992. They released one song, which received a negative review in the Melody Maker, which described it as “a daft punky thrash”, which inspired their new band name. The two decided to focus on electronic music, while Brancowitz left and ultimately formed the band Phoenix.
Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk in Paris in 1993, in hopes of defining the French touch style of house music. Their debut album, 1997’s Homework, was a dance music landmark, and featured “Around the World” and “Da Funk.”
Their most recent album, 2013’s Random Access Memories, was a huge commercial success. “Get Lucky,” featuring singer-rapper Pharrell Williams and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers. The single sold millions of copies internationally and won two Grammys. The album itself earned Daft Punk three more Grammys, including Album of the Year.
