"DA FUNK" DAFT PUNK (1997)

Electronic albums play a huge role in my fascination with music. For me, synthesizers and drum machines aren’t better or worse than live drums and guitars. They’re just different. They make music much more imaginative for me. I think Nick Rhodes’ synth parts on those early Duran Duran albums were some of my first loves. Shimmery one moment, jarring the next. Rhodes’ keyboard flourishes changed the complexion of every song. This month, I’m featuring my Top 15 electronic albums along with one featured track.

Album: Homework (1997)

I’ve already covered French synth-pop earlier in my Electronic LP Top 15. Now it’s time for some French house from the motorcycle helmet-clad duo Daft Punk. In 1997, there was a New York City club called Au Bar that my crew frequented quite a bit. When I say “frequented”, I mean going Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night within one week wasn’t exactly unheard of. We devoured the music. Daft Punk was a big part of that scene. The debut album introduced us to a genre that most of us didn’t know even existed. It was the soundtrack for our nights for the next couple of years until we all settled down and got girlfriends. One of those tracks was “Da Funk”.

A simple, repetitive synth hook that goes on repeat dozens of times. Driving, bass-heavy break beats. Electromagnetic treble chords. And not much else. The beauty of “Da Funk” is that it wasn’t overly complex. This minimalist approach had a way of making you feel it so viscerally. And what is music’s job to do other than allow you to feel it and experience it. Back at Au Bar, that’s all it was to us. And “Da Funk”, “Around the World”, “One More Time” and countless other Daft Punk tracks served their purpose. But what we didn’t realize was how pioneering the French duo was at the time, and how influential they would become.

"DA FUNK" DAFT PUNK (1997)

For the month of October, I’m taking the #OctAtoZBandChallenge challenge. The premise is simple. Pick a band starting with the day’s assigned alphabet letter and then choose a song from that band.

Day 4

Now I’m bringing things back to early Daft Punk. When French house was taking form. And Daft Punk was already ruling the dance floor. In 1997, there was a New York City club called Au Bar that my crew frequented quite a bit. When I say “frequented”, I mean going Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night within one week wasn’t exactly unheard of. We devoured the music. Daft Punk was a big part of that scene. The debut album introduced us to French house, a genre that most of us didn’t know even existed. It was the soundtrack for our nights for the next couple of years until we all settled down and got girlfriends. One of those tracks was “Da Funk”.

Simple synth hooks. Driving, bass-heavy break beats. Electromagnetic treble chords. And not much else. The beauty of “Da Funk” is that it wasn’t overly complex. This minimalist approach had a way of making you feel it so viscerally. And what is music’s job to do than allow you to feel it and experience it. Back at Au Bar, that’s all it was to us. And “Da Funk”, “Around the World”, “One More Time” and countless other Daft Punk tracks served their purpose. But what we didn’t realize was how pioneering the French duo was at the time, and how influential they would become.

"DA FUNK" DAFT PUNK (1997)

For the second half of September, I’m putting my Mental Jukebox into a time machine, featuring the best songs on the best albums from the very best years of music. #70sThrough90sBestAlbum

In 1997, there was a New York City club called Au Bar that my crew frequented quite a bit. When I say “frequented”, I mean going Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night within one week wasn’t exactly unheard of. We were young. We wanted action. And we devoured up all the music. Daft Punk played a big, big part of that. The debut album introduced us to French house, a genre that most of us didn’t know even existed. It was the soundtrack for our nights for the next couple of years until we all settled down and got girlfriends. One of those tracks was “Da Funk”.

Simple synth hooks. Driving, bass-heavy beats. Electromagnetic treble chords. And not much else. The beauty of “Da Funk” is that it wasn’t overly complex. This minimalist approach had a way of making you feel it so viscerally. And what is music’s job to do than allow you to feel it and experience it. Back at Au Bar, that’s all it was to us. And “Da Funk”, “Around the World”, “One More Time” and countless other Daft Punk tracks served their purpose. But what we didn’t realize was how pioneering the French duo was at the time, and how influential they would become.

"GET LUCKY" DAFT PUNK (2013)

With Daft Punk calling it quits after 30 years, my mind is on the group that gave us the French touch. Over the years, songs like “One More Time” and “Around the World” brought on the beats. “Digital Love” and “Technologic” brought on the robot phase. And then 2013 came along, and Daft Punk reinvented itself once again.

My co-worker came running over to a group of us excitedly sharing that “the new Daft Punk is here!” I took a listen to Random Access Memories and was immediately taken aback. The robotic tendencies had diminished, and a new soulful persona emerged. “Get Lucky” led the way. It had a paradoxical blend of throwback vibes and new musicality as evidenced by the co-writing duties from Nile Rodgers and Pharrell. For me, this one surpassed all the great Daft Punk dance tracks that came before it.

“Like the legend of the Phoenix. All ends with beginnings. What keeps the planets spinning. The force from the beginning.”

"INSTANT CRUSH" DAFT PUNK (2013)

On Random Access Memories, Daft Punk collaborated with everyone from Pharrell to Panda Bear. My favorite is “Instant Crush” with Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. Mind you, it didn’t have the same distinct Daft Punk electronic feel or the same distortion-soaked Strokes sound, but it balanced the two worlds rather well. Casablancas wrote the lyrics, sang them and played guitar—and behind it all were the steady, prodding Daft Punk electric jolts and hooks.

“The summer memory that just never dies. We worked too long and hard to give it no time.”

"TECHNOLOGIC" DAFT PUNK (2005)

In the summer of 2005, French duo Daft Punk gave this sly gift to the music world. “Technologic” is an ingenious commentary on the mindless progression of the digital age. Albeit a catchy one. The cleverness of the track is this. In its own mind-numbing way, it forces us to stop and ask ourselves this question: do we own the technology, or does the technology own us?

“Buy it, use it, break it, fix it. Trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it. Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it. Snap it, work it, quick, erase it.”