Will music fans have an ‘instant crush’ after revisiting Daft Punk‘s 2013 LP “Random Access Memories?”
The pioneer French electronica band got their groove on a decade ago when they released their first record in nearly a decade! “Random Access Memories” was responsible for the smash hit “Get Lucky” and notable collaborations with The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and Noah ‘Panda Bear’ Lennox of Animal Collective, and Pharrell Williams. “Get Lucky” would eventually peak at number two on the Billboard charts in June.
The album, originally released in the spring of 2013, will celebrate its tenth anniversary in May, and to celebrate, the LP will be reissued in multiple formats and will feature over half an hour of unreleased music!
The New Edition Of ‘Random Access Memories’ Will Be Released Two Years After Daft Punk Called It Quits
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Daft Punk would announce their split two years ago, after nearly 30 years together; their first album “Homework” was released in 1997.
The band would announce their split in a video posted to YouTube. According to The Blast’s coverage of their break-up, the video commemorated their 28 years together with text reading “1993-2021,” with a pair of hands making a triangle symbol.
Daft Punk also gave insight into the laborious nature of their live performances; the duo would discuss the tour that came as a result of a notable Coachella performance in an interview that had been largely unpublished until 2021. Excerpts of the interview were previously published in Billboard in the late aughts.
The band reached audiences by way of Kanye West’s “Stronger” from his landmark album, “Graduation.” The track contains a sample of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Faster, Stronger.”
The duo would discuss West in the aforementioned interview. Daft Punk noted how much West enjoyed their approval of their sample!
Of Kanye, Thomas Bangalter would say, “When we met him, he was a fan as much as we were fans of his work. It was like if we had collaborated with him in the studio. He was happy to see we liked [the sample] so much. It’s not a collaboration in the studio, but the vibe of the music we do separately connected in what he did with the song. It’s really great.” (per Variety).
When asked when the duo would release a new project, they made it clear they weren’t sure when it would be happening; “Random Access Memories” would turn out to be their final album.
Bangalter continued, “…I think the cool thing is we’re always trying to do something that hasn’t been done, or ultimately, that we aren’t doing ourselves yet,” later adding “It is challenging to get back in the studio and work with ideas we haven’t expressed before. Some ideas take time, but some just a few weeks…”
What Can Listeners Expect From The ‘Random Access Memories’ Anniversary Edition?
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The upcoming reissue, which was announced by Daft Punk today, will be a treat for the duo’s devoted fans, and even for casual listeners who appreciate the glitz of dance music!
According to Pitchfork, the previously unreleased bonus material will be 35 minutes. Audiophiles will be able to rejoice, as well; the publication also reveals there will be a spacial audio [Atmos] mix of the album also available for the first time!
Fans will able to listen to the album in multiple formats. It will be physically available as three LPs and two CDs.
The bonus material consists of outtakes, demos, early and unfinished takes of “Random Access Memories” tracks.
The final Daft Punk album took home five Grammy awards at the 2014 ceremony, including Album Of The Year!
The duo wouldn’t achieve a number-one single until 2016 with their collaborations with The Weeknd. “Starboy,” from The Weeknd’s album of the same name, would keep the top spot on the Billboard charts for a week. “I Feel It Coming,” their second collaboration would close the “Starboy” LP.
Working with Daft Punk had been a dream for The Weeknd; he would give insight into his admiration in an interview with Variety.
“Oh My God- that’s so different,” he would tell the publication, “Those guys are one of the reasons I make music, so I can’t even compare them to people. Their branding, and how seriously they take their craft and image and everything,” he continued, “they’re almost not even real. But seriously they’re very strategic, they’re very smart, and they don’t attach themselves to anything they feel isn’t right,” he went on to detail.
The deluxe edition of “Random Access Memories” will be released on May 12th!
