The Parisian duo, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, are breaking up their iconic band after 28 years, according to their spokesperson.
French duo Daft Punk announced the split on social mediaImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Sony Music/D. Black
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Daft Punk's story in 7 songs
The iconic French duo Daft Punk has announced their breakup. We revisit the 28-year history of the house musicians hidden behind robot costumes.
Image: Reuters
'Da Funk'
The world was introduced to the French duo's sound in a 1996 video directed by Spike Jonze. The artists never appear in "Da Funk," instead a dog-headed man with a cast on his leg hobbles through New York at night on a crutch while carrying a boom box blasting Daft Punk beats. The instrumental clip has a big story to tell — playing out with a touch of melancholy under the big city lights.
Image: Virgin Records
'The New Wave'
The electronic music duo was actually founded in 1993, but Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter began collaborating while in high school in Paris. Their band's name was inspired by a bad review for previous work in another band — which was deemed "daft punky thrash." Daft Punk's debut single, "The New Wave," obtained a limited release in 1994.
Image: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP/picture alliance
'Around the World'
Along with "Da Funk," "Around the World" was another hit from Daft Punk's debut album "Homework." Here, too, they teamed up with one of the hippest directors of the day, Michel Gondry, to create a party universe inspired by campy 1970s space operas. Among the various dancing figures were robots, which would soon become Daft Punk's trademark costume.
Image: Getty Images
'One More Time'
Daft Punk began wearing various masks in early public appearances. By the time the band released its second album, "Discovery," in 2001, they had developed their iconic robot persona — wearing space suits and helmets. The album became the soundtrack of a Japanese-inspired anime film, "Interstella 5555." The duo's unexpected approach to the interweaving of image and sound was part of its appeal.
Image: Nicolas Landemard/Le Pictorium/imago images
'Get Lucky'
They teamed up with Pharrell Williams and Chic's funky front man Nile Rodgers for the 2013 disco hit "Get Lucky." The single from Daft Punk's fourth and final studio album, "Random Access Memories," introduced the duo to a more mainstream audience. The track won Grammy Awards, sold millions of copies globally and inspired many cover versions and parodies.
Image: Getty Images
'Starboy'
Surprisingly perhaps, considering their previous hits, but Daft Punk didn't land the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until 2016, with the song "Starboy," a collaboration with The Weeknd. Another track on The Weeknd's album, "I Feel It Coming," became the duo's final single.
Image: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP/picture alliance
'Epilogue'
In February 2021, Daft Punk broke the news of their split by releasing an 8-minute video titled "Epilogue," a song from their 2006 film "Electroma." In the clip, the pair parts ways in the desert with one of them helping the other self-destruct. A title card reading "1993–2021" then appears. The iconic duo didn't specify why they were breaking up after 28 years — off to something new?
Image: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP/picture alliance
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Daft Punk are splitting up after 28 years making music together, the spokesperson for the duo said on Monday.
The Parisian producers Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who met at school, made the announcement by posting an eight-minute video clip titled "Epilogue" to their Facebook page.
The DJs have had major success over the years, winning six Grammy Awards and launching international hits with "One More Time," "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger'' and "Get Lucky."
The big breakthrough
The pair garnered international acclaim when one of their early singles "Da Funk" was picked by British DJs "The Chemical Brothers" in their live sets.
Their landmark album, Homework, was released in 1997. It is still seen as one of the most influential dance music records of its era and coincided with the "French touch" house scene of the time.
Daft Punk won several awards, including Grammys, for their musicImage: Reuters
Thomas Bangalter then launched a successful side project, Stardust, that scored a global hit with "Music Sounds Better with You".
Daft Punk's second album, Discovery, was released in 2001. It drew upon 70s and 80s disco sounds.
Its biggest hit was "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" that would later be sampled by Kanye West.
Daft Punk's Discovery sold millions of copies worldwide
The later years
It took another four years for the band to bring out their third album, "Human After All".
Both Bangalter and de Homem-Christo took on side projects with the likes of DJ Falcon, Sebastien Tellier and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
They returned in 2013 with "Random Access Memories", which featured guests such as Chic's Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams.
Daft Punk mostly stayed out of the public eye when not performingImage: Getty Images
Stories have circulated on the internet ever since about Daft Punk's possible return to recording and touring. But it seems that those rumors have finally been dispelled for good after Monday's announcement by the legendary producers.
The publicity-shy duo almost never grant interviews to the media, and always don their now-famous robot masks in videos or live appearances.
