French dance musicians Daft Punk have kept us guessing for a while now. A mysterious fifteen second ad, a new logo on their official website, and whispers of collaborations with Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams, and Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. But, yesterday, it was announced that they would release a new album titled “Random Access Memories” on May 21st.
They’ve been around since 1997, but have only released three studio albums (excluding 2010’s Tron: Legacy soundtrack), the last having come out eight years ago. Each of those albums are considered highly influential, and deserve a large amount of credit for the rise of EDM and Dance music’s popularity during the past decade. They’re kings among men in the dance and DJ community, and they’ve written some of the most definitive jams of the dance music genre.
From 1997’s “Da Funk” being featured in Just Dance 3, to “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” to being sampled by Kanye West for his 2007 single “Stronger” to the entire soundtrack for 2010’s Tron: Legacy, you’ve probably heard a Daft Punk song, even if you don’t know it.
This new album is much more than just more music. It’ll probably spawn a massive world tour, several singles, and even maybe a film. It’s more than an album, this should be a once-in-a-generation event.
Check out a playlist of my favorite Daft Punk songs!