Just in time for the 10th-anniversary edition of Daft Punk’s final album “Random Access Memories,” Thomas Bangalter has opened up about why the duo split up. While Bangalter and co-founder Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo officially called it quits in 2021, their reasons were cryptic at best. In a recent interview he shed some light on the choice and it’s probably not for the reasons you’d think.
Daft Punk “was an exploration, I would say, starting with the machines and going away from them,” Bangalter explained. “I love technology as a tool [but] I’m somehow terrified of the nature of the relationship between the machines and ourselves.”
While this may strike some as odd given their robotic personas, Daft Punk operated with the belief the line between man and machine should remain absolute. “We tried to use these machines to express something extremely moving that a machine cannot feel, but a human can,” Bangalter said. “We were always on the side of humanity and not on the side of technology.”
No one can deny how crucial things like technology or artificial intelligence have become in our daily lives. And that dependance only amplifies in the constantly shifting music industry. “My concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence go beyond its use in music creation,” Bangalter continued. “We have to ask ourselves about technology and the obsolescence of man. As much as I love this character, the last thing I would want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot.”
The deluxe anniversary edition of “Random Access Memories” will peel back the curtain with behind-the-scenes audio and outtakes. Something that would have shattered the illusion of the project if it was still going. “Daft Punk was a project that blurred the line between reality and fiction with these robot characters,” Bangalter said. “It was a very important point for me and Guy-Man[uel] to not spoil the narrative while it was happening. Now the story has ended, it felt interesting to reveal part of the creative process that is very much human-based and not algorithmic of any sort.”
The rerelease of Daft Punk’s farewell album will hit shelves on May 12th, but you can pre-order a copy here. Bangalter also has a solo orchestral album, “Mythologies” coming out April 7th that is also up for pre order. While it’s already getting great reviews, these sweeping orchestral arraigments are a serious change from Daft Punk’s electronic melodies.
You can check out their 2021 farewell video below:
