In a world where the majority of electronic dance music (EDM) is dominated by bad haircuts, bass drops, and repetitive rhythms, Daft Punk decided the genre needed a change.
The French duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo told the Guardian that EDM as a style is having an identity crisis—it reached a “comfort zone” and is “not moving one inch.”
With that statement, the French duo have donned their helmets once again to bring us Random Access Memories, an album of dance music which is, quite simply, everything today’s EDM is not.
Daft Punk have assembled a collection of tunes which largely unearths dance music’s past, ditching their samplers for soul over the course of a wondrous 13 tracks.
For a large portion of the listen, it’s as if Daft Punk fired up the time machine and took a trip back through the years to bring listeners their own take on classic dance music influence.
Whether it be the underground discotheque vibe of “Instant Crush” or the stomping strut of “Lose Yourself to Dance,” the album is all over the board in terms of styles.The opening track “Give Life Back To Music” has ‘funk’ written all over it, as does the iconic first single “Get Lucky”—both being dominated by slick guitar licks and groovy rhythm sections.
At the album’s core is the very progressive “Touch,” a multifaceted, dreamy piece which shifts elegantly between genres, dynamics, and emotions over the course of its eight minute stay. There are still a number of songs that give a nod to Daft Punk’s electronic sound, yet all the while these tracks manage to make excellent use of real instruments and sounds in a seamless fashion.
The list of special guests on Random Access Memories is not one to be overlooked either, with the duo inviting many different artists to partake in their dance music party. Julian Casablancas of indie rockers The Strokes provides some heavily auto-tuned vocals on “Instant Crush,” while “Within” features a little Canadian flavour thanks to the playing of Canadian pianist Chilly Gonzales.
The spirit of the seventies comes from the guitar work of Nile Rodgers (Chic) and Paul Williams, who wrote a number of hits in the decade for acts such as Three Dog Night and The Carpenters. Pharell Williams also makes a handful of appearances, lending his vocal talents to two of the album’s tracks.
If you’re waiting for an earth-shattering bass drop, or searching for the next “One More Time” club hit, head elsewhere. Random Access Memories sees Daft Punk achieve their goal of giving dance music a breath of fresh air through an ‘everything old is new again’ approach. The sounds and excitement of seventies and eighties dance music styles are expertly woven together with a signature Daft Punk twist.
Despite their robotic appearance, this record proves they’re quite the soulful pair.
