Enough of the $80 beach towels: Daft Punk need to deliver new music and a live tour
The robots need to deliver something real
I love Daft Punk. I'm not just a passing fan who knows a few of their tracks – I genuinely adore them. They were the first ever dance music act that I really appreciated and the first I was properly exposed to without knowing it (excluding listening to Clubmix 2001 on repeat in my Dad's car). What’s not to like? Two outrageously cool robots projecting a mixture of heavy artillery bangers, disco-infused ballads and perfect pop crossovers that work just as well in clubs and on stereos as they do on adverts and radio shows.
I'm finding it hard to write this without it becoming a full-on ode to the robots who've helped shape dance music as we know it. Alas, that's not what I'm here for because I'm actually really pissed off right now. Why? Because we've been made to wait for good new music and, ultimately, a live tour for far too long. Daft Punk are currently coasting on hype and hysteria and it's driving fans insane. As Delia Smith would say to Thomas and Guy-Man "Come on, where are you? Let's be having you."
While 'Random Access Memories' showcased a new level of inventiveness, ambition and production quality, it just didn’t hit the sweet spot. The tracks were over the top and grandiose and although the robots were clearly travelling on a different path to normal, it was one nobody really wanted them to take.
A track like ‘Robot Rock’ works because of its simplicity and functionality but also because it was so suited for the dancefloor. Unless you’re playing at an ironic disco event or a Paft Dunk tribute night, there’s nothing on 'RAM' that's really suited for a club environment.