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Introduction

Daft Punk are unarguably one of the most influential and recognized artists in the dance music industry. They have shaped and characterized the dance music scene in their pioneering approach to music. Coming into exposure during the late 90's, when French electronic music was becoming increasingly popular, Thomas Bangalter (silver helmet) and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (gold helmet) have since managed to build a massive fan base. Their popularity boils down to their distinct approach to sound. The duo is renowned for blending computerized, repetitive structures of techno to create dance music that embraces past influences - something conventional EDM listeners have been less keen on.

Yet, millions of people enjoy their music. Since their debut in 1993, the French DJ duo has sold over 8 million albums. Their last album Random Access Memories was a hit, immediately jumping to the top of iTunes sales in 92 countries and winning them five Grammy Awards.

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So, what makes them unique? How have they managed to remain tremendously popular for over two decades? Does it go beyond the helmets and their euphoric and boldly joyful music?

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Innovation

Daft Punk's success can be partially explained by their innate sense of innovation. The duo has always freed themselves from the standards of electronic music. Over the years, they have created songs that blend together virtually most genres, from their technique of sampling soft-rock, funk and disco seen in their first albums Homework and Discovery to more classical approaches to music seen in their recent album Random Access Memories. In fact, unlike past records, RAM is mostly an analog production, with instruments played by hand rather than sequenced and recorded. In a 2013 interview, Thomas Bangalter describes RAM as a significant step forward: their first "proper studio album", recorded with live artists. "We wanted to do what we used to do with machines and samplers, but with people" said the artist.

On the topic of propagation of laptop recording, the silver-helmeted robot said: "Technology has made music accessible in a philosophically interesting way, which is great (…) But on the other hand, when everybody has the ability to make magic, it's like there's no more magic. If the audience can just do it themselves, why are they going to bother?"

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"The whole point of this record was not to go back to the past; rather, it was to try and bring the timeless quality of the past into the present. We felt there were some things from the past that were about to disappear... Albums of this scale are not really made any more, and the fact that they can't really be repeated makes this a special moment. And that's what life is. Life is a collection of unrepeatable moments one after another." - Thomas Bangalter

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Innovation (2)

Their innovative spirit does not stop at music production. In 2003, the two artists embarked on an unprecedented film project - an animated version of their album Discovery. Fervent admirers of the Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto, they managed to convince the renowned artist to collaborate with them to create the musical film Interstella 5555, which became a model of its kind. 

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Like all songs from the album Discovery, the music video for "Something About Us" is a scene from the film Interstella 5555. It features no dialogue.

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Innovation (3)

Similarly, the duo's collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2010 movie Tron: The Legacy's soundtrack is yet another example of their willingness to create something out of the ordinary. Who said electronic music was limited to samplers?

Such mindset defies the logic behind Tin Pan Alley's model of making music, which according to David Suisman in Selling Sounds, was strictly about "standardization, not innovation" (Suisman 48). Daft Punk's will to produce goes beyond wanting "their output [as] a vehicle for the amusement of others, not for personal expression". They have stated that their primary motivation for producing a song is NOT to sell it but to express innovative musical impulses that not only sound good but also have meaning (Suisman 22).

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Music video of Derezzed by Daft Punk, the soundtrack for the movie Tron: The Legacy (2010).

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Never in a hurry

Daft Punk take their time. They also love to keep people guessing. The brand's scarcity and absence of information enhances the fans' admiration and demand for their rare content. In over twenty years, the duo has only released four albums. Their last one, RAM took over five years to produce, which shows how the Frenchmen like to take their time to perfect their product.

This brings us to a second point: they're true perfectionists. Giorgio Moroder, frequently credited with pioneering Italo-disco and electronic dance music, who joined the duo for RAM, was taken back by their level of meticulousness. In a recent interview, he said "Thomas and Guy-Manuel, they are perfectionists. I remember I would try to find a sound on the vocoder and it would take me 20 minutes, maybe an hour (..) They told me it took them a week or so to find the sound, and then, I don't know how many days to do the vocals. I think they're going into every little detail. If you don't go into all those details, it's not going to be successful" (Moroder, 2013).

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"There's a reason behind everything with Daft Punk."- Pharrell Williams (Daft Punk Unchained, 2015)

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Only work with the best

Daft Punk are famous for their wise collaborations. Just like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and the other luxury brands, Daft Punk surround themselves with the best craftsmen to build the best possible product. Spike Jonze, Giorgio Moroder, Julian Casablancas, Todd Edwards, Chilly Gonzales, Nile Rodgers Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd are some of the music icons Daft Punk has collaborated with.

However, for them, a collaboration is never about how famous the artist is but merely about whether they are fit for the job. Teaming up with Moroder and Pharrell, for example, worked perfectly for RAM’s disco/retro vibe. The duo has also turned down collaborations with several other music icons such as George Michael and Madonna - which, again, shows how they only work with the "right" artists (Daft Punk Unchained, 2015).

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The album's title, which was settled early on, became a guideline for the record's flexible jumps from song to song and guest to guest. "It helped us understand how all of these collaborators could live together (…) because if you look at this bizarre list of people on paper, you could be like, 'Whoa, that's gonna be a big mess." - Thomas Bangalter

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Self-financing who reinvest into the brand

Daft Punk is famous for financing their own productions and recordings - which explains how they are independent from big brands and free to work on their own projects with their own budgets. RAM was no exception to the rule. The deal they made with Virgin in the beginning of their career - essentially licensing music to Virgin from their own company, Daft Trax - was pioneering. 

"[The deal] ensured they made more money, but Daft Punk have famously never been bothered by getting rich. The structure of their business operation means they're in control of their own creative destiny and their choice is not to pay themselves huge dividends but constantly reinvest funds into the wider Daft Punk project. If they want to spend five years making an album in the best studios in the world, they can, and they did." (Daft Punk Unchained, 2015)

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Marketing geniuses

Image: From middle aged Frenchmen to enigmatic sci-fi helmet wearing icons, their look is obviously a contributing factor to their popularity, especially amongst geeks of all sorts. Their choice not to reveal their face is key to keeping them out of headlines, which contributes to a sense of anonymity that fans love.

"Daft Punk rely on their costumes because they rely on suspended cynicism, so much so that they might fear ever breaking the fantasy. Superhero music needs to be made by superheroes, not mere mortals. It's not to say that Daft Punk haven't created some of the most singular dance music of their generation, but instead that the public's continued, unfettered enthusiasm about their music is directly tied to their image. Nobody can ever cut Daft Punk down for being too bright or too obvious-what else would you expect from a pair of robots? There's no doubt the world wouldn't be as excited about Random Access Memories if it were coming from a pair of regular guys" (Winkie, 2013).

Product: According to Roy Shuker in Popular Music: The Key Concepts, "at the heart of the majority of various forms of popular music is a fundamental tension between the essential creativity of the act of 'making music' and the commercial nature of the bulk of its production and dissemination" (Shuker 205). On this note, Daft Punk manage to find the right balance between creativity and commercialization. Although the duo match with the list of criteria for a sellout presented by Timothy Taylor on The Sounds of Capitalism, having signed a contract, appeared on MTV and commercialized their music, it is not wrong for a brand to strategically market itself.

In an age of instant gratification and "crappy products", when most artists are trying to get the audience's attention by any means necessary - social media, sponsorships, commercials, frequent festivals - it's automatically appealing when Daft Punk do the complete opposite. The duo's common stealthy and surprising marketing campaigns have had music fans buzzing in anticipation. Their use of media employs old and new school communication channels to strategically connect with audiences in a more human way - something very characteristic of the Frenchmen. Looking for a mainstream and iconic buzz that used to surround albums years ago with bands like Pink Floyd and The Doors, they calculatedly combined all three types of media to promote their most recent album, RAM. A few billboards, teasers and commercials later and the buzz ended up generating itself.

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Everything about RAM and its buildup is about the surprise, the magic: "When you know how a magic trick is done, it's so depressing (…) We focus on the illusion because giving away how it's done instantly shuts down the sense of excitement and innocence." - Thomas Bangalter

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Thanks for reading!

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Works Cited

https://www.villagevoice.com/2013/05/29/why-daft-punk-have-to-keep-the-masks-on-2/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daft_Punk

https://blog.optimizely.com/2013/05/10/lessons-in-marketing-from-daft-punk-hint-its-not-just-about-getting-lucky/

https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/branding/1562715/daft-punks-random-access-memories-a-timeline-of-the-global-teaser

http://www.flock-associates.com/marketing-strategy/daft-punk-integrated-marketing-success/

https://www.guidewire.com/blog/industry-trends/daft-punk-and-underwriting-innovation

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/48f880e8-d8b3-4e4f-9fa3-3005ae0910a2

https://pitchfork.com/features/cover-story/reader/daft-punk/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/daft-punk-random-access-memories-collaborators-explore-digital-music-innovation-in-video-series/2013/04/12/00943b0a-a3a8-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_blog.html?utm_term=.9829f6e5640e

https://productionadvice.co.uk/daft-punk-mastering/

Popular Music: The Key Concepts by Roy Shuker

The Sounds of Capitalism by Timothy Taylor

Selling Sounds by David Suisman

Daft Punk Unchained (2015)