Daft Punk

 

I have always existed in a timeline where Daft Punk was making music. 

I remember being 7-8 years old when my older brother put me on the Discovery album. I remember it sounding like the video games I would play all day, and at a time where that wasn't the most accepted thing, I felt super validated. I no longer felt shame, I felt like I belonged. “Veridis Quo” is still one of my most played songs to this day. 

One of my favorite childhood memories included bringing friends over to my house to play video games, playing Daft Punk in the background, and them asking, "Hold up, what song is this?" And many of us never even knew about that genre of music. How blessed we were to have our introduction to electronic music be Daft Punk. I promise to do the same when I have kids.

Or I think of my junior year of high school, where teenage angst and the struggles of performing an acceptable version of yourself to society were very real and valid issues. Of course, I knew the classic radio hits, and recall listening to “Doin’ It Right'' in the back of my brother’s bassed-out car, the vibrating subwoofers literally hurting my ears. But that 2016 summer I listened to Random Access Memories for the first time from start to finish and it absolutely did so much for me. I had a newfound sense of individuality and it planted the seed for unapologeticness, the same unapologeticness that defines so much for me today. That summer was a phenomenal time of music, and I just remember thinking to myself how I completely missed this album for the past three years. Prophetically enough, I’m glad I discovered it the way that I did, because Daft Punk came through for me in a time when I needed it the most. That’s a true quality that they have, Daft Punk is a source of timeless validation. Not every artist can boast that. 

Daft Punk's music transcends the rules of music or as a form of media consumption. It is the understanding of an energy/resonance that truly makes you FEEL human. Especially in this disconnected reality that we're in today, I hope everyone takes a deeper look into the Daft Punk discography and finds themselves lost in their immaculate universes. 

Interestingly enough, I don’t feel saddened or upset by this news. Daft Punk never owed us anything, they did this for the passion of people. And rather them saying "goodbye", this is more of a "thank you, it is now our time to rest." 

Whether you’re familiar with all of Daft Punk’s music, whether you only know their radio smashes, whether you don’t even know them like that at all. I think now is a perfect time to visit their catalogue and understand how special of a duo is now peacefully in retirement. I’m so glad for this. I know people always say, “We’re so lucky to be alive in the same timeline as xxxxx.”

I truly feel so blessed to say that I was here to witness all of Daft Punk’s greatness, and you should too.

Thank you forever 1993-2021