Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter explains their split: 'the last thing I would want to be in 2023 is a robot'
Ahead of the release of 'Mythologies', his first solo album post-Daft Punk, Bangalter opens up on the duo's reasons for bringing the groundbreaking project to an end
The previously mysterious Thomas Bangalter has opened up about the end of Daft Punk.
The French artist ushered in a new era of his career with a candid new interview with BBC News ahead of the release of his first post-Daft Punk album, 'Mythologies'. "Daft Punk was a project that blurred the line between reality and fiction with these robot characters", Bangalter told BBC's Mark Savage. "It was a very important point for me and Guy-Man[uel de Homem-Christo] to not spoil the narrative while it was happening"
"Now the story has ended [as of February 2021], it felt interesting to reveal part of the creative process that is very much human-based and not algorithmic of any sort", Bangalter continued. "It was an exploration, I would say, starting with the machines and going away from them. I love technology as a tool, [but] I'm somehow terrified of the nature of the relationship between the machines and ourselves", citing his "concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence go[ing] beyond its use in music creation."
Bangalter underlined that Daft Punk's presentation was never unquestioningly pro-technology and digital advancement. "We tried to use these machines to express something extremely moving that a machine cannot feel, but a human can. We were always on the side of humanity and not on the side of technology.... 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."
Thomas Bangalter's first full-length project since the split is out this Friday, 7th April. 'Mythologies' is the album version of the original orchestral ballet score he's worked on since 2021. Featured compositions 'L’Accouchement' and 'Le Minotaure' are out now.
In May, Daft Punk are releasing a 10th anniversary edition of their final album, 'Random Access Memories', which will feature 35 minutes of previously unreleased music. Last month, they shared a video for 'The Writing of Fragments of Time', featuring Todd Edwards and directed by Cédric Hervet.
An upcoming book exploring the career and cultural impact of Daft Punk will feature interviews and contributions from the likes of Paul Johnson, DJ Minx, Carl Craig, Kevin Saunderson, 2manydjs, The Avalanches, Peaches, Todd Edwards, Annie Mac, Kavinsky, Tim Sweeney, and more. Titled After Daft: The Rewiring of 21st Century Culture, it's written by journalist, author and DJ Mag contributor Gabriel Szatan and is set to be published in spring 2024.
Read the interview in full via BBC News.
