Back in 1993, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter came together to form Daft Punk, which went on to build a legacy as one of electronic music’s defining acts. Now, 28 years later, the duo has officially broken up. As of today, Daft Punk is no more.
The band shared the news with an 8-minute video titled “Epilogue.” In the video (an excerpt from their 2006 film Electroma), the duo walks in an open field. They stop, at which point one member prompts the other to engage an explosive device on him. After the timer counts down, he blows up. A message on screen then reads, “1993-2021.”
Furthermore, the duo’s longtime publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news to Pitchfork while offering no reason for the breakup.
Daft Punk leaves behind an indelible legacy. The duo released their debut album, Homework, in 1997. That was followed by Discovery in 2001, Human After All in 2005, and Random Access Memories in 2013. The latter album was the group’s first No. 1 release in the US. They were renowned for their live performances and released two live albums, Alive 1997 and Alive 2007. They also provided the soundtrack for the 2010 film Tron: Legacy. The duo’s most recent release was an expanded edition of the Tron soundtrack from December, which added nine songs.
The band’s highest-charting single as a lead artist in the US was “Get Lucky,” a Pharrell Williams-featuring Random Access Memories highlight that peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart in 2013. They also featured on The Weeknd’s singles “Starboy,” which topped the charts, and “I Feel It Coming,” which peaked at No. 4. They also collaborated with Kanye West on multiple tracks from his 2013 album Yeezus, including the single “Black Skinhead.”
In recent times, there have been rumors of new music from Daft Punk. It was rumored they might record the score for Tron 3 and they were reportedly set to score Occhiali neri, a film from influential Italian horror director Dario Argento. The status of those projects remains unclear.
Watch the “Epilogue” video above.
