- Music
- 22 Mar 23
With over 60 contributors, After Daft: Daft Punk & The Rewiring of 21st Century Culture will follow the iconic electronic DJ duo Daft Punk over their 28 year long career, focusing on the duo's legacy, their Innovative Alive audiovisual tour, and more
French music duo Daft Punk, made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, separated in 2021 after pioneering electronic music for almost 30 years. Now, a biographical book detailing their impact on the international music scene has been announced.
Written by the music journalist Gabriel Szatan, After Daft: The Rewiring of 21st Century Culture is currently in the works with the expectation to be released next year in March.
“Daft Punk sit in the pantheon of pop alongside Prince, Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder, Kraftwerk, Missy Elliott, David Bowie or any visionary you’d care to name," Szatan said back in 2021, when the book was first announced.
“Beyond making joyous records, there are countless compelling sub-narratives which flow in and out of their career: Alive 2006-07 was as consequential for dance music as The Beatles’ 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was for rock ’n’ roll."
Hi! Some exciting news: I'm writing a book — it's called 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙛𝙩
𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙛𝙩 will be a cultural history of Daft Punk, with a specific focus on the Teachers, Alive 2006-07, and the many mutations of dance music over the past 30 years
Out 2023 via @johnmurrays— Gabriel Szatan (@gabrielszatan) September 22, 2021
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Ultimately, Szatan brings to light the impact Daft Punk have had on music and the echoing enigma of their legacy.
"What changed about the way we respond to concerts in the aftermath? Were the Teachers sufficiently recognised for their contributions? And how did Daft Punk retain anonymity at a time when the internet erased privacy for everyone else?"
Electropop legend Kavinsky, the late producer Paul Johnson, Air, Disclosure, Todd Edwards, and Annie Mac and more are all some of the 60+ contributors to After Daft. Also contributing is Bangalter's father, the songwriter and producer Daniel Vangarde.
I’ve been chiselling away at a book all winter — equal parts jazzed & relieved to unveil the first 60+ contributors today
𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙛𝙩: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 21𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 releases March 2024
Pre-orders are live now: https://t.co/DoQFRClWl7 pic.twitter.com/xCryU6Fimm— Gabriel Szatan (@gabrielszatan) March 16, 2023
It will also include research and exclusive access information about the iconic DJ duo.
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The announcement comes a month before Thomas Bangalter's solo album, Mythologies, set to be released via Erato/Warner Classics on April 7th. Made for the ballet of the same name, the score is in the form of an orchestral ballet.
Last month, in honour of Daft Punk's final album's 10th anniversary, a reissue of Random Access Memories was announced for May 12th via Columbia Records.
After Daft: The Rewiring of 21st Century Culture is available for pre-order, here: