Daft Punk share a video of a 1997 unmasked ‘Rollin and Stratchin” performance
Although Daft Punk announced their split two years ago, the electronic duo have continued to stay active on social media by sharing old live clips.
Most recently, the pair – Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – have shared a rare video from a 1997 performance of the track ‘Rollin & Stratchin”. During a Twitch stream last year, which marked the first anniversary of the band’s split, the pair streamed the entire 1997 set, which took place in LA’s Mayan Theater.
Neither band member is wearing their robot helmet in the video, a rare occurrence. Bangalter once discussed why the pair donned helmets in public, “We don’t believe in the star system. We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. […] We’re trying to separate the private side and the public side.”
Daft Punk have created a TikTok account, which suggests they are trying to appeal to a new generation of younger fans, even if they’re no longer making music. They’ve also shared live videos of the songs ‘Da Funk’ and ‘Revolution 909’, which both appeared on their 1997 debut album Homework.
Bangalter’s father, Daniel Vangarde, has recently discussed his thoughts on his son following in his footsteps to become a successful musician. He told NME, “His mother wanted him to learn piano and his teacher was in the Opera of Paris. After a while, I asked him if Thomas was any good, and the teacher replied: ‘He’s OK, but he has a great sense of rhythm that makes people want to dance.'”
“When Thomas met Guy-Manuel, their common love was cinema. I think Thomas only came to the studio with me once which is good, because otherwise he would have learned to produce in a normal way and lost what made Daft Punk unique.”
Watch the performance of ‘Rollin & Stratchin” below:
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