Thomas Bangalter has opened up about his career after Daft Punk – and explained the reasons behind the duo’s split.
The musician – who founded the French electronic duo with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – was speaking in a new interview when he explained that he wanted to distance himself from the technology-infused sound.
“Daft Punk was a project that blurred the line between reality and fiction with these robot characters,” he told the BBC. “It was a very important point for me and Guy-Manuel to not spoil the narrative while it was happening.”
He continued: “I love technology as a tool [but] I’m somehow terrified of the nature of the relationship between the machines and ourselves. Now the story has ended, it felt interesting to reveal part of the creative process that is very much human-based and not algorithmic of any sort.”
According to Bangalter, part of the reason behind his new distance from electronic-led music was due to the rise of AI, and its increasing influence over creative outlets.
Thomas Bangalter. Credit: Stephane Manel.
“My concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence go beyond its use in music creation,” he said, explaining how some fans would misunderstand the duo’s intentions.
“[In Daft Punk,] 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.”
Both Bangalter and De Homem-Christo decided to call it quits back in 2021.
Following their split, Bangalter announced his first solo album in over two decades, ‘Mythologies’ – which was originally conceived as a ballet score and performed at Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux last July.
Thomas Bangalter ‘Mythologies’. CREDIT: Press
Set to debut this Friday (April 7), two singles have already been released: ‘L’Accouchement’ and ‘Le Minotaure’. Discussing the upcoming orchestral LP, Bangalter said he was drawn to the project as he came from a family involved in the arts – with his mother and aunt both being dancers and his uncle being a dance choreographer.
“My mother passed about 20 years ago and going back to that world is linked to a certain time of my life,” he said. “So it adds some nostalgia, but at the same time, it was a very new adventure.
“[Plus,] I liked the idea of writing music that was not amplified, that didn’t require any electricity. It was just me and the scoring paper.”
Elsewhere, it was announced last year that a book centred around Daft Punk is on the way. Called ‘After Daft’, the upcoming release explores both the band’s history and their influence on the electronic music scene.
Set to arrive in 2024, the book will feature contributions from artists including Franz Ferdinand, CSS, Disclosure, Porter Robinson and more.
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