It’s no small secret that I’m a Daft Punk groupie and have been eagerly awaiting their new album “Random Access Memories”.
Turns out I’m not alone.
Meet Jean-Michel Wickli, first-time contributor to Texx and the City, who breaks down why this album is one of the most talked about in who knows how long.
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This album will not be loved immediately.
Nor will it live up to the ‘Get Lucky’ hype that Sony has created over the past 3 months – from billboard campaigns to a collaborators series run in conjunction with Vice.
More work has gone into the build-up and release of this album than any other of the past decade, with the duo themselves taking approximately 2 and a half years to record it. This album has been more hyped up than any record of my adult life. That being said, it’s still a work of art and will probably go down as one of the best albums of our generation. Well, in my books anyway.
Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” is more than an album, it’s an experience – so much so that head of Sony Music Africa, Paul Thackwray, had the privilege earlier in the year of the duo themselves walking a select few through their process and plan for the album.
For the record, Daft Punk is Guy Manuel de Honem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. Rising to fame after their critically acclaimed debut “Homework” in 1997, they followed with “Discovery” (2001) and “Human After All” (2005). And if you’re still stuck, or just want to dance for a bit, YouTube ‘Around the World’ or ‘One More Time’. Trust me on this.
Pioneers and visionaries, the band has pushed boundaries with every release thus far and their new album does not fall short. It is a musical odyssey comprising of ‘70s and ‘80s funk that has a unique warmth and timbre to it. It also perfectly expresses how I currently feel about the music industry. For the past few years, labels have been scampering to sign the next viral sensation and turn their one-hit-wonder into profit (see: ‘Gangnam Style’). This constant churning out of lifeless, similar sounding singles, has developed an instant gratification culture. A culture that demands (s)hit single after (s)hit single to fist bump to in a club.
Recently, a few high profile artists have begun to work against this trend, releasing music that attempts to change the way we experience music. The past 3 albums I’ve listened to have all drawn on influences from music history. Snoop Dogg’s reincarnation, Snoop Lion, draws heavily on reggae with Diplo adding his electronic prowess. Justin Timberlake’s latest release, “The 20/20 Experience (Part 1)”, takes you on a pop journey that you don’t expect. Drawing on Motown and early rnb, producer Timberland adds his pop and hip hop fingerprint, leaving you with a pop record that is experiential, rather than a product of the Will.I.Am-esque electro-pop drivel so many have become accustomed to.
Bottom line: Daft Punk’s album will change how new artists think about making music, or at least I hope it will. “R.A.M.” is really an experience-based album. It can most aptly be called “The Wall” of our generation – an electronic album that sounds like it was produced by real musicians. This album does not call for artists like Skrillex, Avicii and the usual electro artists who deliver your 130bpm hits with a drop to pack up and quit the bizz, nor does it call for fans to stop listening to that style of music. “R.A.M.” asks fans to rethink why they like music and artists to go back and learn from the musicianship and melodies that they grew up on, rather than simply tinker on a laptop.
Making good electronic music has become as easy as downloading an app and messing around for a bit. This is by no means a bad thing, but is that what it’s really about? Creating mediocre electro and then fading away with out actually leaving an impact. DJ Shadow puts it best, stating that he is, “trying to bridge the purest element of what [he does] with the purest element of what made [him] want to be a DJ in the first place: which is expose people to music that [he feels] is worthwhile.” Essentially this is what “Random Access Memories” is: a treasure trove of influences and collaborations that have been forgotten and a semi-defunct art of music production and listening etiquette that they are attempting to rejuvenate.
Daft Punk, I love you. Thank you for a masterpiece.
