This debut album from the fantastic French duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo is essential for any dance, electronic and/or Daft Punk fans. Most are aware of the hugely successful album ‘Discovery’ by Daft Punk, but ‘Homework’ is just as good in quality if a little less commercial.
The music in this album has a French sound- almost disco-like! The reason that Daft Punk have been so successful is that they manage to produce original, new and innovative music whilst still keeping their own ‘sound’. There’s always a distinctive Daft Punk feel in their songs, this undoubtedly is due to the fact that they’ve both written and produced all the tracks on the album.
Even Pete Tong has listed ‘Homework’ in his top twenty essential dance albums of all time. He describes the album as:
Cloaking pure jacking house with an array of kitch, pop culture imagery, this debut from two pretty-boy Parisians has a rawness and yet a sophistication that lifts it far beyond the realms of pure club soundtrack, while the roll-call of house greats on ‘Teachers’ shows Daft Punk know their roots.
Tong definitely has his own way with words, but you can’t help but agree with his opinion. The ‘House greats’ on ‘Teachers’ include Luke Slater, DJ Hell, Jeff Mills, Tomka, and Pierre, although I’d categorise them as being more on the Techno side than House.
The real beauty of this album is the fact that it works as a whole. Unlike a lot of albums it doesn’t rely on two or three songs to sell the album to you. I personally have a different favourite Daft Punk every week. Last week was the brilliant ‘, but today I have the wonderful ‘Revolution 909’ on repeat. There’s a timeless feel to the album and I’m sure many dance fans will agree with me. ‘Homework’ begins with ‘Daftendirekt’ which was actually recorded live at a Fuse Party in Gent. This is amazing as you’d never guess this by listening to the track! It is a perfect song to start off the album with its infectious beat.
'Rollin' & Scratchin’ is a good (though underrated) track with a hard and jerky feel. It is a little on the long side though and I feel it would be better edited down to 6 minutes or less. The song actually sets my Mum’s teeth on edge when it’s played loud and I don’t think she shares my enthusiasm for it! ;-)
‘Oh Yeah’ is another attitude-filled catchy track which I love. It introduces special guests DJ Deelat and DJ Crabbe, with the vocals being shouted by Daft Punk. Although it’s only 2 minutes long I still think it’s worth mentioning.
The album ends with ‘Funk Ad’ a 50-second instrumental, which I feel, would have worked better to finish off the album if it was a bit longer. Apart this the order and selection of the songs on this album is faultless.
Overall I think this is a brilliant album which I’ll never stop listening to. A few songs that deserve a mention include ‘Around The World’, ‘Rock’n Roll’ and ‘Alive’. I’d definitely recommend this album to anyone who likes dance and/or electronic music, as well as any current Daft Punk fans who’ve only heard ‘Discovery’.
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it is nice review i enjoyed it............................................................................................
FrenchCancan 10.01.2004 17:36
Not a CD in my collection but I always liked their single.. A bit afraid that the album would dissapoint me.. Your review might swing the pendulum the other way around. Thanks for that.
Solely responsible for the current interest in all things funky and French, the Daft Punk ... more
boys, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, can do no wrong. Breaking into the club scene with their own blend of techno-disco in 1995, their debut al...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Solely responsible for the current interest in all things funky and French, the Daft Punk ... more
boys, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, can do no wrong. Breaking into the club scene with their own blend of techno-disco in 1995, their debut al...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Great tunes, humour (though not novelty) and a wonderful 80's vibe Disadvantages: Final track 'Too Long' is as it says on the tin. Compared to first album, maybe they've sold-out a little bit.
Barney_Tabasco 16.03.2001 (15.03.2001)
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Review of Discovery - DaftPunk
Jul 16th, 2002
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