Right off the heels of "Human After All", the bots took even that album's lesser material and transformed it into something awe-inspiring with some deft and clever mashups. This was apparent on their legendary live record "Alive 1997" and perfected with their even better "Alive 2007". Frequently appearing in their custom-made self-contained light-show structure known as "The Pyramid," a Daft Punk live experience was like no other because the duo managed to take their own discography and remix it in wild and compelling new ways. Necessary due to popularity.Īs revered as Daft Punk are as songwriters and producers, there's something to be said about how the bots performed in a live setting. It may not be their all-time best song, but it is an essential calling card for them, showing up frequently in live mixes and big action movies like "Iron Man 2". Using a dynamite sample from the little-known funk outfit Breakwater, "Robot Rock" hits you with a new kind of vibe but then keeps hitting you with it, over and over again without variation. While their heavier rock elements are welcome, that unique way they evolve their looping melodies is largely absent here, perhaps no more obviously than on lead single "Robot Rock". By giving themselves restrictions, they were hoping to unlock new creative avenues, and "Human After All", unfortunately, has a bit of a mixed reputation. Yet as defining as their first two full-lengths were, the bots still pressed on, and 2005's "Human After All" was an experiment they felt they had to do. Had Daft Punk only released "Homework" and "Discovery", they still would've had an unquestioned legacy of being one of the most influential dance acts of all time. As of this writing, the track is a whole two decades old - and it still feels like pop music is catching up to it. There are many reasons why "Discovery" is a game-changing album, but "Stronger" may be Daft Punk's most immediate and obvious line of influence. When Kanye West lifted almost the entirety of the track for his 2007 chart-topper "Stronger", it broke barriers, introducing Daft Punk to a whole new generation while also encouraging rap artists to embrace house and electronic elements in their sound. The bots note how hard work leads to strong results over a thumping beat, but their vocals twist and turn, the beat switches up, and seemingly threatening edicts are rejiggered into a sweaty dancefloor conduit. This theme has been explored in novels and films and albums well before Daft Punk, but they managed to seemingly perfect it.
The whole point of the robo vocals is to challenge us as listeners, in our increasingly digital age, to question whether machines can breed actual emotions. Whenever Daft Punk is singing in their cybernetic tones, it's not simply because this group consists of two French dudes who dress up like robots, no.