For a group that’s not currently promoting an album, going in and out of jail, or dating either Jessica or Ashlee Simpson, Daft Punk has been getting crazy talked about recently. If you’ve been out of the loop, here’s what’s been popping off in the world of French robo-funk:
– This September, the duo’s first film, Electroma, is coming out on DVD through Vice Records. The press release says, “Daft Punk’s Electroma is an odyssey of two robots (played by Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich) who journey across a mythic American landscape of haunting, surreal beauty on a quest to become human. Their symbolic quest, which takes them from endless two lane highways to small idyllic towns to the arid desert, finds Daft Punk once again resisting conformity and developing new ways to highlight their inventive vision,” but I think it’s mostly going to boil down to “sad robots discover the power of the American road trip,” or “Daft Punk’s Crossroads.” Daft Punk themselves don’t play the particular robotic duo, nor do they provide a soundtrack, although there are rumors that the film will sync-up Wizard of Oz/Dark Side of the Moon-style with one of their older albums. Vice has a brief interview with the band on their blog.
– Kanye West has sampled the track “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” for his own song, “Stronger,” which looks to be the first single off of his next album, Graduation. ‘Ye just screened the Hype Williams-directed video for the single in NYC. Miss Info’s got a couple of screenshots up, and it looks bonkers: retro Japanese monster movie-meets-next-gen anime with Daft Punk in costarring roles.
– LED Effects, who created Daft Punk’s rad/scary helmets, say you can buy your own edition if you’re able to secure permission from the band and can scrape together $65,000. I am taking on a second job as a world-class international assassin for hire in order to pay for mine.
– Also, it is now summer, which is the top season for listening to Daft Punk, narrowly beating out every other season. I mean, just in case you forgot or something.