.jpg)
Daft Punk released a Greatest Hits this year, why?
They only have three studio albums, the third of which was only made public a year before they dumped out the premature hits collection. I can only guess, but, the nature of the third album (2005's Human After All) suggests that perhaps they were desperate to get out of their record deal with Virgin.
Evidence for this would be the slew of dodgy releases in the last few years: The live Alive CD from a 1997 concert, The Daft Club Album, This stupid Hits collection and arguably 'Human After All'. Human After All, made in six weeks was the most disappointing album I have ever heard, you can tell it was rushed. Discovery (which was better than Homework) took two years and is almost a perfect album.
The title, Human After All, is perhaps the key. Did they make a shoddy album on purpose? Were they trying to shake the record label, industry and fans off their backs? Are they now free agents with the Virgin deal expired? Who knows? Were they that keen to get rid of the 'man' that they spiked their own recording legacy? Or did they just lose the musical plot? Releasing a Greatest Hits is often the signal of the end of a record contract but Daft Punk are meant to have one of the most respected record deals in music. My understanding is that its pretty much a distribution deal where they retain control of the output/marketing/design and get an healthy number of the points on their records. In essence they get freedom, don't have to do interviews and get serious cash from Virgin. So what to make of it?
The strange thing is that the weaker third album has almost become a cult album because of its ambiguity and a couple of compelling tracks that would have fitted onto the debut 'Homework'. Apple's iTunes Ad and Busta Rhymes' re-working have exposed the joy of 'Technologic'. A song, which at first sounded like a rip off of Mylo's 'Destroy Rock and Roll' (very worrying to start with). A Handful of other tracks on the album have sort of become 'acceptable' Punkster tracks in the past year; tracks that were initially spurned in disgust at the come-down of 'Human After All'.
Why am I talking about Daft Punk in reference to 2006? Well, they isn't much to get excited about in dance music today; sadly. People name drop Justice and Erol Alkan but when the dust settles it will become apparent (if it isnt already to those not on drugs) that they are shit. Justice Vs Simian is the best dance record of the last two years. A radio friendly ode to Daft Punk that was as catchy and well produced as you could hope. But, and its a big BUT, they offer nothing else. All their other records are dreadful and are filled with the grating sound of electronically distorted guitars played at the wrong pitch; pretty much un-listenable. Their remixes of Britney and Daft Punk are painful. Erol has a cool name and appears to a nice chap but he has done nothing to cheer about, the Franz Ferdinand Remix never goes anywhere and has absolutely no imagination. I hope they prove me wrong but I doubt it. We all flirted with Uffie and Cansei De Ser Sexy but they never lasted in my heart
In 2007 we can have hope. Madonna's criminal world tour is over and hopefully this will release her 'musical director/alleged Whammy partner' Stuart Price to make some music. All I have registered from Lu Cont this year is his remix of The Killers which is enjoyable but uninspired. He said a year ago he didnt want to be a remixer or even a producer for others, lets have another Les Rythmes Digitales album please Squire. The Chemical Brothers are coming back in the Spring and I hope Basement Jaxx will too.
In 2007 I pray the electro/minimal scene finally dies; its not as if it had any life in it anyway....
Here is a link to an mp4 of Daft Punk 'Around the World' Live; cant remember where I got it from but its cool and rare.
