Though their appearances have been fewer and further in-between as years have gone by, fervour and interest in the duo remained unwavering. From talks about an ‘Alive 2017’ live tour, a new album in 2021 to the most recent rumours about a possible appearance during The Weeknd’s Superbowl Halftime Show, not a year has gone by without some form of speculation about the French duo’s return.

To begin to describe Daft Punk’s impact would amount to enumerating several generations’ worth of musical evolution, from the French Touch movement to modern hip-hop. Needless to say, the debt owed by the Retrowave scene is immeasurable, outweighed only by the legacy the group will have left behind. With aching hearts and decades worth of cherished memories in our minds, NewRetroWave reached out to some colleagues and friends in the Retro scene to pay tribute and share their testimonials about what Daft Punk’s music means to them.

As for me, Daft Punk was one of my earliest and fondest childhood memories.  In an age where vanity trumps substance, they are a reminder of all the miracles that music can achieve when fueled by passion and integrity. Having been shunned by French music executives too stubborn to dream, the duo has gone on to reach stratospheric heights that their naysayers still dream of even coming close to. More than mere commercial success, the story of Daft Punk is a musical tale unlike anything the world has ever seen, an intergalactic transmission of love and unity for the whole world to hear.

Favorite track : Something About Us.

To me, Daft punk were a huge influence on my music taste. Way back in the 90s before synthwave and even electroclash was popular they were doing retro (80s) inspired house music. They were a precursor for my musical tastes to come in the next 2 decades. With the Tron : Legacy soundtrack they really showed how versatile they can be making one of the best OSTs of all time.

Favorite track : Da funk

Marko Maric
(Synthetix Sundays host)

To me, Daft Punk is the mother of all epic French Electronic music. I have admired Daft Punk for years and beyond, especially as a teenager when I was lost and didn’t know which musical direction I should be heading. Then Daft Punk came along and made my heart dance. Releasing timeless songs that will stand the test of time. What an inspiration! All songs are safely stored in my random access memory.

Favorite Track : Around The World

NINA

To me Daft Punk is an Electronic Force that shook the world.

They really opened my ears to electronic music when I was younger. Sure, there were other electronic acts who were making music, but the Daft Punk sound really resonated deeply with me. Around the World was on constant repeat in my house that it would drive my parents mad! lol. They are a huge inspiration to many and ultimately have had a HUGE influence in music.

 

Favorite Track : Around the World

DJ Ten
(Artist, Founder of NewRetrowave & NRW Records)

I love the composer/director combo! I’m not a musician but I like to think that you kind of turn into one whenever you direct a film by guiding and influencing the work of the artist set with the task of composing the score.

With Daft Punk, I feel like these two worlds were intimately linked. You can obviously see it in their Interstella 5555 film that draws directly from their own repertoire, but this relationship also transpired through the robot personas that they portrayed in their music videos and in real life.

I think that the news of their separation had such a strong emotional impact on some of us because it felt like the end of a great film we’ve been sitting through for nearly 30 years…

In that regard, the ‘Epilogue’ video was a perfect way to end the feature film.

Favorite Track: Aerodynamic

Seth Ickerman

To me, Daft Punk is the real good reason to be proud of France. We once brought Kavinsky to headline an electronic music festival in Normandy. He mostly played his friend’s music, throughout his set with the occasional Rage Against the Machine track every now and then. That night, we were treated a 100% pure Kavinsky-type set. He also played some Justice and all1800 people went crazy! Being the organizer, I was busy sorting a bunch of different issues when I suddenly heard the crowd go even crazier and saw the pit go wild. Kavinsky had just followed up Justice with a Daft Punk track. It must have been ‘High Life’ or ‘Crescendolls’, I don’t quite remember. It was a song off of Discovery. We were in a small province of about 100 000 inhabitants, 15 years after the album’s release… The mere fact that one of Daft Punk’s friends came and played one of their songs made everyone lose their minds! That’s the power of Daft Punk, the legend. One year later, after diving deeper into Kav’s album, his history with Oizo [Mr.Oizo, aka Quentin Dupieux], Guy Man … I started Retro Synth Fury with Johann of Drive Radio [aka Absolute Valentine]. Since then, all of the artists we received at our RSF shows unanimously mention Daft Punk as one of their biggest influences.

To me, Daft Punk is my entire childhood. From when I was five, I was competing in gymnastics and I would hear Da Funk play every time during the intermissions. They would also play ‘Around the World’ and even some tracks by Jean-Michel Jarre!

Favorite Track : DIGITAL LOVE – Daft Punk represents my first love. When Discovery came out, there came a downpour of hits on every French radio station : there was obviously ‘One More Time’,  a more discrete ‘Aerodynamic’, then came ‘Digital Love’… Every day around 5pm, I’d sit at my windowsill and wait for the girl I had a crush on to pass by my street, and ‘Digital Love’ would play every single time she’d pass by.
I didn’t understand a word of English at the time, I didn’t even remember the name Daft Punk. But with time, I realized that the lyrics to the song were the exact reflection of what I was feeling at the time. It’s amazing to realize how universal their music is. Even without understanding their lyrics, their music manages to convey a message. Lyrics aren’t typically  all that important in electronic music, but even on that aspect they managed to hit a bullseye.

Anthony Retro Synth Fury

To me, Daft Punk is the best live show I’ll ever see. Seeing them in the Nîmes Arena was an unforgettable experience. I discovered their music through Homework and they made me realize that it was possible to make music at home, and that’s how my home studio was born. I also really loved the Tron Legacy Soundtrack, a great score from top to bottom that still influences me to this day.

Favorite track: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Absolute Valentine
(Artist, founder of Lazerdiscs records, co-founder of Drive Radio)

To me, Daft Punk is audio engineering that changed electronic music forever. Their use of filters and compression is unmatched and more influential than any other electronic sound in the last 30 years.

Favorite song: Crescendolls

Starcadian

To me Daft Punk is the genesis. As one of my earliest experiences with electronic music, their sounds were immediately captivating and set me on the path leading to where I am today. The friends I would meet, the interests I would develop… who I would eventually become. The Robots are partly responsible for all of it. Adieu my friends.

Favorite Track: High Life

Andrew Zistler (NewRetroWave Music Editor)

To me, Daft Punk is 1995, when I was 12 years old. I didn’t really listen to music at the time, but I’d occasionally skim through the radio channels on my parent’s old stereo system. One day, I came across ‘Da Funk’ on what must probably have been NRJ Radio. I remember being struck by the sounds, by the overdriven TB and the super heavy rhythm and bass section. Back then, we didn’t have Shazam or the Internet to identify songs, and it took me ages before I found out what I had just heard. It was one of my biggest frustrations at the time!

Favorite Track: I think that my favorite track is ‘Something About Us’ for its terrific bassline. I’m fortunate enough to own speakers through which they sound particularly good, and it’s always a pleasure to re-listen to that song. Furthermore, the song appears on one of my most cherished albums, an that album continues to inspire me to this day.

Maethelvin

To me Daft Punk, was some sort of melancholic tea cake of Marcel Proust. There was a bunch of stuff that annoyed me with Daft Punk, but the whole electronic and especially all the retro-driven electronic scene owe them a lot. They democratized electronic music to an audience larger than anything we saw before and largely popularized the concept of faceless musicians, which, as you can imagine, vastly participated in my vision for Carbon Killer. Their most melancholic tracks that I initially didn’t really like, are for years now, evocating the slowly fading memories of a warmer time in my life, and I do enjoy a lot to give them a listen as a way to time travelling to those moments… Godspeed, robots !

Favorite Track : If you want to travel too, listen to « Something about us »

Carbon Killer

To me, Daft Punk is my youth. The first track I heard was ‘Da Funk’, and then ‘Around the World’. I didn’t know what a vocoder was. Homework felt like a revolution. Discovery was an evolution.
Favorite Track : Veridis Quo

Makeup and Vanity Set

Daft Punk to me is music I’ve been carrying in my record bag since the release of Homework and Discovery. As a dj I love playing Daft Punk in my set. Whether it’s ‘One more time’, ‘Aerodynamic’, ‘Revolution 909’ or ‘Robot Rock’ to name a few.. for me each Daft Punk track is a gem. Play one of these or any of their tracks in a club with a good soundsystem at the right moment, at the right time.. you reach total euphoria. Daft Punk’s music gets the crowd going! People love it. Honestly I think it just feels right to me for them to close the book. They’ve done it all there’s nothing more to add, proof or show.. this is it and it’s epic!

As a club night organizer. “Daft Punk vibes” is what I tell people not familiar with electronic music, when describing our Night Arcade club nights in Amsterdam. Who doesn’t know Daft Punk!

Favorite track: Short Circuit

Devereaux 85
(DJ & founder of Night Arcade Nights at Melkweg Amsterdam)

To me, Daft Punk represents an era, a generation! I’ve always been drawn to their distinctive sound, it’s unique and instantly recognizable. I love all of their albums but the one that left the biggest impression on me was Discovery. Their collaboration with Leiji Matsumoto is simply magical and so organic. It was a big influence on me for my Supernova albums. I discovered Daft Punk in the Nineties when I was starting out as a DJ. I had heard a few of their tracks off of Homework that really left an impression on me, but ‘Rolling & Scratching’ is the track that got me definitely hooked! People would go wild whenever I’d play it live. The groundwork was set and that’s when I knew that I needed to follow in their tracks. I was lucky enough to see them onstage in Nîmes in 2007. It was simply fantastic… an unforgettable audiovisual experience. I also got to meet Pedro Winter in Cannes, who had a great role in their career and who is a terrific guy.

Beyond their musical input, the band were unanimously loved for doing what they felt like doing! They turned down huge deals and collaboration offers that any artist would go crazy over and they set their own rules. They didn’t follow anyone, they’re the ones that people followed. They left with beauty and class and the whole world is paying tribute to them. As for me, I thank them for their career. The world will have known a great (French) group whose music we’ll keep playing over and over and bobbing our heads to.

Favorite track: That’s really tough. I’m torn between Digital Love (the Supertramp gets me every time) and Too Long (And Romanthony’s magical voice on Discovery).

Morgan Willis

To me Daft Punk is the reason I got into electronic music and also into producing…heck even my mask is heavily inspired by them 🙂. They are and always will be my gold standard when it comes to electronic music, be it production, song writing or style.

Favorite Track…jeez, thats hard, but it has to be Robot Rock 🙂

Powernerd

To me Daft Punk is all about evolution. Constantly evolving their sound and changing the industry with every release. They were pioneers and true game changers, reviving long dead genres back into the mainstream for new listeners with fresh ears. It was the soundtrack to my youth. Beautiful memories featuring a Daft Punk backing track. It’s a sad feeling knowing I’ll never see them live. It’s been one hell of a ride. Thank you for the music.

Favourite Song: Technologic / Aerodynamic

James Secker
(Film Producer & Director, Organiser at Retro Future Fest)

To me, Daft punk is a duo that established themselves as an internationally recognized household name from the very start of their career. Through their combination of quality and simplicity, they paved the way for a number of French producers alongside Air, namely Justice and Kavinsky. Without Daft Punk and Pedro Winter’s management, these acts would have probably never made it outside France. When pretty much 95% of successful acts in France sound more or less like carbon copies of what’s going on in the U.S, it’s a real pleasure to see French artists making an international breakthrough and setting a precendent with their own style.

My first great memories of the band happen to be their first ventures on screen, namely with their all-round great music videos for Da Funk and Around the World. Through their slick, unconventional and very artsy visual aesthetic, people quickly picked up on their need to do things differently, to add a certain depth that was often lacking with most popular electronic music acts. They steered clear of pop music clichés where everything is about money and sex, whether implicitly or explicitly.

My favourite release of theirs is paradoxically one of their least popular ones, the Tron Legacy Soundtrack. I didn’t really like the film but the Soundtrack is sublime. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times and I will never grow tired of it. It’s definitely one of their most Cyberpunk and epic releases. Before I started Fixions, I’d spend a lot of time listening to that album as well as the first Fever Ray album, so those two albums are huge influences for Fixions.

Favorite track: Outlands

Fixions

To me, Daft Punk embodies the mystery, the coolness, the world-class musicianship, the groove in electronic music. Those instant hits you can’t help but dance to. Incredibly catchy tracks that effortlessly stay in your head for days and days.

Favourite track: Instant Crush (feat. Julian Casablancas)

LAU
(Artist & founder of Aztec Records)

LAU hits the ground running with a dynamic, funkier sound than her work with NINA and nails down the merits of her grand debut with the inclusion of top-shelf guests and remix tracks by Sunglasses Kid, Droid Bishop, Highway Superstar and Maethelvin on the Deluxe Edition of the album. For fans of glossy eighties power-ballads, your favourite retrowave album of 2021 may well just have dropped.

LAU’s debut album Believer and Believer (Deluxe) are out digitally worldwide on February 12th 2021 via Aztec Records.

Filled with sensational vocals and perfectly produced synths (courtesy of Oscillian, Richard X, Ricky Wilde and Till Wild,) “Synthian” is  stunning synthpop and dreamwave release. We featured the fantastic single, “Automatic Call” back on our youtube page last November, and we’re happy to see the rest of the album lives up to the hype of the single.

This album feels a bit more mature than “Sleepwalking,” NINA’s first release. You can really hear the vocal complexity with ‘The Distance (feat. LAU)’ which is a bit lighter on the synth but replete with a high pitched near-falsetto performance that absolutely nails every note. Almost every track on this album also features Lau, a terrific up-and-comer in the retrowave circles.

Grab a listen to “Synthian” here!

Hi NINA! Thanks for joining us! What’ve you got to recommend to us today?

Recently I’ve rediscovered Kill for Love by Chromatics. I think the album is so underrated. It’s such an amazing piece of music. Every song is unique and dreamy. Chromatics’ visuals have this 70s’ horror vibe, which I really love. I’m also a big fan of Italo disco.

My second pick is something most people will know, even though it’s not Synthwave. It’s something I grew up listening to. It’s a timeless album. The album is The Bends by Radiohead. I’ve seen them live in Berlin many years ago and I fell in love with them. It was at this open-air festival, the sun was setting and everything felt magical. I just get lost in Thom’s voice. He closes his eyes and is simply one with everyone. It’s one of those awe-inspiring moments. From then on, I became a big fan. There are so many great songs on this album. I feel like every song on an album should work as a great standalone single. It should have a statement that actually reaches to you. The album has a lot to say, and I feel like audiences connect to that.

My third album pick is Pink Floyd’s The Wall. It’s such a classic. My former music manager in Germany was really into Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Doors. The Doors’ self-titled album was one of my favorite albums when I was a teenager and still is. He was the one that introduced me to Pink Floyd back when we were working on music and trying to find my musical roots.

Is there any corner of retro pop-culture that resonates with you on an intimate level?

As a young girl, I was really into horror. For me, John Carpenter was a huge inspiration. My favorite movies were The Fog and The Thing. I was also really into fantasy films like E.T., Labyrinth and The Neverending Story. These are the references that speak to me the most. They’re very influential films in the scene, especially when you start looking towards the darker Synthwave sounds. I’m thinking of artists like Waveshaper and Nightcrawler.

Would you be open to writing darker tracks or collaborating with this horror aesthetic?

Absolutely! I’ve always been into Darkwave music, actually. I’ve watched Carpenter Brut live and went crazy! I enjoyed it so much. Hopefully, I’ll get to collaborate with some of these artists in the future. I really look up to their artistry. It’s all really authentic. My lyrical background is quite melancholic and dark like Depeche Mode and Joy Division… This is where I really blossom. I can definitely see myself go in that direction more. My new album Synthian has a few poppier numbers, but it also delves into a more serious, darker atmosphere, especially on tracks like ‘The Wire’. I’m really excited for people to hear it.

So, of course, I’m up for collaborating with other artists. Carpenter Brut and Gunship would be my first picks for collaborations. We’ll see what happens! I’m definitely feeling the horror film score vibes at the moment.

Is there any news or updates you’d like to share with your fans?

The new album Synthian will be out soon within the next month or two.

I’m so grateful having had Lau (LAU) by my side to create this album. We’re a great team! Our long-time collaborator Oscillian produced most of the tracks and I’m also excited to have worked with Richard X again. New to the bill is legendary producer, songwriter and musician Ricky Wilde, who we wrote 2 songs with for the album: ‘Runaway’ and ‘Gave Up On Us’. We also wrote ‘Love Is Blind’ with Till Wild, who is a very talented Synthwave producer based in Germany.

I see the album as Sleepwalking’s big sister. It’s more mature, a little more out there. Essentially it’s a love note to my fans. The title-track ‘Synthian’ expresses my gratitude to my fans for supporting me and my music. The Album is a touch more ‘Cyber’ than my previous work, but it’s still very colourful and dreamy. We’ve got two ballads in there, and the last song ‘The Distance’ is going to be a surprise for most fans. I don’t want to give away too much. It definitely ends with a big bang, that’s all I’m going to say.

Following the first album is always a bit harder, in my opinion. You need to keep it up and bring it up a notch because you really don’t want to disappoint your fans. This is a decisive stage where people determine whether you’re here to stay or not [Laughs].

We also have a big European tour planned. It got postponed, so we might be able to reschedule it for September. Everything is up in the air right now, so it’s hard to tell. I’ve also started to collaborate with Radio Wolf, who’s a very talented producer, songwriter and musician. I think people are really going to like what we’re creating.

Thumbnail photo credit: Say Goodnight Films

Be sure to catch up with NINA via Social Media:

Official Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Youtube

Soundcloud

Tour dates below!

Maethelvin

As promised, Valerie’s Maethelvin delivered an entirely reworked sound, pushing past his all-too-mimicked compositions and delivering an Italo-laced dance mix that took the room by storm. Grimlin’s following set provided a pretty sharp turn towards darksynth’s heaviest sounds, whereas Reno kept the sonic aggression going with slick, dark techno tracks with thumping industrial beats and a good dose of bestial energy. We’ll be keeping an eye on these young talents, and so should you.

Grimlin

Reno

Night number two got off to a great start, as Parisian fans flocked to the Petit Bain, queueing at the doors to catch NINA’s French live debut, who proved to be a tough act to follow. The mood was set and the energy soared to the sounds of smooth, catchy Synthwave pop ballads, each one catchier than the next. Opening shows are notoriously challenging, but Nina and her partner Laura got the ball running at high speed from the get-go. Fortunately, it appeared that every subsequent act on the bill was well prepared, each one awaiting their cue to keep the pace up in this crazy marathon.

NINA

Laura (NINA)

Morgan Willis followed things up with a brand new set unveiling his brand new record The Jenkins House, mixing his fresh dancefloor bangers with some old classics from Supernova and even a cut from Miami Calling.

Morgan Willis

The masked, vocoder-powered space-jockey Starcadian took over the dancefloor, starting with the whimsical, awe-inspiring ‘Interspace’, leading into an increasingly heavy hitting set full unexpected of twists and turns. It takes a bold, wicked mind to mix Ronnie James Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ vocal tracks, but it takes a genius to turn the heavy metal classic into a James Brown funk banger. It’s only blasphemy until you realize it actually works.

Starcadian

Sung took over the night with some solid retrowave tracks that got the venue floors trembling from the ecstatic fans, followed by an equally hard-hitting set of syncopated low-end bassline attacks by Christine.

Sung

Yx

Finally, Yx from Paris laid down the last fix of nocturnal vibes of the night with his first ever live show. Nervous but focused, the young artist had a lot to live up to but proved his case to a slightly tired but no less supportive audience.
Last but not least, it would be a crime to omit the tireless efforts of Anthony, whose DJ sets kept the energy going between each and every set throughout both days.

Anthony

With just over 13 hours of live shows and DJ Sets, this Retro Synth Fury Festival left little room for disappointment and a whole lot of expectations in the minds of every attendee who embarked on this journey alongside us.
We certainly can’t wait to see what the next edition will have in store for us.

Special Thanks to Anthony, the staff at Supersonic, Le Petit Bain and all of the artists.
All photos by Robin Ono. 

“Fever Dreams” is an eclectic mix featuring some of the biggest names in synth such as Com Truise, Lazerhawk, Gost, Carpenter Brut, Power Glove, NINA, Marie Davidson, S U R V I V E, GUNSHIP and more.

Every track on this album is a slam-dunk smash hit. It’s hard to understate exactly how fantastic this release is. The artist list was curated by Dana Swanson, a senior writer/producer and voice for Adult Swim.

She said in a release via Magnetic Magazine:

“I’m a giant fan of Synthwave and was inspired to create something that sounded incredible while driving at night,” states Swanson in a statement. “I’m also beyond fascinated with the dichotomy of the dreams that you have when you’re sick and half-awake: anything is possible, but someone else is behind the wheel.”

Grab a listen here!

10. Junks – Everybody’s Movin’

9. GUNSHIP – Dark All Day (feat. Tim Cappello and Indiana)

8. Stilz – Midnight Dancer

7. NINA – Sleepwalking

6. Deadlife – Hard Bitch

5. Robert Parker – End of the Night (feat. DoubleBoy)

4. Futurecop! – Edge of the Universe (feat. Parallels)

3. Ollie Wride – The Driver (feat. The Night Hour)

2. Indradevi – Idols

1. DJ Ten – Viral Lust (feat. Trevor Something)

NINA’s beautiful and breathy vocals perfectly compliment the punching bassline and some sick, endlessly catchy arpeggiations in “Sleepwalking,” which was powerfully produced by Oscillian. The video itself is also crisp and wonderfully produced – and not one to miss! Check out the debut of the video below!

As her first firm step into the spotlight with an eleven track full-length, NINA plays to her strengths. In other words, Sleepwalking amounts to pretty much what you were first led to expect from the One of Us EP: a concise, catchy pop record driven by the sounds of eighties synths and beats. Just about every aspect of the record radiates with references to the eighties aesthetic, supercharged with modern techniques to sound and look bigger, brighter and more glossy. Of course, this certainly isn’t new to the Synthwave aesthetic. As a matter of fact, some might argue that this approach is intrinsic to the genre. What does stand out Sleepwalking, however, is the skill and rigour with which these tracks are crafted to sound this way. NINA’s Sleepwalking is to eighties music what K-pop is to American pop music. Stylistic conventions are picked apart and techniques are internalised and down to a science to filter every single element down to its most potent form.

Synthwave fans will have a hard time finding a release in the genre that comes close to Sleepwalking’s impeccably clean, punchy production. The thumping beats, the colorful synth layers and the vocals all blend together organically to create a vivid, cinematic ‘neo-retro’ atmosphere and experience. NINA’s voice is radiant, her melodies irresistibly catchy and her performance spot-on throughout the entirety of the record. Every single track on the record feels like a lead single: from the opener right down to the last song, the album stays geared towards maximum efficiency and does a great job at maintaining the energy throughout its eleven numbers.

As though the album covers and the clear nod to Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive didn’t make it obvious enough, Sleepwalking is a driving record, steadily paced so that you can jam to it on a lonesome nighttime cruise across asphalt jungles and starlit highways without having to ever skip a track. Alas, the album’s ‘driving’ pace does narrow the records’ sound down a little too much, as the steady the side-chained kick pulse ends up being a little too constant. Rhythm and tempos fluctuate smoothly but timidly, which may leave some yearning for a sudden gear shift to pump up the adrenaline.

A few louder, cathartic moments on the album could have helped spice things up, though that is not to say that what Sleepwalking does is not done brilliantly. Overall, NINA’s first full-length effort amounts to a very solid set of instantly likeable pop songs that spares nuance yet delivers a deeply immersive experience. Turn it up but drive responsibly.

Packed full of punchy pop vibes, expertly arranged arpeggiations and breathy, timeless vocals, NINA’s “Sleepwalking” is slated to be a triple-A release. This should come as no surprise, since the London based singer-songwriter NINA is a classically trained vocalist and has received acclaim for her three previous fantastic EP’s.

The title track “Sleepwalking” is instantly catchy and memorable – a delicious retro romp that lovers of synthwave are sure to fall for. Produced by Oscillian, the single is out now on NewRetroWave, and not one to be missed!

The album is set to release on March 16th, and each pre-order comes complete with an autographed CD. Supplies are running out fast, so make sure you get one while you can!

Pre-order here or by clicking the image below.