Classic Day – Letters From France

Sometimes you are only able to catch the latest train possible, and personally; I missed the train on Daft Punk for the last 20 years of my life. Their debut record coming out only a year before I was born, Homework in many ways marks the debut of French house becoming a mainstream staple.

Combining all the elements that peaks the electronic love of today, Homework is essentially the eclipse of one of the greatest pressings to ever touch wax. While the masked duo at this point of their career were faces in the crowd, the French parlay work in tandem for 16 tracks and over an hour of content.

Peeling back the layers of Homework feels as if you have to dissect the record with analytical expertise, more than just something fun to dance and groove to. The real awe of Daft Punk in this period comes from their expressive attitude toward complete control over direction in sound and performance.

The opening track, “Daftendirekt” is a simple groove through a moving step piece of adding layers as the track progresses. In the early stages, the heavily reverbed and distorted vocals are the only component until the snaps, claps, and bass introduces themselves in the frame.

Then follows the clipping hi-hats that overlay and clash against the other percussion. “Daftendirekt” soon becomes this monster of muddied layers and distortion where Daft Punk takes more form on Homework.

Later tracks take “Phœnix” that follow similar suit by adding factors until the entire piece becomes fleshed out. The synths and percussion in “Phœnix” quickly make for one of the more danceable and memorable tracks that inflict rhythm through the limbs furiously. The constant stomp of bass underneath the instrumentation keeps pace without forcing the hand too hard. Instead, the bass here is like a metronome that Daft Punk piles coatings and sheets over.

In the final moments of “Phœnix,” there is this thickness to the production and preparation for Homework’s other marching instrumentals. One of the most well-known of Daft Punk’s tracks comes “Around The World” which is one of the reasons why reviewing this record struck me like a bolt of lightning to the dome.

“Around The World” can be played to any audience and see movement within the room. It is the perfect electronic song of easy-to-remember lyrics, repeating the lyrics “Around The World” for a staggering 144 times. But also, there is this motion of beauty that comes from the instrumentation where the otherworldly and spacious electronic details are treasures to uncover with each listen.

Daft Punk are masters of sequences and progression, but truly where they shine is in their ability to create depth within their records and tracks. While Homework is their debut studio record, the blueprints are there for global takeover one dancefloor at a time.

Listen To Homework Here!!! – Spotify/iTunes