TOTW: Daft Punk-Something About Us

Daft Punk are calling it a day. Who knows the future for the two musicians and producers behind the project. Whether that be working together or separately on something else, or if they’re just going to stop all together,

Whatever the outcome they leave behind a small yet great catalog of music that was released over their twenty eight year career. On the surface they were a group focused on dance music but their albums always went in a more varied set of directions.

Their singles were so ubiquitous that for a passing listener it would be easy to think they represented everything their music represented. I was the same until I listened to “Discovery” in my early teens. Their love for the music of the 70’s was evident when you listened to the whole record, Not just Disco but rock from the time period was a key element of their sound.

Discovery is a fantastic album from beginning to end but the track that was and still is my favorite Daft Punk track is “Something About Us”. Its arrangement has something of the Nile Rodgers about it years before they got to work with him on “Random Access Memories”. With synthesizers taking the parts that would usually be filled with guitar.

This is probably the first track I heard that made me think about Synthesizers as an instrument of interest. Before that point I had played Trombone and Bass Guitar, but hearing “Something About Us” made me think about the unique sounds the synthesizer can achieve. A sound I wanted to replicate.

Something About Us was a gateway and influence for me its sound and style ooze a coolness that still holds up to this day even with synthesis becoming dominant in modern pop music. I love and will continue to return to this track for the rest of my life. It’s a must listen for anyone:

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