Back catalogue: Funky/Club House

Review: You might have heard about this LP..... After a pre-release campaign that took on Hollywood-esque proportions, French pair Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter return as Daft Punk with their fourth studio album Random Access Memories sporting a A-list cast of guests and contributors. Given the input of disco icons Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rogers it's entirely understandable that the overbearing sound on Random Access Memories is one of classic disco with lead single "Get Lucky" a good indicator for what to expect. There's also a smattering of yacht rock within the thirteen track set, whilst the ubiquitous Panda Bear turns up on the midnight stutter funk album highlight "Doin' It Right". Those expecting a return to Daft Punk's Homework heyday will be disappointed but Bangalter and de Homem-Christo are touching forty so the polished, expertly constructed disco direction makes perfect sense.

Review: Daft Punk's defining album comes directly from the horses' mouths, seeing a new vinyl edition in 2022 released via the ex-duo's own Daft Life Ltd. label. With no frills or fluff, every original track on their third album from 2001 appears here in crunching glory, not sounding an inch rougher or time-weathered. Aptly, 'Discovery' was described by the duo as a reflection of their childhood memories, when they listened to music with a more innocent ear; 20 years on, Discovery can certainly be said to have lived up to that original inspiration.

Review: 'Alive 2007' is known as one of the most influential live albums ever, and this new reissue via Daft Punk's parent label Daft Life cements that influence. Performed at the French venue Bercy, we feel much harder, better, faster and stronger as we listen eagerly to the the pair's signature talkboxes, samples and hooks, this time drenched in crowd jeers and natural reverb. In this instance, Daft Punk manipulated their established material, transposing and deconstructing the structures of their studio tracks and paving the way for the future of live electronic music performance.

Review: Originally released in 2003, Daft Club was the first official compilation of any Daft Punk material, and they chose to gather together some of their most prominent remixes from the likes of The Neptunes, Cosmo Vitelli, Basement Jaxx and Slum Village along with a few other exclusives and obscurities like 'Aerodynamite' and 'Overture'. It's a must for any fan, especially now we know (or at least assume) there won't be any more DP material to come in the future. Repressed to fox the resellers, you can finally grab this one on wax once more, and you don't need to be told it's packed full of bangers.

Review: With each album, Daft Punk threw down something new for their mammoth fanbase to deal with. Never ones to repeat themselves or play it safe, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo ruffled feathers when they followed up the pop-tastic heights of Discovery with the rock-tinted stylings of Human After All. In hindsight, with the world-beating project brought to an end, the album sounds like Daft Punk through and through, not least on lead single 'Robot Rock', but full credit to them for not taking the easy route to give the fans what they want. As we reflect on the legacy of one of the biggest dance acts of all time, it's a fine time to revisit this album with a sparkling new pressing as part of the Daft Life Ltd series.

Review: The fourth and final studio album from the now disbanded French electronic duo, Daft Punk, Random Access Memory gets a re-release on Sony complete with an exclusive poster and 16-page booklet. This release pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly the sounds hailing from Los Angeles at the time. For this seismic album, the band developed and enriched the minimalist production style typical of their previous releases though collaborating with session musicians performing live instrumentation, limiting the use of electronic instruments to simple drum machines, a custom-built modular synthesiser, and their signature vintage vocoders. Spanning an impressive selection of genres from disco, to prog rock and pop, the album also boasts a serious list of chart-topping collaborators - from Nile Rodgers, to Pharrell Williams, to Giorgio Moroder. Featuring hit single, 'Get Lucky', this album is already considered a defining release of the 2010s pop/electronic landscape.

Review: We find it hard to believe it's taken Daft Punk all these years to compile all their favourite remixes of 'Homework' onto a single album, but they've finally done it. This up-and-comer remix double album compiles myriad interpretations of three of the helmed robo-crusaders' most iconic tunes - Around The World, Revolution 909 and Burnin', specifically - from artists as unexpected as DJ Sneak, I:Cube and Masters At Work. Don't miss this one, as it's set to be a raucous spinal-scratchy affair.

Review: Now celebrating its ten year anniversary, there's a sobering realisation to the fact that the swan song LP from French robo-duo Daft Punk is already a decade old. While divisive amongst the fan base, the organic instrumentation and sonic homage to classic disco still feels like a creative endeavour the pair of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo needed to add to their catalogue before graciously bowing out (or powering down) on their own terms. Following the expansive deluxe edition already released earlier in the year, this drumless version strips away any and all notable percussion to allow the velvety basslines, glistening synths and retro grooves to take centre-stage. With re-imagined approaches to hits such as 'Instant Crush' (featuring The Strokes' Julian Casablancas) as well as the myriad of Pharrell Williams collaborative bangers from 'Lose Yourself To Dance' to the once inescapable 'Get Lucky', the project is a unique and vital addition for lifers, newcomers and boogie enthusiasts alike.

Review: For the next installment of Argentinian label Music Broker's tribute series, they have selected some of seminal Parisian duo Daft Punk's finest works and remixes, spanning the last two decades, along with some of the music that inspired them. The Many Faces Of Daft Punk: A Journey Through The Inner World Of Daft Punk features disco royalty such as Niles Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder and Cerrone, while more contemporary producers from the house music spectrum feature also, such as Detroit's Scott Grooves (featuring Parliament/Funkadelic), The Micronauts and Versatile's I:Cube receive de Homem-Christo and Bangalter's midas touch. the latter's 'Disco Cubizm" from '96 being a particular highlight on the remix side of things. Not to mention their roaring rework of indie-pop darlings Franz Ferdinand's classic 'Take Me Out'.

Review: Toronto native Demur is a master of groovy, funky deep house and has been since his fine debut TruSkool back in 2016. He has been busy of late with Visions back in March finding him collaborating with the likes of Fred P and Aaron Gray. Now comes another full length in Under The Waning Moon, another compelling mix of contemporary deep house sounds, well-sourced and deployed samples and elements of everything from jazz to funk to downtempo colouring the grooves. For steamy late-night stuff look no further than '21 Days A Hoe' while 'Wasted Wednesdays' is delightfully sunny and well swung for cosy back room vibes.

Review: REPRESS ALERT!: Six years after delivering his debut album - a digital-only affair called TruSkool - Demuir has finally got round to recording a follow-up. The Toronto native's brand of house is chunky, groovy, deep and funky, taking cues not only from previous collaborators such as DJ Sneak, but also those of his contemporaries that make great use of dusty samples and killer drum programming. As a result, Visions manages to work both as a collection of club-focused cuts and an album you can listen to repeatedly from start to finish. Our picks of a pleasingly strong bunch include the fluid, disco-tinged, Hipnotic-sampling brilliance of 'Mind, Body & Soul Call Me', TUSH hook-up 'Skylar' (a superb slab of gospel-tinged soulful house) and the delicious Fred P collaboration 'Dream (Part II)'.

Review: Given that he cut his teeth as a DJ and producer in San Francisco during the early 90s, DJ Spun is in a perfect position to educate us on the city's breakbeat-driven 'rave' sound - a hybrid and hyper-local affair that blended the Bay Area's psychedelic sounds and loved-up ethos with elements of acid, hip-hop, hip-house, deep house and British breakbeat hardcore. The Beat By DJ Spun Volume 1 does a great job of highlighting largely lesser-known, breakbeat-powered cuts produced in the city between 1988 and '94. For proof, check out the dreamy, mid-tempo wonder of Single Cell Orchestra's 'Transmit Liberation', the funk-fuelled hedonism of Triple M's 'Prisoner of Passion (Funky Dub Mix)', the deep and dubby breaks of 'Based (Not So Free Mix)' by DJ Emma, and the sparse-and-squelchy post hip-house shuffle of Spins Inc's 'The New Frontier'.

Review: New York maestro and Loose Control Band member DJ Spun has served up a superb compilation for Above Board here. It is his third such collection and one that focusses on the specific subject of West Coast breaks, rave and electro funk from the late eighties to mid-cities. It was a fertile scene by this account and one that still sounds current today, right from the blistering open eats and trance-like synths of Tasti Box's 'San Francisco' to Deep2's old school house jacker 'Sphere' which closes out the double pack. In between are plenty of gems, not least the deep and dreamy sounds of Hawke's '3 Moods In A Purple Garden' (Robbie Hardkiss mix).