Random Access Memories Is Released

Setting the scene

Daft Punk had defined French house since the 1990s with Discovery and Alive 2007 tours, but EDM festival culture was overtaking their robot personas. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo hired live musicians at Henson Studios to make an analog disco-funk album rejecting software-heavy production. Collaborators included Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, and Pharrell Williams.

What happened

Random Access Memories was released on May 17, 2013, led by Get Lucky's four-on-the-floor groove and Pharrell vocals. Touch featured a spoken-word career retrospective by Moroder, while Instant Crush with Julian Casablancas showed range. The robots appeared on Colbert and at Coachella promoting the album's retro-futurism.

Why it still matters

The album won five Grammys including Album of the Year, sold over 3 million copies in the U.S., and briefly made disco cool for a new generation. Get Lucky dominated summer playlists worldwide. Memorable detail: the band kept their helmets on during the Grammy acceptance speech, maintaining anonymity after two decades of fame.

Background

The robots won Album of the Year at the Grammys.