Daft Punk is hanging up the helmets. The iconic French electronic duo, known for blending house, pop, disco, and funk music while usually appearing in robot helmets, announced the end of their music career with an eight-minute clip from their 2006 film, Electroma, posted to YouTube. Daft Punk’s longtime publicist confirmed the breakup to Vulture. The video, titled “Epilogue,” finds Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo programming Thomas Bangalter to self-destruct in a desert, followed by a sunrise soundtracked to the band’s 2013 song “Touch.” Daft Punk came onto the scene in the mid-1990s, earning their first No. 1 dance song with 1995’s “Da Funk.” That track became the first single off their wildly influential debut album, Homework, released in 1997 and also featuring the hit “Around the World.” While Homework was rooted in house music, 2001 follow-up Discovery pivoted toward disco. It featured popular singles “One More Time,” “Digital Love,” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” the latter of which Kanye West sampled in his song “Stronger.” Discovery also marked the beginning of the group’s signature robot outfits.
In 2006, Daft Punk toured for the first time since 1997 after releasing their third album, Human After All, in 2005. Their performances were wildly acclaimed, including a 2006 Coachella set considered one of the best in the festival’s history. That tour — the duo’s last — was captured in the album Alive 2007. Along with releasing their own movie, Electroma, Daft Punk went on to score the 2010 film Tron: Legacy. In 2013, Daft Punk released their fourth and final album, Random Access Memories. It featured musicians including Pharrell, the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, and Panda Bear, and it became the band’s first No. 1 album. The Pharrell-featuring “Get Lucky” was the duo’s biggest song, peaking at No. 2 on “The Hot 100.” The album earned Album of the Year at the Grammys, along with Record of the Year for “Get Lucky” and a slew of other awards, giving the group six Grammys in total. After Random Access Memories, Daft Punk co-produced West’s 2013 album, Yeezus, and produced two songs for the Weeknd: “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming.” Last year, the duo released bonus tracks from the Tron soundtrack.
