Back in my heyday in the mid 90's, Daft Punk had only released two 12" EP's on Soma records, but their second 12" was such an absolute monster with Da Funk and Rollin' & Scratchin' on the flip. I still distinctly remember the first time I heard both tracks, especially Da Funk, as it was made famous in the Midwest US as DJ Terry Mullan ended his acid house mix tape New School Fusion Vol. 2 with that track shortly after the new 12" was released helping to spread that sound across the Midwest. I had heard techno DJ's mix Rollin' & Scratchin' in so many sets in 95/96, and it was banner day when I found my own copy of that 12" single in the local record shop.
This was all before Daft Punk had even released their first album Homework, but they had such a large impact on the local techno/rave scene in the Midwest that the largest local festival promoters managed to fly them out from Paris the next year in 1996 for their first live performance in the US at the annual summer campout festival, which is usually insane enough itself... but with Daft Punk as one of the headliners from Europe that took it to another level. They proceeded to blow minds with live, raw, techno. Here is a clip of Rollin' & Scratchin' live from that festival and first US gig from a muddy campground from somewhere in the woods in Wisconsin:
I fell for them properly when I watched
the doc, and saw them in their early days live-'scratching/glitching?' by pulling the aux cable in and out of it's socket.
The Gondry videos really sweetened the deal though.
When ELECTROMA was released, me and a good pal (who is also an exp. dance musician) actually found a cinema playing it for one showing! We both loved it.
Mateo Sanboval wrote: ↑Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:37 pm
Great stuff, Deaf. Love hearing these kinds of personal journeys.
@Scojo @Mateo - Thanks, guys, and not just me personally, but I know it's just Thomas and Guy-Manuel in those funky robot suits cutting up those tracks just like they were back in the day in that muddy tent... so amazing to see how they took their art to such an impressive level:
