Following the news of Daft Punk‘s shocking split in February 2021, the music community at large flung headlong into hysteria. Naturally, a barrage of tributes flooded social media, ranging from sheer disbelief to unadulterated admiration.
While many paid homage to the legendary electronic music duo via social media eulogies, Hood Politics Records went a different route. To celebrate the legacy of Daft Punk, the renowned tastemaker and underground label put together Daft Punk Forever, a scintillating 12-track compilation of remixes that breathe new life into the beloved robots in their absence. Contributing brilliant remixes are House Divided, Broken Future and Stund, DONT BLINK, BINGEWATCH, Rich DietZ, Victor Bari, Galo, Kuestenklatsch, Cyboy, UNDRGNDCTRL, Kai Zen, and the trio of Nutty, DJ Susan and Scones.
“Daft Punk is and always will be one of the greatest dance music creators and influencers of all time,” said Hood Politics co-founder Nutty, who told EDM.com that the record is dedicated to bringing the magic of Daft Punk to audiences in a new way while providing DJs with tools to seamlessly work their music into live sets.
“With a massive appeal to both the mainstream pop and underground scenes, there is not a soul on earth that doesn’t love and respect Daft Punk,” Nutty continued. “That kind of impact is something we can only strive to achieve one day, and their split was a confirmation that their current discography is all that will ever be.”
Highlights on Daft Punk Forever are aplenty, so it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. LA duo House Divided kicked off the record beautifully with a thumping techno rework of “Human After All,” producing acid-inspired bass and hypnotic soundscapes. Another surefire standout is the disco-inspired twist on Daft Punk’s generational anthem “One More Time” by DJ Susan, Scopes, and Nutty himself. The trio managed to dunk the iconic song into a deep house batter, keeping its timeless synths intact while cleverly incorporating a chest-thumping bassline and cowbells that would make Will Ferrell proud.
Another cut that takes the compilation to the stratosphere is Rich DietZ‘s stank face-inducing house flip of Daft Punk’s “Aerodynamic,” which appeared on the duo’s fabled 2011 sophomore album Discovery. The fast-rising tandem expertly produced around the ageless guitar riffs of the original, using them to compliment a slow-burning build, which ultimately tapers off into a ridiculous drop that runs roughshod with nasty synth patches.
It was this ability to channel Daft Punk’s sound in order to inspire new approaches that galvanized Hood Politics into organizing the compilation.
“The impact that Daft Punk has had on us specifically is that they continuously reminded everyone that while all forms of art are subjective, good music can break down any barrier and bring people together,” Nutty exulted. “Daft Punk created a handful of timeless tracks that resonate with people on a much deeper level than your standard pop/dance tracks, which is fuel to the music producer’s fire to keep pushing, and keep creating in hopes of impacting people the way Daft Punk has.”
Fans of Daft Punk Forever will be delighted to hear that Hood Politics has another VA compilation coming up this summer.
Check out the full Daft Punk Forever compilation via SoundCloud below.
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