Maps of Music

Random Access Memories (2013)

Where the lyrics of Random Access Memories take you, and where it was really made.

The album was recorded in secret across several studios in California, New York and Paris, yet it became Daft Punk's only album to top the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Gang Recording Studio in Paris (2013)

Recording site Gang Recording Studio — Daft Punk recorded part of the album at Gang Recording Studio in Paris, one of four recording locations named for the sessions from 2008 to 2012. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Electric Lady Studios in New York City (2013)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Electric Lady Studios in New York City is named among the studios where Daft Punk recorded the album between 2008 and 2012. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Conway Recording Studios in California (2013)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in California is one of the studios where Daft Punk recorded the album during the 2008 to 2012 sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Capitol Studios in California (2013)

Recording site Capitol Studios — Capitol Studios in California is one of the studios used for recording the album, and Mick Guzauski later processed vocoder tracks there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Random Access Memories: fourth and final studio album by the French electronic duo Daft Punk
• Released 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records
• Pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly from Los Angeles
• The theme shows up in the packaging and in a promotional campaign with billboards, TV ads and a web series
• Combines disco, progressive rock and pop

Background

• In 2008, after the Alive 2006/2007 tour, Daft Punk began new material in Paris and recorded demos for about six months
• The group was pleased with the compositions but unhappy with the sampling and looping method used on earlier albums
• They put the demos aside to work on the Tron: Legacy soundtrack, which Bangalter called very humbling
• For this album they decided to work extensively with live musicians
• Chris Caswell was commissioned to gather experienced session artists
• Previous album Human After All (2005) had used minimal production

Recording

• Sessions ran from 2008 to 2012
• Recording took place at Henson Recording Studios, Conway Recording Studios and Capitol Studios in California, at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and at Gang Recording Studio in Paris
• Electronic instruments were limited to drum machines, a custom-built modular synthesizer and vintage vocoders
• Guests included Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Chilly Gonzales, Julian Casablancas, Pharrell Williams, Panda Bear and DJ Falcon

Cover

• Unlike the earlier studio albums, which used the band's wordmark, this one is the first and only to drop it
• The cover shows the band members' signature helmets with the album title at the top left
• The title treatment is reminiscent of Michael Jackson's Thriller

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.
• The duo grew out of their earlier band Darlin', which disbanded after around six months. The name Daft Punk came from a Melody Maker review of Darlin' that called their music "a daft, punky thrash."
• They were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter, head of Ed Banger Records.

Members

• Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo are the two core members.
• From 1999 to 2021 they performed in robot personas, with Bangalter in a silver helmet and Homem-Christo in gold.

Career

• The debut album Homework (1997) on Virgin Records was backed by the singles "Around the World" and "Da Funk".
• Discovery (2001) earned acclaim and hit singles including "One More Time", "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". It became the basis for the animated film Interstella 5555 (2003).
• Human After All (2005) received mixed reviews. The duo also directed the film Electroma (2006).
• The Alive 2006/2007 tour is credited with broadening the appeal of dance music in North America. Alive 2007 won a Grammy.
• They composed the score for Tron: Legacy (2010).
• Random Access Memories (2013), released on Columbia Records, won five Grammy Awards in 2014, including Album of the Year. Its single "Get Lucky" was their first UK number-one.
• "Starboy" with the Weeknd (2016) was their only US Billboard Hot 100 number one.
• They announced their split in February 2021 after 28 years.
• Rolling Stone ranked them the 12th-greatest musical duo of all time in 2015.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album debuted at number one in several countries, and the UK, US and French charts all put it in the top spot on release
• Metacritic gives it an average score of 87 out of 100 from 47 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• Q called it by some margin Daft Punk's best album in a career that had already redefined dance music at least twice
• The Independent praised it for breathing life into the safe music that dominates today's charts
• Entertainment Weekly described it as a headphones album in an age of radio singles and a full collaboration at a time when the superstar DJ stands alone
• Pitchfork critic Mark Richardson found that the album sounds more sterile in places, almost too perfect
• AllMusic gave a five-star review, saying the record taps into the wonder and excitement of 1970s and early 1980s music
• musicOMH found the album bloated and tedious in places

Reappraisal

• In January 2015, Billboard placed the album at number 9 on its list of the 20 best albums of the 2010s (so far)
• In 2020, Stacker ranked it 65th on its list of the 100 best albums of the 21st century
• In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number 295 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
• In 2021, Pitchfork adjusted its original score from 8.8 out of 10 to 6.8

Records

• Random Access Memories is the only Daft Punk album to top the US Billboard 200
• It was certified platinum by the RIAA, and the 2023 certification was double platinum
• Lead single Get Lucky topped charts in more than 30 countries
• The album won Album of the Year, Best Dance/Electronica Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 56th Grammys

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Sessions were financed by Daft Punk themselves, which let them abandon the project if they wished.
• Bangalter estimated that the project cost more than one million dollars, though he said the figure was not important.
• Some songs were recorded across five studios over two and a half years.
• A 56-page hardcover book, vinyl edition, partial 70 mm film strip and gold and silver USB drives were included in the deluxe box set released by Columbia.
• On 22 February 2023, Daft Punk announced a 10th-anniversary edition to be released on 12 May, with an extra disc of about 35 minutes of bonus content.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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