Daft Punk, the influential electronic group, is quitting after 28 years. The pair announced their retirement in a video on Monday morning entitled “Epilogue”.
The video features a clip from the band’s 2006 film “Electroma” and a photo of their hands with the caption “1993-2021”. Kathryn Frazier, a Daft Punk publicist, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The duo – Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter – started making music together under the characters in 1993. They were widely known for their robot costumes, which they started wearing in public appearances in the 2000s.
In 1987, the two met in Paris and formed an indie rock band called Darling. After being charmed by the French house movement, they started working on their electronic sound and eventually cemented their popularity in America with their debut album “Homework” and the single “Da Funk”.
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“Da Funk” and their second single “Around the World” earned the band the first two Grammy nominations. Since then, Daft Punk has been nominated for 12 Grammys and has taken home six.
In 2007, the band resurfaced when Kanye West sampled the 2001 song “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” for their track “Stronger”.
Daft Punk’s 2014 album, “Random Access Memories”, was revered by critics and fans, a Renaissance movement in electronic dance music. The album featured the single at the top of the charts “Get Lucky”, which featured singer and producer Pharrell Williams.
That year, the album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, becoming the first electronic act to take home the coveted tribute.
So far, it is not clear whether Homem-Christo or Bangalter will continue as solo acts.