In bits and pieces of genius, Daft Punk have been teasing music fans around the world for the past month with snippets of their debut single “Get Lucky” off of their massively anticipated album “Random Access Memories” which will be released on May 21.
It might finally be here.
A radio station in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada, for those unfamiliar), Sonic 102.9, leaked the track Wednesday. The station said that the mix played on the radio was not the official version, but “sounds pretty damn close.” Daft Punk has not confirmed that this is, in fact, the official “Get Lucky” single, either. A European radio station, Studio Brussels, Tweeted earlier today that the single will premier via its airwaves on Friday.
From the opening piano chords to the vintage funk guitar to the stellar groove, “Get Lucky” is the slice of freshness the world deserves
Countless imposter edits of the song have been made by fans who mashed up the different bits and pieces released via commercials during Saturday Night Live and through a video played at the first weekend of Coachella on Friday night.
That video from Coachella, subsequently, took over the Internet this past weekend and the beginning of the week. I must have watched it 20 times a day since Friday night. Walking to classes I’d overhear conversations between friends, “Yo, this is the new Daft Punk. It’s just a minute, but it’s sick.”
Via: hitfix.com
I was skeptical when I heard a radio station had leaked the song, as a French radio station had, reportedly, done the same earlier in the week.
Once I heard Pharrell sing, “Like the legend of the phoenix,” I believed it was real.
I almost cried from the joy.
From the opening piano chords to the vintage funk guitar to the stellar groove, “Get Lucky” is the slice of freshness the world deserves. Even the classic “robot” vocals that Daft Punk is so famous for seem reborn (the duo stated they wanted to make the electronic aspects of the album as human sounding as possible). It evokes every memory of every beautiful moment you’ve ever experienced in your life. And it makes you dance.
Official or not, the fact that so many fake versions of the song have been made is a testament to the music world’s excitement for the album. Adding to that is the fact that unofficial versions of the song are being played on radio stations across the globe.
Could anyone have predicted such action?
In an earlier article I wrote entitled “Daft Punk and the State of Dance Music in America,” I proclaimed that this album would have major implications for the music world and beyond. I don’t want to say I was right, but it’s sure starting to look that way.
It evokes every memory of every beautiful moment you’ve ever experienced in your life. And it makes you dance.
In a series of interviews with people that collaborated on the album, The Creators Project was able to explain some of the processes used in the creation of the album. The “Robots,” as the collaborators referred to Daft Punk, wanted to bring back the human element to music. They used samples as sparingly as possible, opting for actual musicians to play on the album.
In one of the interviews, collaborator Todd Edwards proclaimed, “I’m waiting for this album to intoxicate and infect everyone so I’m not making music in a sterile world anymore.”
That kind of view was shared by all of the collaborators of the album, who included Pharrell (from N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes fame), Niles Rodgers (legendary producer and funk pioneer. His production credits include David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna), Giorgio Moroder (often credited as the man who started electronic dance music with his 15-minute version of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”), Julian Casablancas (lead singer and primary songwriter for garage rock-revival leaders The Strokes) among a handful of other musical geniuses.
Via: popdust.com
So far, the plan is working. People latched on to the new Daft Punk material without ever hearing an entire song. The teasing has worked and the music is promoting itself. Audiences around the world are drooling at the prospect of the other music on the album. Not even “Watch the Throne” had this kind of hype.
It’s too early to tell exactly what effect the album will have, as it hasn’t been released yet. But if we can learn anything from the grueling wait for it to drop, it’s that people are thirsty for the human element in music. They want the groove that gets lost in much of electronically produced music. It has already restored my faith in the ears of the human race.
In the time that I’ve been writing this article (about half an hour), I’ve already listened to the leaked version of “Get Lucky” five times. It’s as infectious as Edwards said it would be. I am, undoubtedly, uplifted in my seat at Library West.
In an age where my online presence represents me more than my face, it is refreshing to hear Pharrell sing “We’ve come too far to give up who we are.” Even in a technology-dominated society, humanity still counts for something.
We are human, after all.
Image Courtesy of: whiteliesmag.com
