Recent advances in technology and their adoption by modern culture have helped to embitter Thomas Bangalter on the concept of Daft Punk. “[Daft Punk] was an exploration, I would say, starting with machines and moving away from them”, he explained. “I love technology as a tool [mais] I’m sort of terrified of the nature of the relationship between the machines and ourselves.”
He goes on to explain how Daft Punk’s use of technology was meant to help reveal something human rather than just an unfettered embrace of it. “We tried to use these machines to express something extremely emotional that a machine cannot feel, but a human can”, he argues. “We have always been on the side of humanity and not on the side of technology.”
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have raised concerns for Thomas Bangalter that go “beyond its use in music creation” and helped confirm that his decision to leave Daft Punk behind was the right one.”Even if I like this character”, did he declare, “the last thing I want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot.”
This Friday, Thomas Bangalter will be released Mythologiesa solo album and orchestral score performed by the Orchester National Bordeaux Aquitaine and written for a ballet of the same name.
The 10th anniversary reissue of Daft Punk’s latest album, Random Access Memorieswill be released on May 12.
