Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)

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Random Access Memories
(10th Anniversary Edition)
Compilation album by
Daft Punk
Released12 May 2023
Recorded2008–2013
Genre
Length110:46
Label
Producer
Daft Punk chronology
Homework (Remixes)
(2022) 		Random Access Memories
(10th Anniversary Edition)
(2023) 		Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)
(2023)
Singles from Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)
  1. "The Writing of Fragments of Time"
    Released: 22 March 2023
  2. "GLBTM (Studio Outtakes)"
    Released: 20 April 2023
  3. "Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)"
    Released: 12 May 2023
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash9/10[1]
Pitchfork7.7/10[2]

Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition) is the third compilation album by French electronic duo Daft Punk. It is an anniversary reissue of the duo's final studio album Random Access Memories containing an extra disc with 35 minutes of bonus content, including unreleased demos and outtakes. The reissue was released on 12 May 2023.

Promotion and release[edit]

On 22 February 2021, Daft Punk announced they had split.[3] Exactly two years later, on 22 February 2023, the duo announced a 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories would release, containing a bonus disc of demos and outtakes.[4] This was the second of several consecutive years the group announced a new release or celebratory event on the anniversary of their split, with the day eventually being referred to as "Daft Punk Day." A 25th anniversary release of their album Homework, including a newly compiled remix album, was announced on 22 February 2022, and a Twitch livestream of the duo's 2003 film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem occurred on 22 February 2024.[5][6]

Thomas Bangalter, during the promotion of his solo project Mythologies, said Daft Punk had wanted to not "spoil the narrative" while they were active, but felt more comfortable revealing parts of their creative process now that "the story has ended".[7]

The reissue includes the version of "Touch" used in the video announcing Daft Punk's disbandment. A Dolby Atmos version of the reissue was also released the same day as the reissue, featuring the original 13 album tracks and “The Writing of Fragments of Time” remixed in the format.[8]

The first single from the reissue, "The Writing of Fragments of Time", featuring Todd Edwards, was released on 22 March, along with a music video directed by Daft Punk's creative director, Cédric Hervet.[9] "GLBTM (Studio Outtakes)" was released on 20 April, featuring previously unused studio recordings by Chilly Gonzales and other session musicians for "Give Life Back to Music".[10][11]

Another single, "Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)", features Julian Casablancas and the Voidz. The song and an accompanying music video directed by Warren Fu premiered on 11 May at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.[12][13] Casablancas discussed the song in interviews in 2014.[14][15] The music video, the song, and the structuring of the bonus disc of the reissue are all based on an infinity loop.[16] Daft Punk called the track their "last song ever" in its press release.[17] A four-part video series focusing on the making of the music video was released in December.[18][19]

The week before the reissue's release, coordinates and the date of 11 May 2023 appeared in Spotify visualizers for specific songs off the original album, teasing a global event happening in ten cities: Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, Santa Monica, São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo.[20][21] Later that week, it was revealed that Snapchat had partnered with Daft Punk's creative team to promote the reissue using augmented reality filters and lenses.[22] Worldwide users could use the app to get early access to the track "Horizon", with attendees at the ten cities getting to participate in a geolocated scavenger hunt. Participants at the locations could use the Snapchat filter to find Monoliths playing snippets of the "Infinity Repeating" music video.[23][24][25]

The release of the reissue resulted in the album reappearing at the top of the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart and within the top 10 on the Billboard 200.[26][27]

Memory Tapes[edit]

In promotion of the 10th anniversary reissue, the band released a video series throughout the year called Memory Tapes.[28] The series' guests include Julian Casablancas, Chilly Gonzales, Panda Bear, DJ Falcon, Todd Edwards, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams and Chris Caswell.[29] The videos were shot at Gang Studios in Paris and Henson Studios in Los Angeles and feature behind-the-scenes footage of the recording of Random Access Memories.[30][31]

Made up of eight episodes, the series features many of the album's collaborators reflecting on the duo's status, music, and split. Julian Casablancas discusses the creation of "Instant Crush" and "Infinity Repeating," saying he thought the latter was a fitting song to "end Daft Punk on forever," while also joking that the idea was "dramatic," not believing the duo would stay permanently split.[32][33] Chilly Gonzales called the duo's work on the album "Stanley Kubrick levels of planning" when discussing his piano solo on "Within."[34]

Collaborators DJ Falcon and Todd Edwards spoke on the duo's split as well, with Falcon specifically praising the choice to end Daft Punk with the song and video for "Infinity Repeating".[35] Edwards expressed regret that Daft Punk did not tour Random Access Memories, but stated he was not shocked when they split, saying the two "were already going in different directions, musically".[36][37]

Pharrell Williams revealed in his episode that he did not expect the finished versions of "Get Lucky" or "Lose Yourself to Dance" to feature his vocals, assuming both songs would be sung by other artists.[38] Williams said he was so focused during the writing and recording sessions that he forgot what the material had sounded like, due to the length of time between meetings and the lack of access to the material. His episode contains footage of Williams' reaction to hearing both finished tracks for the first time.[39]

Nile Rodgers described the experience of working with the duo as life-changing, saying "life was one way before Random Access Memories, and completely different after." Rodgers called the album's impact a learning experience and spoke about how the album led to him collaborating with younger artists of different cultures.[40] The final episode of Memory Tapes features Chris Caswell and Paul Williams. The two discuss first meeting Daft Punk, the importance of Phantom of the Paradise to the duo's history, and end by thanking them for making an album that encourages listeners to "explore," stating "there's so much out there."[41]

Track listing[edit]

Random Access Memories track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Give Life Back to Music"
4:34
2."The Game of Love"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
5:22
3."Giorgio by Moroder"
9:04
4."Within"
3:48
5."Instant Crush" (with Julian Casablancas)
5:37
6."Lose Yourself to Dance" (with Pharrell Williams)
5:53
7."Touch" (with Paul Williams)
8:19
8."Get Lucky" (with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rogers)
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Rodgers
  • Pharrell Williams
6:09
9."Beyond"
  • Bangalter
  • Caswell
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Paul Williams Jr.
4:50
10."Motherboard"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
5:41
11."Fragments of Time" (with Todd Edwards)
4:39
12."Doin' It Right" (with Panda Bear)
4:11
13."Contact"
6:23
Total length:74:28
10th anniversary edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Horizon Ouverture"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
2:08
15."Horizon (Japan CD)"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
4:25
16."GLBTM (Studio Outtakes)"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Jackson Jr.
  • Rodgers
6:22
17."Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)" (with Julian Casablancas + The Voidz)
  • Bangalter
  • Casablancas
  • de Homem-Christo
4:00
18."GL (Early Take)" (with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Rodgers
  • Pharrell Williams
0:33
19."Prime (2012 Unfinished)"
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
4:46
20."LYTD (Vocoder Tests)" (with Pharrell Williams)
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Rodgers
  • Pharrell Williams
2:08
21."The Writing of Fragments of Time" (with Todd Edwards)
  • Bangalter
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Imperatrice
8:17
22."Touch (2021 Epilogue)" (with Paul Williams)
  • Bangalter
  • Caswell
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Paul Williams Jr.
3:00
Total length:110:46

Sample credits

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from the liner notes. The bonus disc, other than "Horizon", does not have individual performer credits.[43]

Reissue supervised by[edit]

Featured artists[edit]

Drumless Edition[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork5.4/10[44]

On 28 September 2023, Daft Punk announced another anniversary reissue, a remix album called Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition). It was released on 17 November 2023 and includes the original 13 album tracks without any drum or percussive elements. "Within (Drumless Edition)" and "Motherboard (Drumless Edition)" were released as promotional singles.[45][46] As with the 10th anniversary reissue, a Dolby Atmos version of the reissue was also released the same day.[47][48]

Reception to the drumless edition was mixed, with outlets, critics, and fans unsure of the specific purpose of the release, with some speculation it was for DJs and producers to make their own mixes using the album.[49]

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Random Access Memories: 10th Anniversary Edition
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[50] 14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[51] 20
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[52] 50
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[53] 11
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[54] 8
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[55] 4

References[edit]

  1. ^ Weedon, Paul (12 May 2023). "Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition) | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  2. ^ Szatan, Gabriel (15 May 2023). "Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Daft Punk Break Up". Pitchfork. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  4. ^ "Daft Punk Announce 10th Anniversary Edition of "Random Access Memories"". FLOOD. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  5. ^ "Daft Punk Reissuing Homework on Vinyl, Livestreamed Rare 1997 Concert". Pitchfork. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  6. ^ Taylor, Drew (2024-02-22). "Daft Punk to Live Stream Their Anime Film Interstella 5555". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  7. ^ "Life after Daft Punk: Thomas Bangalter on ballet, AI and ditching the helmet". BBC News. 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  8. ^ "Daft Punk Announce New Random Access Memories Reissue With Unreleased Music". Pitchfork. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Daft Punk and Todd Edwards Share "The Writing of Fragments of Time"". Pitchfork. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  10. ^ Skinner, Tom (20 April 2023). "Listen to Daft Punk's 'Give Life Back To Music' studio outtakes". NME. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  11. ^ Aswad, Jem (12 May 2023). "Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Anniversary Edition Is a Reappraisal and Reaffirmation of Its Genius: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Daft Punk Premiering Unreleased Song at Paris' Pompidou Center". Pitchfork. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Daft Punk to unveil never-heard song where it all began". France 24. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  14. ^ Reed, Ryan (31 March 2014). "Casablancas Reveals Second Daft Punk Collab". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Julian Casablancas Says His Second Daft Punk Song Is "Super Bizarre"". Pitchfork. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  16. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (12 May 2023). "Watch Daft Punk Evolve Through The Ages In 'Infinity Repeating' Video". Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Listen to the last Daft Punk song ever, "Infinity Repeating"". The FADER. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Daft Punk share 'Infinity Repeating' creation video: Watch". DJMag.com. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  19. ^ Uitti, Jacob (2023-12-16). "New Song Saturday: Hear New Tracks from Killer Mike, Daft Punk, Noel Gallagher, and More". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  20. ^ Staff, Forbes. "Daft Punk: La colaboración que despierta una posible presentación en México". Forbes México (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  21. ^ Davis, Sam (5 May 2023). "Daft Punk Teases Fans with Mysterious Spotify Update | Merca2.0". Revista Merca2.0. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  22. ^ Melnick, Kyle (9 May 2023). "Daft Punk Launches AR Experiences 'Around The World'". VRScout. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  23. ^ "Sur Snapchat, les fans de Daft Punk peuvent découvrir un titre inédit". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Daft Punk: Memories Unlocked". newsroom.snap.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  25. ^ "AR Studio Workshop: "Daft Punk: Memories Unlocked" by the AR Studio Team". Snap. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  26. ^ Murray, Gordon (25 May 2023). "Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Returns to No. 1 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  27. ^ Jones, Abby (25 May 2023). "Daft Punk's Random Access Memories returns to No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart". Consequence. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Daft Punk share unseen 'Random Access Memories' studio footage in new 'Memory Tapes' interview series: Watch". DJMag.com. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  29. ^ "Daft Punk Offers a Look Back at Creating Their Final LP With 'Memory Tapes'". Hypebeast. 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  30. ^ Duran, Anagricel (2023-07-31). "Watch Daft Punk's unseen 'Random Access Memories' studio footage". NME. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  31. ^ "Daft Punk launch 'Memory Tapes' YouTube series". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  32. ^ "Daft Punk Presents "Memory Tapes" Video Series to Celebrate Random Access Memories' 10th Anniversary". INDIE THIRST. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  33. ^ Daft Punk - Memory Tapes - Episode 1 - Julian Casablancas (Official Video), retrieved 2023-09-01
  34. ^ ""Stanley Kubrick level of planning" went into Daft Punk's RAM, says Chilly Gonzales". MusicTech. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  35. ^ Daft Punk - Memory Tapes - Episode 4 - DJ Falcon (Official Video), retrieved 2023-09-01
  36. ^ Duran, Anagricel (2023-09-08). "Daft Punk "weren't on the same page anymore," says collaborator Todd Edwards". NME. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  37. ^ "Daft Punk share new 'Memory Tapes' archival footage featuring Todd Edwards: Watch". DJMag.com. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  38. ^ Denis, Kyle (2023-10-11). "Pharrell Williams Reflects on 10 Years of Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky': 'I Thought I Was Writing For Someone Else'". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  39. ^ "Watch Pharrell Williams Hear Daft Punk's Finished Cut of "Get Lucky" for the First Time". Pitchfork. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  40. ^ Kreps, Daniel (2023-10-26). "See Nile Rodgers Talk Life-Changing 'Get Lucky' in Daft Punk's Latest 'Memory Tapes' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  41. ^ Daft Punk - Memory Tapes - Episode 8 - Paul Williams & Chris Caswell (Official Video), retrieved 2023-12-16
  42. ^ Ghosn, Joseph; Wicker, Olivier (18 April 2013). "Daft Punk Revient Avec Random Access Memories". Obsession (in French). Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013. Exclu: Les morceaux de Random Access Memories commentés par Daft Punk.
  43. ^ Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition) (liner notes). Daft Punk. Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. 2023.
  44. ^ Cardew, Ben (16 November 2023). "Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  45. ^ Bain, Katie (2023-09-28). "Daft Punk Announces 'Drumless' Version of 'Random Access Memories': Hear the First Track". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  46. ^ Strauss, Matthew (2023-11-10). "Daft Punk Share New "Motherboard (Drumless Edition)"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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  49. ^ Cardew, Ben. "Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  50. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-05-22/p/2" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  52. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2023-05-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
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  55. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
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