Why Did Daft Punk Split Up? Mixmag Examines The Clues - Features

Daft Punk have split up. It’s truly the end of an era.

The robots ruled underground dance music and then transcended into full-blown pop stars before turning into a mythical entity that rarely made public appearances. Their entry into the music hall of fame is written and their legend as one of dance music’s greatest acts is sealed.

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The myth and the music meant that even without new releases or live shows Daft Punk’s popularity remained at a fever pitch, which is why so many hearts were broken when the band released their farewell video clip. Fans had been clinging on to the hope of another live tour, another studio album or soundtrack, even just another TV appearance – any sign of life from the robots who had left their older audience with sweet memories of The Pyramid and their younger following with the belief that they too could experience the power of Daft Punk again one day.

Reaction to the split was mostly positive, with an outpouring of love and respect for the duo who took dance music to the mainstream while banging out a run of highly influential hits that still sound brilliant today. But there was some anger from superfans who seemed to expect another Alive tour and cynicism from those who believe they haven’t released any good music for two decades anyway (these people must be really fun at parties).

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So why did the punks break up? What made them call it a day seemingly out of the blue? And why did they do so without much ceremony for fans who had been praying for them to step back out onto the stage, even just for one more time? Some theories below…