Daft Punk - Homework

 

When listening to music of any kind, it is important to know exactly what you're listening to. How did the band, or artist create such a sound? Where did they get the unique idea? It's only when you delve deep into the mind of the artist and unravel the exact influences that drives them that you get a more complete picture. After recently exploring the core influences of Parisian dance outfit Daft Punk, I have begun to establish a more well rounded perspective of the band I already admire. The raw funk and soul that oozes from  Discovered: A Collection Of Daft Funk Samples, http://bit.ly/9FIuW6, a selection of original tracks famously sampled by Daft Punk, neatly sets up the band's mentality and direction towards music. Fusing pulsing rhythmic dance styles akin to disco, house and techno music, and the soul and energy of anthemic euphoria, Daft Punk were bound to excel at their craft from the very start.
1997's Homework would be the first glimpse of this unique fusion, and in turn launched Daft Punk as fresh artists on the already vastly popular French dance scene. In one respect, this release is Daft Punk's own form of 'homework'; as they attempt to study the noises and sounds that influenced them, and in turn produce their own interpretation, no matter how basic. However,with the benefit of hindsight, it is very easy to draw comparisons between this album and the band's later efforts, Discovery and Human After All. One aspect being the general flow of the collection. Where later albums appear smooth and seem less, Homework displays clear signs of a scrappy and undeveloped debut. This is not to say that it is poor by any means, just merely lacking in confidence.The most obvious indications of this can be found in introductory groove medley of 'Daftendirekt/ WDPK 83.7FM', the patchy 'High Fidelity' and the mood shifting 'Fresh'. Yet, these minor flaws all seem to enforce the overriding charm of the album. The minimal quality to the tracks, and the presence of understated dance gems such as 'Da Funk', 'Oh Yeah', 'Indo Silver Club' and the incredibly funky 'Around The World' all add to the unique feel of the piece. Among the true golden moments here has to be the raw 'Rollin' & Scratchin'', the achingly driving 'Rock 'n Roll' and 'Burnin'', and the oldest, and arguably best mix on the album, 'Alive'.
After a few listens, Homework does develop a character of its own, and despite it's experimental nature, this album is Daft Punk at their purest. The band are infamous for their frequent sampling, and use of disco and funk classics, but do so with such grace and delicacy on this first offering.
Many often argue that Homework is Daft Punk's best work to date due the above reasons. Personally, I prefer the band's next move, where the dabbling in samples, sounds and rhythms really became effective, and groundbreaking.