Daft Punk — ‘Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)’ Review
In May 2013, Daft Punk released their final album, Random Access Memories. Featuring live instrumentation and collaborations with Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams on the electro-funk lead single ‘Get Lucky,’ this was an unexpected but successful evolution to the sound Daft Punk were known for so far. Now, Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) seeks to provide a new interpretation ten years later.
Reimagining an album with a few minor differences isn’t new. The Beatles’ Let It Be…Naked tried to provide new mixes of The Beatles’ final album without Phil Spector’s overproduction 30 years later, while countless bands have remastered their catalogue with slightly different mixes so they sound better on modern sound systems.
Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) is closer to the fan remix projects on YouTube, like a version of The Beatles’ Abbey Road with only the bass, or Rubber Soul with only the rhythm section.
Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) sounds like one of those fan projects; there’s nothing wrong with that. What sets it apart is simply that it’s official. Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the two men under the robot helmets of Daft Punk, have created this new mix themselves. They didn’t need to. No one asked for it, and it will never replace the…
