Electronic duo Daft Punk have broken up, ending a 28-year-long career of hitmaking and visual artistry. The news came via the band’s YouTube channel via an eight-minute video titled “Epilogue.” The video is excerpted from their 2006 sci-fi film Electroma, and displays a title card with the act’s starting and ending years. The band’s publicist confirmed their break-up to Variety, but gave no further details.
Daft Punk was formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They quickly solidified themselves as dance-music mainstays with their debut album, 1997’s Homework, which featured hits “Around the World” and “Da Funk.” The band would continue to have a prolific career over the next two decades, including movie soundtracks and earworm hits with other chart-topping artists like Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and The Weeknd. The band’s last full-length album was Random Access Memories, whose single “Get Lucky” ranked third in Paste’s 50 Best Songs of 2013.
From early on in the group’s career, Daft Punk have been known for a fierce commitment to their enigmatic brand of artistry, rarely dropping the shield of their robotic personas when in the public eye. With their high-production live shows and creative range of music videos, an excerpt from their avant-garde 2006 film feels like the only right way for Daft Punk to say goodbye.
Watch Daft Punk’s “Epilogue” below.
