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Scott Woods of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote that with the album, "Daft Punk [tore] the lid off the [creative] sewer".<ref name="vv">Scott Woods (5 October 1999).[http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-10-05/music/underground-disco/ Underground Disco?] ''[[The Village Voice]]''. Retrieved 10 February 2012.</ref> Ian Mathers from ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'', on his review of the album, commented that "there’s a core of unimpeachably classic work on ''Homework'', hidden among the merely good, and when you’ve got such a classic debut hidden in the outlines of the epic slouch of their debut, it’s hard not to get frustrated."<ref name="Ian">Mathers, Ian (2005-05-09). [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/playing_god/daft-punk-homework.htm "Daft Punk: Homework"]. [[Stylus Magazine]]. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.</ref>
Scott Woods of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' wrote that with the album, "Daft Punk [tore] the lid off the [creative] sewer".<ref name="vv">Scott Woods (5 October 1999).[http://www.villagevoice.com/1999-10-05/music/underground-disco/ Underground Disco?] ''[[The Village Voice]]''. Retrieved 10 February 2012.</ref> Ian Mathers from ''[[Stylus Magazine]]'', on his review of the album, commented that "there’s a core of unimpeachably classic work on ''Homework'', hidden among the merely good, and when you’ve got such a classic debut hidden in the outlines of the epic slouch of their debut, it’s hard not to get frustrated."<ref name="Ian">Mathers, Ian (2005-05-09). [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/playing_god/daft-punk-homework.htm "Daft Punk: Homework"]. [[Stylus Magazine]]. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.</ref>


Ryan Schreiber from [[Pitchfork Media]] awarded it 7.6 out of 10 and stated that "''Homework'' provides sixteen whole tracks of modern-day boom box bass n' drum and unlike your science project, it doesn't require a lot of intricate calculations to figure out how it works. It just does.", finally saying that "It sounds like an [[Atari 2600]] on a killing spree."<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Conversely, music critic [[Robert Christgau]] considered "Da Funk" to be the only good track on an album "that isn't worth your time or money".<ref name="rc">[[Robert Christgau]]. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=daft+punk Robert Christgau: CG: Daft Punk]. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.</ref><ref>[[Robert Christgau]]. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons]. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.</ref>
Ryan Schreiber from [[Pitchfork Media]] awarded it 7.6 out of 10 and stated that "''Homework'' provides sixteen whole tracks of modern-day boom box bass n' drum and unlike your science project, it doesn't require a lot of intricate calculations to figure out how it works. It just does.", finally saying that "It sounds like an [[Atari 2600]] on a killing spree."<ref name="Pitchfork"/> Conversely, music critic [[Robert Christgau]] considered "Da Funk" to be the only good track on an album "that isn't worth your time or money".<ref name="rc">[[Robert Christgau]]. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=daft+punk Robert Christgau: CG: Daft Punk]. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.</ref><ref>[[Robert Christgau]]. [http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg90/grades-90s.php Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons]. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.</ref> Darren Gawle''Drop-D Magazine'' also gave a negative review of the album, stating that "''Homework'' is the work of a couple of DJs who sound amateurish at best."<ref name="Gawle">Gawle, Darren (June 20, 1997). [http://dropd.com/issue/60/CD/DaftPunk/ "CD Review: Raft Punk, "Homework""]. Drop-D Magazine. Vancouver 1997. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==

Revision as of 17:43, 1 May 2012

Untitled

Homework is the debut studio album released by French electronic music duo Daft Punk in January 20, 1997. Considered a blend of house, techno, acid, funk and occasionally hip-hop,[1][2][3] its success brought worldwide attention to french progressive house music[4] and incited interest in French touch music, as several touch artists gained influence from Homework's style.[5] According to The Village Voice, the album revived house music and broke free from the "Euro[dance] formula".[6]

Critically and commercially acclaimed, Homework has sold over two million copies worldwide and received several gold and platinum certifications. The album featured singles that had significant impact in the French house[5] and global dance music scenes.[1] This includes the critically acclaimed and commercially successful "Around the World" and "Da Funk", which have been named among the best songs of their time.[7][8]

The duo commented they had produced the series of tracks without an initial plan to release an album. As Thomas Bangalter stated, "It was supposed to be just a load of singles. But we did so many tracks over a period of five months that we realized that we had a good album."[9] The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Recording history

In 1993 Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo presented a demo of their own electronic music to Stuart Macmillan of Slam at a rave in EuroDisney.[2] The contents of the cassette eventually saw release on the single "The New Wave" on April 11, 1994 on Slam's Soma Quality Recordings label.[10] "Da Funk" and "Rollin' & Scratchin'" were also released as singles under the Soma label in 1995.

In regards to the duo's creative control and freedom, Bangalter said: "We've got much more control than money. You can't get everything. We live in a society where money is what people want, so they can't get the control. We chose. Control is freedom. People say we're control freaks, but control is controlling your destiny without controlling other people."

—Thomas Bangalter.[11]

The ensuing popularity of Daft Punk's singles led to a bidding war among record labels, which resulted in the duo signing to Virgin Records in 1996.[1][12] Their departure was noted by Richard Brown of Soma. He stated that "We were obviously sad to lose them to Virgin but they had the chance to go big, which they wanted, and it's not very often that a band has that chance after two singles. We're happy for them."[2]

Virgin re-released "Da Funk" with the B-side "Musique" in 1996, before releasing Homework. Bangalter later stated that the B-side "was never intended to be on the album, and in fact, 'Da Funk' as a single has sold more units than Homework, so more people own it anyways than they would if it had been on the album. It is basically used to make the single a double-feature."[13] The album was mixed and recorded in their own studio, Daft House in Paris, France. It was mastered by Nilesh Patel at the London studio The Exchange.[14]

Bangalter expressed that "To be free, we had to be in control. To be in control, we had to finance what we were doing ourselves. The main idea was to be free."[15] Daft Punk discussed their method with Spike Jonze, director of the "Da Funk" music video. He noted that "They were doing everything based on how they wanted to do it. As opposed to, 'oh we got signed to this record company, we gotta use their plan.' They wanted to make sure they never had to do anything that would make them feel bummed on making music."[16] Although Virgin Records hold exclusive distribution rights over Daft Punk’s material, the duo remain the owners of their master recordings through the Daft Trax label.[1][17]

Structure

Daft Punk had produced the series of tracks without an initial plan to release an album. As Thomas Bangalter stated, "It was supposed to be just a load of singles. But we did so many tracks over a period of five months that we realized that we had a good album."[18] The duo subsequently set the order of the album's tracks to cover the four sides of a two-disc vinyl LP.[13] As stated by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, "There was no intended theme because all the tracks were recorded before we arranged the sequence of the album. The idea was to make the songs better [more listenable] by arranging them the way we did; to make it more even as an album."[13]

"Alive"
A sample of "Alive", first single released from Homework.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Daftendirekt" is an excerpt of a live performance recorded at a Fuse Party in Ghent.[14] It served as the introduction to Daft Punk's live shows and is likewise used to begin the album.[13] The following track, "WDPK 83.7 FM" is considered a tribute to FM radio in the United States.[15] The song sampled a previous track, "Musique".[19] The next song, "Revolution 909" is a reflection on the French government and its stance on house music.[13][20] Chris Jackson from Sputnikmusic described it as "a quick, dance song that gets you out of your seat in no time."[21]

It is immediately followed by "Da Funk", which is considered to carry elements of funk and acid music.[2] The theme for "Da Funk" involves the introduction of a simple, unusual element that becomes acceptable and moving over time.[22] Robert Christgau considered "Da Funk" to be the only good track on the album, and selected it as his choice cut,[23] while Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine considered the song to be "unrelenting".[24]

Bangalter has stated that "Phoenix" is "an important track, but not any more important than any of the other tracks." It combines elements of gospel music and house music.[13] The song "Fresh" is stated to be breezy and light, and the duo consider its structure to be comical.[25] Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine was somewhat critical with the song, stating that "this one doesn’t feel like the beach just because of the lapping waves heard in the background."[26]

The single "Around the World" carries influences of Gershon Kingsley's hit "Popcorn".[2] Michel Gondry likewise compared the track's bassline to that of "Good Times" by Chic.[27] Chris Power of BBC Music named it "one of the decade’s catchiest singles", and stated it was "a perfect example of Daft Punk’s sound at its most accessible: a post-disco boogie bassline, a minimalist sprinkling of synthetic keyboard melody and a single, naggingly insistent hook."[28] Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine commented that "there is no way you’d want to have a Homework without 'Around The World'."[26]

The track "Teachers" is a tribute to several of their house music influences, including Todd Edwards and future collaborator Romanthony.[29] The song "Oh Yeah" features guests DJ Deelat and DJ Crabbe, otherwise known as David Girier-Dufourier and Pascal Esposito.[14] "Indo Silver Club" features a sample of "Hot Shot" by Karen Young.[14] Prior to its inclusion on Homework, "Indo Silver Club" was released as a single on Soma Recordings as two parts.[30] The single lacked an artist credit in the packaging[30] and was initially thought to have been created by the nonexistent producers Indo Silver Club.[31] The final track, "Funk Ad" is a portion of "Da Funk" played backwards.[13]

Singles

Homework featured singles that had significant impact in the French house[5] and global dance music scenes.[1] The first single from the album was "Alive", included as a B-side on single "The New Wave", released in April 1994. "Da Funk" followed as the second single, released first in 1995 by Soma, and re-released in 1996 by Virgin Records. The song became the first number-one single for the duo on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart.[32] The song also reached No.7 in the United Kingdom[33] and France.[34]

The third single was "Around the World". The song became a critical and commercial success, becoming the second number-one single on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart,[32] and reaching No.11 in Australia,[35] No.5 in the United Kingdom[36] and No.61 on the Billboard Hot 100.[37] In October 2011, NME placed the song at number 21 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[38] The fourth single was "Burnin'", released on September 1997 and which peaked at No. 30 on the United Kingdom.[36] The fifth and final single released from Homework was "Revolution 909", on February 1998. The song reached No.47 on the United Kingdom[36] and No.12 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[37]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [39]
Entertainment Weekly(favourable)[40]
Pitchfork Media7.6/10 [42]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[23]
Sputnikmusic [21]
Q Magazine [43]

The album is noted in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In it, critic Alex Rayner stated that "Homework served as a bridge between more established club styles and the burgeoning eclecticism of big beat. And it proved to many club-goers that there was more to dance music than pills and keyboard presets".[44] Sean Cooper of Allmusic gave Homework 5 out of 5 stars and called the album "an almost certain classic" and "essential".[39] Chris Power from BBC Music commented that "Just as distinctive as the less-is-more approach to each track’s elements is Homework’s love of compression, a sonic tribute to the FM radio stations that fed Daft Punk’s youthful obsessions."[28]

Chris Jackson from Sputnikmusic gave a positive review of the album, awarding it 3.5 stars out of five and stating that "While this album isn't hardcore it still pumps me up everytime I listen to it. Homework is powerful, energetic, fun, and upbeat." He finally considered Homework to be an "awesome dance album".[21] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine also gave Homework 3.5 stars out of five and commented that "While a few tracks are more daft than deft [...], the crunchy guitar licks of the aquatic "Fresh" and the sampled vocals and horny horns of "High Fidelity" prove that more recent groundbreakers like the Avalanches could never exist without "Da Funk."[24]

Scott Woods of The Village Voice wrote that with the album, "Daft Punk [tore] the lid off the [creative] sewer".[6] Ian Mathers from Stylus Magazine, on his review of the album, commented that "there’s a core of unimpeachably classic work on Homework, hidden among the merely good, and when you’ve got such a classic debut hidden in the outlines of the epic slouch of their debut, it’s hard not to get frustrated."[26]

Ryan Schreiber from Pitchfork Media awarded it 7.6 out of 10 and stated that "Homework provides sixteen whole tracks of modern-day boom box bass n' drum and unlike your science project, it doesn't require a lot of intricate calculations to figure out how it works. It just does.", finally saying that "It sounds like an Atari 2600 on a killing spree."[42] Conversely, music critic Robert Christgau considered "Da Funk" to be the only good track on an album "that isn't worth your time or money".[23][45] Darren GawleDrop-D Magazine also gave a negative review of the album, stating that "Homework is the work of a couple of DJs who sound amateurish at best."[46]

Track listing

All music is composed by Thomas Bangalter & Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo

No.TitleLength
1."Daftendirekt"2:44
2."WDPK 83.7 FM"0:28
3."Revolution 909"5:26
4."Da Funk"5:28
5."Phoenix"4:55
6."Fresh"4:03
7."Around the World"7:08
8."Rollin' & Scratchin'"7:26
9."Teachers"2:52
10."High Fidelity"6:00
11."Rock'n Roll"7:32
12."Oh Yeah"2:00
13."Burnin'"6:53
14."Indo Silver Club"4:32
15."Alive"5:15
16."Funk Ad"0:50

Personnel

The following people were involved in the making of Homework:[47]

Chart performance

Daft Punk expressed the desire that the majority of pressings should be in vinyl, so only 50,000 albums were initially printed on CD. Upon its release in 1997, overwhelming sales of Homework caused distributors to accelerate production and satisfy demand. The album appeared in 35 countries throughout the world and sold over two million copies in a few months after it release.[1]

The album peaked at #150 on the Billboard 200.[48] Homework first charted on the Australian Albums Chart on April 27, 1997. The album appeared a total eight weeks and peaked at No.37.[49] On France, the album reached No.3 and stayed on the chart for 82 weeks. On February 1, 1997, Homework was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry, for more than 100,000 copies sold.[50] In 1999, it was certified Gold in France for 100,000 copies sold.[51] On July 11, 2001, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America indicating sales of 500,000 copies in the US.[52][53]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f RFI Music - Biography - Daft Punk Radio France Internationale. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e Matthew Collin, "Do You Think You Can Hide From Stardom?" (August 1997) Mixmag. Retrieved on March 6, 2007.
  3. ^ Cooper, Sean. Daft Punk biography at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  4. ^ Eric Carr (17 November 2003). Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 11 February 2012
  5. ^ a b c James (2003). p.292.
  6. ^ a b Scott Woods (5 October 1999).Underground Disco? The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  7. ^ Tim Chester. 150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years - #21 - Daft Punk - Around the World NME. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  8. ^ Ryan Dombal (3 September 2009). Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01 Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  9. ^ James (2003), p. 269.
  10. ^ The New Wave at Discogs. Retrieved on April 7, 2007.
  11. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2012-01-11. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  12. ^ Peter Woholeski (May 2001).One More Time: Four Years After Its Filter Filled Splashdown, Daft Punk Retirns With Discovery - Complete with House Beats, Disco Sweeps and, Yes, Plenty of Vocoders DJ Times. Retrieved on May 5, 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Jennifer Warner, "Interview with Daft Punk" page 3. DMA, archived at About.com. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.
  14. ^ a b c d Daft Punk Homework liner notes (1997).
  15. ^ a b Alan Di Perna, "We Are The Robots" Pulse!, April 2001, pp. 65-69.
  16. ^ The Work of Director Spike Jonze companion book (2003).
  17. ^ James (2003), p.267.
  18. ^ James (2003), p. 269.
  19. ^ Daft Punk's WDPK 83.7 FM sample of Daft Punk's Musique WhoSampled. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  20. ^ Jennifer Warner, "Interview with Daft Punk" page 2. DMA, archived at About.com. Retrieved on 10 February 2012.
  21. ^ a b c Chris Jackson (9 October 2005). Daft Punk - Homework (album review) Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  22. ^ Daft Punk audio commentary for "Da Funk" music video, The Work of Director Spike Jonze (2003).
  23. ^ a b c Robert Christgau. Robert Christgau: CG: Daft Punk. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  24. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (November 2, 2002). "Daft Punk - Homework". Slant Magazine. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  25. ^ D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes. Virgin Records, 1999.
  26. ^ a b c Mathers, Ian (2005-05-09). "Daft Punk: Homework". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  27. ^ The Work of Director Michel Gondry companion book (2003).
  28. ^ a b Power, Chris (2010-01-05). "Daft Punk Homework Review". BBC Music. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  29. ^ Chris Gill (1 May 2001). ROBOPOP. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  30. ^ a b Indo Silver Club at Discogs. Retrieved on April 9, 2007.
  31. ^ Personality punks Montreal Mirror. Retrieved on 3 August 2007.
  32. ^ a b "Daft Punk Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  33. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  34. ^ "Lescharts.com – Daft Punk – Da Funk" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  35. ^ "Discography Daft Punk". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  36. ^ a b c "DAFT PUNK". Official Charts Company. Retrieved on April 30, 2012
  37. ^ a b "Daft Punk Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  38. ^ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  39. ^ a b Cooper, Sean. "Homework > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  40. ^ Chris Power (5 January 2012).Review of Daft Punk - Homework BBC. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  41. ^ 23 May 1997 issue of Entertainment Weekly, p.64.
  42. ^ a b Ryan Schreiber. Daft Punk: Homework Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2005.
  43. ^ April 1997 issue of Q Magazine, p.120..
  44. ^ 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. New York, NY: Universe, 2006. pg 812. (ISBN 0-7893-1371-5)
  45. ^ Robert Christgau. Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons. Robert Christgau website. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  46. ^ Gawle, Darren (June 20, 1997). "CD Review: Raft Punk, "Homework"". Drop-D Magazine. Vancouver 1997. Retrieved on May 1, 2012.
  47. ^ Homework personnel at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  48. ^ Daft Punk Album & Song Chart History Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  49. ^ a b "Discography Daft Punk". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  50. ^ a b BPI Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Daft Punk BPI. Retrieved on 10 February 2012.
  51. ^ a b SNEP Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Daft Punk SNEP. Retrieved on 10 February 2012.
  52. ^ RIAA Searchable Database Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 February 2012. Note: reader must define search parameter as "Daft Punk".
  53. ^ Certification Criteria Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  54. ^ Daft Punk Album & Song Chart History Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  55. ^ "Discography Daft Punk". The Official Finnish Charts. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  56. ^ "Discographie Daft Punk". LesCharts.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  57. ^ German album positions musicline.de. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  58. ^ "Discography Daft Punk". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  59. ^ Daft Punk Official Charts The Official Charts Company. Retrieve 10 February 2012.
  60. ^ Daft Punk Album & Song Chart History Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  61. ^ CRIA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Daft Punk CRIA. Retrieved 10 February 2012. Note: reader must define artist parameter as "Daft Punk".
  62. ^ NVPI Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Daft Punk NVPI. Retrieved on 10 February 2012.
  63. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Daft Punk RIAA. Retrieved on October 9, 2007.

Notes

  • James, Martin. French Connections: From Discotheque to Discovery. London, United Kingdom: Sanctuary Publishing Ltd., 2003. (ISBN 1-86074-449-4)
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