Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Daft Punk

Musique Vol 1: 1993

Label: Virgin Release Date: 03/04/2006

13010
benmarwood by ben marwood April 7th, 2006

Best Of collections aren’t a musical necessity. They’re entirely avoidable, but there comes a time in every big act’s lifespan where the record label looks at the sales figures, calculates the ETA of the next album and concludes that there’s some easy money to be made. Thus, we have Daft Punk’s Musique Vol. 1: 1993 - 2005, a collection of fifteen tracks from their first twelve years together.

With most of the songs in chronological order, Musique Vol. 1 is the sound of Thomas Bangalter and (the superbly named) Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo going from underground house producers to zillion-selling dance icons in the blink of an eye, before going a bit Fatboy Slim and releasing later material which matched neither the quality of their original sound or the marketability of their updated one. Indeed, it's possible to pinpoint the exact moment that Daft Punk stopped being small-time music fans and started thinking record sales, as 'Rollin' & Scratchin'' finishes and the ultra-commercial, abruptly-edited version of super-hit 'One More Time'' kicks in. The change in direction is almost palpable as the repetitive house beats are replaced by catchy Basement Jaxx-esque hooks, the material from their standout debut album Homework thus left behind in favour of 2001‘s follow-up Discovery. It is in some ways surprising, then, that the tracks from the unit-shifting second album number only three ('One More Time'_, 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' and 'Something About Us'), yet no less than six are lifted from Homework.

Maybe it is an acknowledgement of the significantly higher technical quality of an album which, back in 1997, turned a nation onto the French house duo, or how 'Da Funk' and 'Around The World' in particular still stand out, with their pounding drum loops, funked-up bass and insistent hooks still able to pack out any decent club dancefloor just as effectively as they did nine years ago. The slightly less commercial but just-as-house 'Musique', 'Alive' and the Utah Saints-esque 'Revolution 909' all make an appearance, making up for in craft what they lacked in commercial appeal. The sixth track to be taken from Homework, although the version on Musique Vol. 1 is a live version taken from the accompanying limited edition DVD, is 'Rollin’ & Scratchin’'. Indeed, whilst the main bulk of Musique Vol. 1 is ideal for anyone tempted by Daft Punk’s previous singles who hasn’t committed to buying the albums, the “true fans” will probably have more joy with the aforementioned CD/DVD pack, containing eight music videos including 'Da Funk' and the choreographical brilliance of 'Around The World' plus a couple of extras.

There are a few tracks you won’t be hearing, though. Given the inclusion of three passable Daft Punk remixes of unremarkable songs by Scott Groove, Ian Pooley and Gabrielle, the competition to make it onto the final tracklist cannot have been incredibly fierce, yet still mini-hits 'Burnin’', 'Aerodynamic' and 'Digital Love' are all absent, whilst the weaker single 'Human After All' from the album of the same name still remains. All told, if you already own Daft Punk‘s three studio albums then the standard release of Musique Vol. 1 probably won’t do a lot for you, but for anyone else wanting to peek below Daft Punk’s increasingly glossy exterior at the grime that once lurked beneath, or even if you’re just a fan of decent dance music, this is your chance.

  • 7
    ben marwood's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Venom

Metal Black

Mobback
13040
12743

Misty's Big Adventure

The Black Hole

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND