Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter joins Fred again.. on stage for first DJ set in 16 years

Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter made his first solo DJ appearance in 16 years on Saturday night (25th October). Joining Phantasy boss Erol Alkan and Ed Banger founder Busy P on stage, Bangalter went B2B with Fred again.. at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of the two-day Because Beaubourg event marking 20 years of French label Because Music. Bangalter packed several Daft Punk tracks into his set – including ‘Digital Love’ and ‘Rollin’ & Scratchin’’ – along with DJ Oizo’s ‘Flat Beat’, Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ and ‘Galvanize’ by the Chemical Brothers. It was the first live appearance for Bangalter since Daft Punk performed a surprise Grammys set alongside The Weeknd in 2017. As Midnight Rebels points out, he did play at Busy P’s April 2009 birthday party at Cinespace in Los Angeles. Writing in an Instagram post, Fred again.. said: “Thomas told me in this lift on the way down to the show that the first time he fell in love with electronic music was in this building in 1992. “He also told me he hasn’t played a proper set without the mask on for 24 years. I didn’t know what to say to either of those things and I still don’t. All I said to him at the end is that I hope it isn’t 24 years ‘til the next.” Watch some footage of the set below. The Because Beaubourg event – which coincided with the closing party for the Centre Pompidou ahead of a 5-year renovation – also featured a roller rink and “immersive gallery” with performances from Shygirl, Justice and others. 2023 saw the release of Bangalter’s debut solo album, ‘Mythologies’. Meanwhile, Daft Punk’s ‘Human After All Remixes’ are set for their first-ever vinyl release next month.