Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter joined Fred Again.., Phantasy Sound label head Erol Alkan, and Ed Banger Records founder Pedro Winter for a surprise B2B DJ set at Paris’ Centre Pompidou late last night (Saturday, October 25). The occasion was a 20th anniversary celebration for the French record label Because Music. For his first DJ set in 16 years, Bangalter dropped Daft Punk tracks including “Rollin’ & Scratchin’,” “Digital Love,” and “Contact,” plus “Galvanise” by the Chemical Brothers and part of Jonny Greenwood’s One Battle After Another score. Check out footage and photos of the event below.
“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,” Fred Again.. wrote on Instagram this morning. “He also told me 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.”
Bangalter made his last live appearance—along with his Daft Punk counterpart Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo—during the Weeknd’s performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards. He shared the solo album Mythologies in 2023. Daft Punk joined Fortnite earlier this year, adding songs from their catalog and their iconic TB3 and GM08 helmets to the video game.
Read about Daft Punk’s 1997 single “Around the World” in “The 30 Best House Tracks of the ’90s.”
