Daft Punk
Musique Vol. I 1993-2005

THE REVIEW

The great disappointments caused by the French cousins in my life have been mainly two: the defeat of Italy in the 2000 European final (thanks to Wiltord and Trezeguet) and the purchase of the album "Human after all" (thanks to Bangalter and De Homem-Christo). Therefore, faced with the second compilation, after "Daftclub," by the 2 crafty DJs, my approach could only be doubtful.

After the 20 euros wasted on the previous one, I learned my lesson, never again buy albums sight unseen. I won’t get fooled again. I loved "Homework" to death, became passionate about "Discovery," and bought the story of their transformation into robots. But the return to human didn't please me at all. You will therefore forgive this outburst almost from a scorned lover, but somehow I want to make them pay. And so I carry out my revenge: I get myself a low-quality blank CD, the kind that doesn't even have a printed side, burn a (back-up) copy from a friend at 48X speed, and as further spite, write "Daft Panc-various" on it. I press Play.

The first track is the beautiful "Musique," the only one not part of previous albums but released as a single together with "Da Funk." Repetitive cadence and massive use of filters, a dogma of the "french touch", one of the first manifestos of that movement which will have the same Daft as its main exponents. The title-track is the only reason to buy the album for those who already own the previous albums. The "madeleinette" effect is immediate, and I find myself with my mind ten years earlier, in full creative ferment of overseas electronics and, especially, in the height of my twenties.
The continuation of the tracklist follows a chronological release order; it goes from historical pieces like "Revolution 909" to hits ("Around the world" or "One more time"), up to the recent "Human after all."
Guilty omissions of fundamental tracks like "Aerodynamic" in favor of some useless ones, "Technologic" above all.

To complete the anthology, 3 remixes in classic daft style (Scott Grooves "Mothership Reconnection", Ian Pooley "Chord Memory", Gabrielle "Forget About The World"). There is also a version, for enthusiasts, with an accompanying DVD that includes videos and a couple of live performances. As someone has already written around the Web, this CD adds nothing essential for those who already know Daft Punk, while for newcomers it is highly recommended to purchase, at mid-price, the first two works.

They would better understand what the greatness of the two arrogant "big shots" of the French scene was. The rating (3 and a half) is the average between the 5 of "Discovery" and "Homework" and the 2 of "Human after all".