A lot of ink has been spilled about the reclusive and world-renowned French producer / DJ duo Daft Punk since they rose to prominence in the 1990s Parisian house scene. They rarely agree to do interviews and when they do, the pair like to keep their faces veiled by their masks or something else. BBC Worldwide and French premium TV channel Canal Plus has put out a new in-depth documentary about the robots titled Daft Punk Unchained that dives deep into the lives of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and their rise from being band members in Darlin with the future guitarist of Phoenix, Laurent Brancowitz, to world phenomena, selling millions of albums worldwide and winning multiple Grammys. The film features some of the biggest names that have collaborated with Daft Punk over the years including Pharrell and Kanye West.
Directed by Hervé Martin-Delpierre, the documentary was shown live on TV Wednesday, June 24. Other names who are interviewed for the film include Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, former manager Pedro Winter, known by his stage name Busy P, Pete Tong, film director Michel Gondry and many more.
Daft Punk Unchained, unsurprisingly, does not have any new interviews with the duo, but it takes clips from various media appearances that Thomas and Guy-Man have done over the years and fills in the rest of their story from the beginning to the end with the help of trusted outsiders and collaborators.
A full worldwide release for the documentary is scheduled for sometime later this year. The documentary was shown on French TV and done by the French, so it is unfortunately all in French without any English subtitles. However the old-time clips are worth the watch for die-hard fans of the duo if you aren't a French speaker. Get more info about the documentary on Canal Plus' website here.
UPDATE: Sorry folks! At the request of the BBC Worldwide Unlimited, we have been asked to pull the video of the documentary.Hopefully an authorized version of the video hits the web soon. In the meantime, check out Daft Punk's video for "Lose Yourself to Dance."
