Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter shares ominous new single ‘Le Minotaure’

Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter has shared new single ‘Le Minotaure’ ahead of the release of his first orchestral album ‘Mythologies’.

The album was originally conceived for a ballet score and was performed in July 2022 at Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

Mythologies was co-produced by Opéra National de Bordeaux and Ballet Preljocal. Taking place over 90 minutes, it aimed to tackle the “founding myths that shape the collective imagination”.

Set to arrive on April 7, the former Daft Punk member’s album doesn’t draw on electronic music. Instead, according to a press release, it focuses on “the large-scale traditional force of a symphony and, as such, it embraces the history of orchestral ballet music”.

The ominous sounding ‘Le Minotaure’ is the 13th movement of the piece and follows the release of the sprawling ‘L’Accouchement’ earlier this month.

The project is Bangalter’s first since Daft Punk announced they were parting ways in February 2021. The band announced their split following 28 years together, confirming the news in an eight-minute video called ‘Epilogue’, which featured footage from their 2006 sci-fi film Electroma. No reason for the break-up has been confirmed.

Last month, the duo shared a rare unmasked live video of ‘Rollin & Scratchin’ from their archives online. The clip was first aired as part of a one-off Twitch stream last year, during which the French electronic duo streamed a full set filmed in LA’s Mayan Theater in 1997. The stream marked the one-year anniversary of their split, and the 25th anniversary of their landmark debut album ‘Homework’.

In other news, Daft Punk recently announced a 10th anniversary expanded edition of their final album ‘Random Access Memories’.

The reissue features 35 minutes of outtakes and unheard demos across nine tracks. It will be available across various formats including 3 LPs, 2 CDs, streaming platforms and additionally a spatial audio (Atmos) mix of the original album will be made available for the first time.

It will be released on May 12 and can be pre-ordered here.

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