After 28 years of euphoric pop and genre-defining dance music, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, better known as Daft Punk, have decided to split up. And with typical Gaelic indifference, give no particular reason for the announcement. Confirmed by their publicist, the duos swan song comes in the form of the music that set them apart and made them a worldwide phenomenon. VIDEO The pair met at school in the mid ’80s in Paris, France. They formed their first band – Darlin’, from the Beach Boys song of the same name – with their friend Laurent and made their debut on a compilation on Stereolab’s Duophonic label. Melody Maker described it as “a daft punky thrash” which inspired them to form a new band, Daft Punk. A short time later, Homework was released which completely reinvented House music and the influence dance music bands had on the charts. Their second album, Discovery, which contained UK Chart #2 hit ‘One More Time, saw them take music videos into the new millennium directed by Spike Jones and Mike Gondry, debuting their new public image with robot helmets which added to their celebrity and mystique. VIDEO Regular touring and album releases continued but it wasn’t until 2013 and a collaboration with Pharell and Nile Rodgers (from Chic) that the duo had their biggest hit with ‘Get Lucky’. Following this success they began to work more exclusively with chart topping commercial stars such as The Weekend and Kanye West (who sampled Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger before recruiting them to co-produce 4 tracks on his Yeezus album). Nominated for 12 Grammy’s and winning six, Daft Punk are widely regarded as the most successful electronic music group in the world, they constantly redefine themselves, and our expectations. Take ‘Random Access Memories’ for example, which won them 4 of the 6 Grammys. In spite of being an electronic group, the entire album was written on live instruments only to see a machine when it was mixed. We’ll miss you Daft Punk. Dance music won’t be the same without you.