Writing about Daft Punk is strange to me because I've never lived in a world without them. From the time I was a kid, tracks like Around the World began introducing the mainstream American audience to French House, a genre that was mainly local to the club scene in Paris. Now, all of that is over, as the helmet-clad duo called it quits with an extremely poetic and thematic video, titled "Epilogue". Watching one robot stop walking, remove their jacket, and then self destruct (with the most '80s action movie effects ever) brought a tear to my eye. Now, as a 21 year old DJ, its nearly impossible to discount the value of what Daft Punk brought to dance music in America, and to me more specifically. On a completely emotional side note, the fact that I won't be able to see Daft Punk live in my lifetime legitimately ranks among my biggest regrets in life.
In closing, Daft Punk introduced many mainstream music listeners to the infectious groove coming out of France in the early '90s, and the fact that their discography is finished is nothing short of tragic. Their production techniques, attention to detail, and eye for quality will remain in the hearts of music listeners forever. Goodbye robots (or humans?), thank you for everything.