Father of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, Daniel Vangarde, announces album
It’s the first release to feature Vangarde’s music all in one place.
Daniel Vangarde / CREDIT: Press
Musician and father of Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, Daniel Vangarde (born Daniel Bangalter), is releasing a double compilation album that includes his music recorded in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Titled The Vaults of Zagora Records Mastermind (1971-1984), the album showcases music by bands that released on Vangarde’s record label, Zagora Records, from 1971 to 1984.
Vangarde produced and co-wrote for many of these bands, including on tracks such as Ottowan’s D.I.S.C.O., Cuba by The Gibson Brothers and Aie a Mwana by Black Blood. He also formed Who’s Who and released the their self-titled album in 1979, collaborated with Starbow and, as featured on the album, released music under his own name.
On the 20-track album, you can find songs such as Dancin’ Machine (1979) by Who’s Who, Kono Samourai (1971) by Yamasuki and two of Vangarde’s solo works, La poursuite (1977) and Une comète va rencontrer la Terre from 1975.
As well as collaborating and making solo music, Vangarde has been credited as playing a factor in the Daft Punk duo’s success in the band’s early years, DJ CK303 told Dazed in 2013.
Vangarde gifted the pair a Minimoog and helped them navigate the music business.
“He gave Thomas a Minimoog and some other studio equipment that they used on their earliest recordings and he certainly helped them to navigate the shark-infested waters of the music industry and keep tight control over the business aspects of their career.” CK303 says. “He is thanked specifically in the Homework liner notes for ‘his precious advices’ and also received a credit for Discovery under the heading of ‘Design Concept, Art Direction’. So there’s little doubt that he was an influential figure in the background during the early years of [Daft Punk’s] career.”
In 2021, Daft Punk announced their retirement from music via an eight-minute video, entitled Epilogue, which featured footage from their 2006 sci-fi film Electroma.
Earlier this year, Thomas Bangalter was reportedly spotted making music with Lil Nas X after a photo emerged on the rapper’s Instagram of them in the studio together.
More recently, the duo have joined TikTok, announcing the news in a video showing footage of the band in 1993 with the caption “Let’s rewind time, on TikTok.” As a result, TikTok users can now use Daft Punk’s music in their videos, and apply a robot helmet filter.
Pre-order The Vaults of Zagora Records Mastermind (1971-1984) at roughtrade.com.
