Music — Consumed

1997 · Daft Punk

Homework arrived in 1997 as a statement of intent from two Parisian bedroom producers who'd strip-mine funk records and rebuild them with Roland gear. The album's genius lies in its restraint and repetition, loops that feel infinite but never stale. "Da Funk" hits with that bassline that sounds like a distorted talk box crying, "Around the World" reduces house to its platonic form with just bass and vocals, and "Revolution 909" captures the chaos of a police raid on a warehouse party with actual urgency.

What makes this album essential is how it democratized electronic music production. These weren't pristine studio recordings, they were gritty, sample-heavy tracks made with gear you could actually buy. The production is deliberately raw, compressed to hell, with that characteristic French filter house sound that became instantly recognizable. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo understood that dance music didn't need to be polished, it needed to make you move.

The sequencing tells a story of a night out: the build of "Daftendirekt," the peak-time anthems, the come-down of "Alive." It's an album that works both in the club and on headphones, which was rare for dance music at the time. Homework proved electronic music could have both immediate dancefloor impact and long-term artistic credibility, influencing everyone from Justice to Kanye West. It's the blueprint for modern electronic pop, made by two guys who understood that limitation breeds creativity.