Daft Punk "Alive 1997"

It was inevitable I was going to mention this release sooner rather than later; it pretty much operates as not only one of the best live releases ever by an electronic act but also slightly edges over the Alive 2007 CD ten years later just a margin in terms of ferocity. A very rare release from the robopuppies, I can safely say the first time I ever listened to this disc, I was completely overwhelmed. One of my favourite albums from my high school years.

Both only 22 years old, the duo set off in 1997 with their simple set-up of numerous drum machines to promote their "Homework" album throughout Europe on the Daftendirekt tour that would see them melt clubgoer's minds with their extended house/techno jams. The beats come thick and fast on this release so you'd be forgiven for thinking this is a techno release (much like with "Homework", it wholly demonstrates Daft Punk's ability to namecheck their influences but still produce very French, very filtered and very much pounding dance music). A continious mash of hi-hats, machine gun ricochets, air horns, low heaving basslines and hip-hop samples, it's no wonder the 45 minutes and 33 seconds extracted from their live performance at Birmingham's Que club in November 1997 inspired James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem to not only write "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" but also namecheck them (in a roundabout way) on the "45:33" album title.

Whatever may be preconceived ideas about Daft Punk garnered from their manga pop of Discovery, the rough electro leanings of "Human" or the sunshine filter of Homework, throw that away. What Alive 1997 presents is Ed Banger Records, before Ed Banger Records existed - which is a fairly poetic statement to make considering Busy P, Ed Banger chief, was Daft Punk's manager at the time. Beginning with a very improvised but rocky sounding "Da Funk", the basslines are boosted prominently in the mix and rightly so (a tactic that was surely a missed opportunity on the later rapidfire sample-laden Alive 2007 release). Once the opening "Da Funk" is done away with, the album becomes a no-holds drum machine freak-out with "Rollin' & Scratchin'", snippets of the then un-released "Short Circuit" and the earthy closing section of "Alive" the only recognisable ingredients in the pot. Is it techno? Nah, it's far too funky. Then is it house? Nah, the drum patterns would never be so explosive on a house record surely.

Rave grittiness and professional flair isn't the mission with Alive '97; good times are the only kind to be had with this live CD which appropriately captures the original excitement of their radical reworkings in a tiny club setting. No robot masks, no blue-skinned aliens, no Chucky animatronics - this album is just two French guys in a club, shattering the minds of clubgoers. This album should be considered a staple on the party playlist.

My only prayer is that one day I'll read on a festival line-up the words "Daft Punk (Daftendirekt set)"; truly an old-skool style synth, sampler and drum machine jam from the robotic futurists just one more time would be an unmissable feat.