Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

Alive 2007 Daft Punk A CD Review by Kenneth Holm             When I first listened to Daft Punk all those years ago, I remember thinking how awesome it was, but I thought then that they would get lost in the glut of other bedroom producers that were making their way onto the scene at the time. Now, more than ten years after I first purchased the “Da Funk / Musique” single with sweaty hands, I can see how wrong I was.             Essentially, Alive 2007 plays like one of the French duo’s Essential Mixes they have done for England’s Radio One in the past. No less than thirty of their decade spanning career hits have been included on this CD in one form or another. The set starts out with the guitars of “Robot Rock” and soon fades into shades of “Oh Yeah”. Then, the duo mix elements from Busta Rhymes’ “Touch It” into their own “Technologic”. “Touch It”, which was produced by Swizz Beats for Busta, uses the chant from “Technologic” as the chorus, but it has hip-hop diva Missy Elliot singing the line. To hear these two together is nothing less than supremely amusing.             Moving through the CD, you begin to get a real taste of what goes into a Daft Punk show. Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter seem to enjoy remixing their hits before a live audience, as the songs they play bear little to no resemblance to the hits in their previous life as studio recordings. Instead, I was treated to clips and snippets from diverse influences and dramatic reworkings, such as the “One More Time / Aerodynamic” track. The whole disc lasts about seventy some-odd minutes, with nary a stop to catch your breath. It’s pulse-pounding beats from one minute to the next, and Daft fans would not have it any other way.             If you do decide to purchase this album, though, I have a word of advice. Spring for the Limited Edition version. Not only do you get a fifty five-page booklet with pictures taken during the Alive 2007 tour, but you also get a bonus disc. The disc features the live performance of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, which is incredibly fun to watch. Guy Manuel and Thomas are featured in their robot suits, of course, and the skill with which they move and compose on the spot is amazing. The real reason to make sure you get the bonus disc, though, is the encore. After the show has ended, Daft Punk comes back out and thrills the crowd with a ten-minute encore that features their hit “Human After All”, and “One More Time (Reprise)”. Two of Bangalter’s works with others found their way into this encore. The DJ Falcon collaboration “Together” makes a memorable appearance about halfway through, and the encore closes out with Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”.             This disc is the perfect item to purchase for those Daft heads you know this holiday season. If you are planning to snatch it up, better hurry, though. Daft Punk’s earlier live album “Alive 1997” is still to this day a much sought-after collector’s item in its original pressing. I highly recommend you pick this up posthaste. It’s a must for any fan of dance music in general.