Thomas Bangalter Surprises Paris with Rare B2B DJ Set alongside Fred again..
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Thomas Bangalter — best known as one-half of Daft Punk — made an unexpected live appearance in Paris, joining Fred again.. for a surprise back-to-back DJ set at the Centre Pompidou on .
The impromptu collaboration was part of Because Beaubourg, a two-day program celebrating the 20th anniversary of the French label Because Music. Fellow DJs Erol Alkan and Busy P also performed during the evening.
It was Bangalter’s first DJ performance in sixteen years. Across the set he spun a selection of Daft Punk staples — including “Contact,” “Rollin’ & Scratchin’” and “Digital Love” — alongside non-Daft-Punk cuts such as The Chemical Brothers’ “Galvanise” and Jonny Greenwood’s score for One Battle After Another, according to coverage from NME.
The night also served as the Centre Pompidou’s final program before a planned five-year renovation; a livestream of the event was available online. Watch the stream here.
Fred again.. reflected on the evening via his Instagram account, recounting a moment in the lift when Bangalter told him the building was where he first fell in love with electronic music in 1992. Fred added that Bangalter mentioned he hadn’t performed a proper set without his helmet in 24 years — a revelation that left Fred at a loss for words. He concluded by saying he hopes it isn’t another 24 years before Bangalter performs again. See the post.
The surprise drew enthusiastic reactions from the dance community: Tiësto commented “Legendary!!” while David Guetta posted “wow” accompanied by celebratory emojis.
Daft Punk’s most recent live appearance before this took place at the 2017 Grammy Awards, when they joined The Weeknd. After the duo announced their split in 2021, Bangalter has kept busy composing for projects that include a French ballet and a Dalí-inspired comedy film.
