The pop music world is in mourning after news that Daft Punk are calling time on their stellar 28-year career.
The electronic French duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter leave behind a legacy that producer Mark Ronson described as "enviable but impossibly unattainable."
From house music and disco to funk, rock and soul, Daft Punk’s inspirations were far and wide. They released albums both sprawling and concise, and redefined multiple times our conceptions of dance music.
These robots may be turning their helmets in, but they leave an inspiring body of work to influence future artist to reach for the stars.
Here are 10 songs that best showcase their legacy.
1. ‘Da Funk’ (1994)
The perfect debut single not only in terms of quality but in setting out the sonic vision for what Daft Punk was about.
A heady marriage of disco, electro and funk, Da Funk is built around an ear-worm synth line and sampled vocals. The whole affair sounds as vintage as it does futuristic – twin features that describe Daft Punk's approach to a tee.
2. ‘Around the World’ (1997)
Early Daft Punk singles were relatively primitive sounding in comparison to the orchestral funk odysseys of last album Random Access Memories.
That said, there is a lot to enjoy in the early days.
Take Around the World for instance, a track that doesn't do much other than repeat a catchy hook embellished by a smattering of bleeps. The real star here, however, is the heaving bass line. Lean and forceful, you will be dancing in no time.
3. ‘One More Time’ (2000)
The New Year’s Eve party anthem of 2000, Daft Punk stretch themselves with a denser production that incorporates everything from blaring horns, synths, funk guitars and euphoric vocals by US singer and DJ Romanthony.
One More Time brought the group to the mainstream and topped the US dance charts.
4. ‘Digital Love’ (2001)
An underappreciated part of Daft Punk's legacy is their love songs.
Each album is home to tender vocals wrapped up in house beats. Digital Love is an affecting example. It's an electro love song with vocals (provided by the duo) exuding nostalgia, and features a gloriously bonkers keyboard solo that would have made producer Giorgio Morder proud.
5. ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ (2001)
The track which saw Daft Punk truly embraced their robot personas.
Built around a buoyant piano melody taken from funk singer Edwin Birdsong's 1979 track Cola Bottle Baby, the duo inject the track with house beats, funk guitar riffs and signature robotic vocals that tell us to work "harder, better, faster, stronger."
This all would have sounded dystopian if it wasn't for the infectious spirit coursing through the affair.
6. ‘Robot Rock’ (2005)
Disconcerted with the public and industry viewing them as a good time party group, Daft Punk threw a curve ball with this searing single.
Jettisoning the clubby sounds for gnarly guitars and cold, monotonous vocals, casual fans were aghast and wondered if the group was indeed trolling them.
They weren’t: even DJs want to rock out occasionally.
7. ‘Robot Rock/Oh Yeah’ (2007)
Some things sound better live.
With the brawny sounds of album Human After All not connecting with the masses, Daft Punk reintroduced many of the tracks as part of their Alive 2007 live album, taken from a Paris show that year.
The collection is widely viewed as the best live album released by an electronic group. The Robot Rock/Oh Yeah is the opening one-two punch of the set, once the thunderous riffs kick in around the two minute mark, it signals the beginning of an absolutely epic performance.
8. ‘Derezzed’ (2010)
Daft Punk proved they were equally adept at composing for the big screen with their sweeping score for 2010 Sci-Fi film Tron: Legacy.
But even in cinema, they couldn't keep their club roots away. Derezzed is a frenetic banger and is chockfull of serrated synthesizers and computer game style beats and bleeps.
9. ‘Get Lucky’ (2013)
This piece of funk-pop perfection became one the defining anthems of 2013.
From the skittish riffs of Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and Daft Punk's ebullient production, to Pharrell Williams's sly vocals, Get Lucky is three generations of pop music knowledge distilled in a joyful four-minute summer jam.
10. ‘Giorgio by Moroder’ (2013)
The emotional centre of their last album, the Grammy Award-winning masterpiece Random Access Memories, Giorgio by Moroder is pretty much a sonic biography of their music idol, German dance music pioneer Giorgio Moroder.
Fusing spoken word narrative, provided by the man himself about his early years and forging his sound, with matching dramatic and barrelling analogue synth riffs, Daft Punk conjure the energy Moroder’s pioneering quest and in turn, lay down their case as legends in their own right.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
