Music Monday #48: Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk

On a lighter note we return to Electronic Dance Music for the last time as an album on this list, EDM will feature again in reference to some tracks however.  It's impossible to talk about EDM without recognising this duo for their genius, their vision, and they influence they have had over the genre across 4 decades, they are Daft Punk.  I could have chosen one of their studio albums to feature here, indeed an honourable mention in particular goes to 'Discovery' which is truly spectacular, however I wanted to do something special for a special duo.

In 1982 Walt Disney released 'Tron' a movie that would go on to achieve cult status and remain one of my favourite Sci-fi movies of all time.  I loved the premise of this movie although I was not around at its release I did see it early in my childhood and remember the impression it left on me; indeed my Degree is a BSc in Computer Science with Games Technology and when it came to the games design module, for my coursework I chose to recreate the Light Cycle grid from Tron and incorporated the same arena break and escape sequences into my level design.  Nearing the end of my degree during my research for coursework by chance I learned that Disney was producing a sequel, I was initially apprehensive but 1 year after graduation 'Tron: Legacy' was released in 2010 and saw Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprise their roles, and I lost my shit and fell in love with the movie right from the start.  Casting Garrett Hedlund [who is hot as fuck] as Sam Flynn was perfection.

With the weight of Disney behind the production it was inevitable that they would seek out the best producers they could to put together the soundtrack and Daft Punk fit the bill.  Alongside the motion picture in 2010 the soundtrack was released.  The very first track on the album is the Overture which sets the tone for what is to come.  There is something magical about taking something that already exists, reimagining it, and breathing new life into it.  All music for the soundtrack was composed by Daft Punk credited under their given names Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.  I justify including it in this list for this reason, regardless of who commissioned the work, and its purpose, Daft Punk put everything into this album and it is perfection, from start to finish. 

There are no lyrics to quote here, unless you count the spoken words of Jeff Bridges for 'The Grid' taken from the movie.  The entire album is otherwise instrumental, blending orchestral music with EDM perfectly.  This blending of genres at first might seem alien to many people but if you have delved into the world of EDM you will have come across this quite a bit.  Within EDM, and in particularly within Trance music, a sub-genre of EDM, the composition of music is heavily influenced by orchestral works, with many classical pieces forming the basis for some of the greatest hits in the genre.  Even more directly, producers Lowland who release works through Armada Music and Black Hole Recordings devoted an entire series called 'Classical Trancelations' to the reinterpretation of orchestral music as Trance music.  Amrada Music is legendary, founded by Armin Van Buuren, Maykel Piron, David Lewis, they have signed and produced some of the biggest names in EDM, likewise Black Hole Recordings was founded by Tijs Verwest (better known as Tiesto) and Arny Bink.  This album is an experience, and no words will do it justice, it epitomises everything that EDM represents, incorporating an 85-piece orchestra Daft Punk managed to create a masterpiece.

Daft Punk have helped shape EDM and have managed to achieve success outside the EDM scene in the mainstream they claimed early fame with their singles 'One More Time' released in 2000, and 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' released in 2001, but they are perhaps best known for their 2013 album 'Random Access Memories' which went #1 in 23 countries and sold over 3 million copies worldwide, they also became the first French artists to score a #1 album in the UK, the best selling single from the album was 'Get Lucky' which went #1 in 34 countries.

Tron Legacy for me is one of the best soundtracks to a movie of all time.  I particularly love the overture, 'Armory', 'Outlands', 'Flynn Lives', 'Castor', and 'Recognizer' the last of which is my most played track on the album.  This is an album I can't really describe so all I can say is if there was any album on this list that you were going to go and listen to for yourself, this would be it as there is a need to experience it in order to understand the mindset it evokes.