Thomas Bangalter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thomas Bangalter
Bangalter as a member of Daft Punk in 2013
Background information
Born	(1975-01-03) 3 January 1975 (age 50) Paris, France
Genres	House electronic dance disco
Occupation(s)	Musician DJ record producer singer songwriter composer
Instruments	Keyboards synthesizer bass guitar guitar vocoder programming vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Erato Ed Banger Alberts & Gothmaan Roulé (defunct)

Thomas Bangalter (born 3 January 1975) is a French musician, composer, and record producer. He is most famous for being one half of the electronic music duo Daft Punk, along with his partner Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

Besides Daft Punk, he has released music with the groups Stardust and Together, and also as a solo artist. Many musicians have been inspired by his work. After Daft Punk stopped making music together in 2021, Bangalter began releasing new projects. He has written music for movies and ballets. He is also a film director and cinematographer (a person who manages camera work for a movie).

Early Life and Musical Start

Thomas Bangalter was born in Paris, France. He started learning to play the piano when he was only six years old. His parents made sure he practiced a lot, and he later said he was thankful for it.

His father, Daniel Vangarde, was also a successful songwriter and producer. Even though his dad was in the music business, Bangalter said, "I never had any intention to do what my father was doing." He wanted to find his own path in music.

Career in Music

How Daft Punk Was Formed

In 1987, Bangalter met Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo at school. They both loved movies and music from the 1960s and 70s. They started a rock band called Darlin' with their friend Laurent Brancowitz.

A magazine review called their music "a daft punky thrash." Instead of being upset, Bangalter and de Homem-Christo thought the name was funny. They decided to call their new electronic music group Daft Punk. Brancowitz left to join the band Phoenix.

Daft Punk's first album, Homework, was released in 1997. It was called Homework because Bangalter recorded most of it in his bedroom. He said, "I had to move the bed into another room to make space for the gear."

Early Solo and Group Projects

During the late 1990s, Bangalter worked on other projects. He started his own record label called Roulé. In 1998, he teamed up with musicians Alan Braxe and Benjamin Diamond to form the group Stardust. They released the famous dance song "Music Sounds Better with You".

Around the same time, he worked with Bob Sinclar on the track "Gym Tonic". He also worked with DJ Falcon as a duo called Together.

In 2000, Daft Punk released "One More Time", which became one of their biggest hits. Bangalter also played synthesizer on a song for the band Phoenix on their first album, United.

Music for Movies and More

Bangalter has also created music for films. In 2002, he composed the score for the movie Irréversible. He also worked as the sound effects director for the 2009 film Enter the Void.

In 2005, Daft Punk released their third album, Human After All. Later, they created the entire soundtrack for the Disney movie Tron: Legacy (2010). Their work on the film was very popular.

Daft Punk's fourth album, Random Access Memories (2013), was a huge success. It won several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. In 2016, they worked with the singer The Weeknd on the hit songs "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming".

Bangalter also helped produce the album Everything Now for the band Arcade Fire in 2017.

Life After Daft Punk

The End of an Era

On 22 February 2021, Daft Punk announced they were breaking up. This news surprised fans all over the world. A friend of the duo said that both Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were still making music separately.

Bangalter explained that he wanted to move on from the robot persona. He said, "As much as I love this character, the last thing I would want to be, in the world we live in, in 2023, is a robot." He wanted to show his real self in his new work.

New Solo Adventures

Bangalter's first major solo project after Daft Punk was the score for a ballet called Mythologies. The 90-minute show premiered in 2022, and the music was released as an album in 2023.

He has continued to be very busy. He wrote the music for the 2023 film Daaaaaalí!. He also created music for a huge art project called Chiroptera in Paris, which featured over 150 dancers. In November 2024, the rapper Lil Nas X released a song called "Light Again!" that he wrote and produced with Bangalter.

Personal Life

Bangalter is married to French actress Élodie Bouchez. They have two sons, Tara-Jay and Roxan. For a while, the family lived in Beverly Hills, California, but they now live in Paris.

In 2002, it was reported that Bangalter stopped DJing in clubs because he developed tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ears caused by loud noise. He said, "I've given up because I want to protect my ears." This is a good reminder of how important it is for everyone to protect their hearing.

Discography

Solo Work

EPs and Singles

• Trax on da Rocks (1995)
• Spinal Scratch (1996)
• Trax on da Rocks Vol. 2 (1998)
• Outrage (2003)

Soundtracks and Scores

• Irréversible (2002) from the film of the same name
• "Riga (Take 5)" (2017) from the film Riga (Take 1)
• "Sangria" (2018) from the film Climax
• "That Night in Brazil" [with Hofesh Shechter] (2022) from the film En Corps
• Mythologies (2022)
• Daaaaaalí! (2023)
• Chiroptera (2024)

As part of Together

• "Together" (2000)
• "So Much Love To Give" (2002)

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Bangalter para niños