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 record producer singer songwriter disc jockey composer
Instruments	Keyboards synthesizer bass guitar guitar vocoder programming vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Roulé Erato Ed Banger Alberts & Gothmaan

Thomas Bangalter (born 3 January 1975) is a French musician. He is famous for being one half of the music duo Daft Punk. His partner in Daft Punk was Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Thomas has also made music with other groups like Stardust and Together. He also creates music on his own. Many artists have been inspired by his work.

Bangalter used to own a music label called Roulé. He has created music for several films, including Irréversible. He also composed music for the ballet Mythologies. Besides music, he has worked as a film director and a cinematographer. Thomas Bangalter's father is the French music composer Daniel Vangarde.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Thomas Bangalter was born in Paris, France, on January 3, 1975. He started playing the piano when he was six years old. He has said that his parents made sure he practiced a lot. He later thanked them for being strict about it. His father, Daniel Vangarde, was a songwriter and producer. He worked with artists like the Gibson Brothers and Ottawan. Thomas once said he never planned to do what his father did.

Music Career Highlights

Forming Daft Punk

Bangalter met Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo in 1987. They were both students at the Lycée Carnot school. They both loved films and music from the 1960s and 1970s. They formed an indie rock band called Darlin' with Laurent Brancowitz. Thomas played the bass guitar in this band. A magazine called Melody Maker gave them a bad review. It called their music "a daft punky thrash." This review inspired Thomas and Guy-Manuel to name their new band Daft Punk.

Before they turned 18, Daft Punk became interested in electronic music. Laurent Brancowitz left the group to join another band called Phoenix. In 1993, Bangalter showed a demo of Daft Punk's music to Stuart Macmillan. This led to their first single, "The New Wave." Thomas's father, Daniel Vangarde, gave them helpful advice. He taught them about the music industry. This helped them make good choices for their career.

First Album and Solo Work

Daft Punk's first album, Homework, came out in 1997. It was recorded in Bangalter's bedroom. He even had to move his bed to make space for the music equipment! After Homework, Bangalter focused on his own music label, Roulé. The label released music by artists like Romanthony and Roy Davis Jr.. It also released Thomas's own solo songs.

Bangalter released solo EPs called Trax on da Rocks in 1995 and 1998. Some songs from these EPs, like "Outrun" and "Extra Dry," were later in the video game Midnight Club II. In 1998, Bangalter worked with Alan Braxe and Benjamin Diamond. They released a popular song called "Music Sounds Better with You" as the group Stardust. This song was also recorded in Thomas's home studio.

Around the same time, Bangalter helped produce Bob Sinclar's song "Gym Tonic." He also worked with DJ Falcon as the duo Together. They released their first song, "Together," in 2000.

Later Daft Punk and Other Projects

In 2000, Bangalter and Guy-Manuel worked with Romanthony. This led to their album Discovery. One song from this album, "One More Time," became a huge hit in 2000.

Bangalter created the music for the film Irréversible, which came out in 2002. A soundtrack album was also released. Some songs from his Trax on da Rocks EPs were included. In 2003, Together released another single called "So Much Love to Give."

Daft Punk released their third album, Human After All, in 2005. Guy-Manuel said that the album was connected to their lives. He mentioned that Thomas's personal experiences influenced the album.

Bangalter was the sound effects director for the 2009 film Enter the Void. He had worked with the director, Gaspar Noé, before. Thomas was busy with the music for Tron: Legacy at the time. So, he provided sound clips for Enter the Void instead of the full soundtrack.

In 2013, Daft Punk released their fourth album, Random Access Memories. They worked with many artists on this album. One of them, Giorgio Moroder, said Daft Punk was very focused on getting every detail perfect. In 2016, Daft Punk produced and co-wrote two songs for The Weeknd: "Starboy" and "I Feel It Coming." "Starboy" became Daft Punk's first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2017, Daft Punk also worked with the band Parcels. This was Daft Punk's last music production.

Bangalter also helped produce Arcade Fire's album Everything Now in 2017. He worked with director Gaspar Noé again in 2018. He provided two songs for the film Climax.

Daft Punk Ends and New Solo Work

On February 22, 2021, Daft Punk announced they were breaking up. Thomas Bangalter released a handwritten note. It quoted a Daft Punk song and showed a clip from the film Modern Times. In the clip, characters smile and walk away. A friend, Todd Edwards, said that Thomas and Guy-Manuel are still active. He said Thomas was looking into new solo projects. They still share a studio and equipment.

In July 2021, it was announced that Bangalter would create music for a French ballet. The ballet is called Mythologies. It premiered in July 2022. An album of the ballet's music was released in April 2023.

While promoting Mythologies, Bangalter talked about his new projects. He also spoke about Daft Punk's breakup. He said he would no longer use his robot persona. He mentioned concerns about AI and technology. He said he wouldn't want to be a robot in today's world. He clarified that he still plans to use electronic music in the future.

In October 2023, Bangalter performed at an event in Paris. He played an original song with 32 dancers. In July 2024, a ballet called Apaches premiered with his music.

In November 2023, Bangalter worked on an art project called Chiroptera. He created music for it. Over 150 dancers performed in front of the Place de l'Opéra. The music for Chiroptera was released in June 2024. A short film connected to Chiroptera was also released in 2024. It features Bangalter's music.

Bangalter also composed the music for the film Daaaaaalí!. It premiered in 2023 and was widely released in 2024. His music for the film was released in February 2024.

In 2022, Bangalter was seen working with rapper Lil Nas X. In November 2024, Lil Nas X released a song called "Light Again!" that Bangalter helped produce. Bangalter will also appear on a new album by Wolfgang Flür, a former member of the band Kraftwerk.

Personal Life

Thomas Bangalter is married to French actress Élodie Bouchez. They have two sons, Tara-Jay (born 2002) and Roxan (born 2008). In 2004, they lived in Beverly Hills, California. This was partly because of Élodie's acting career. By 2013, they were living in Paris.

It was reported that Bangalter stopped being a DJ in clubs around 2002. He said he wanted to protect his ears. A DJ named Orde Meikle later said that Thomas had recovered well.

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) (music also used in short film An Urban Allegory)

As Part of Together

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

Other Music Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Bangalter para niños