"Two scruffy blokes banging out strange alien sounds in their tin shed and getting to Number One," was how UK music mag Select described the rise of Daft Punk. Parisian dance duo Daft Punk, who began making music only a few years ago, have indeed made a giant splash on the European music scene. Guy-Manuel De Homern Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the artists behind the name, have become the shy new darlings of crossover electronic music. Two longtime friends and fellow students, both in their early 20's, Thomas and Guy began making dance music only a few years ago, after a brief stint in a short-lived indie/dance band. Inspired by Andrew Weatherall's rock'n roll take on techno, they bought basic recording equipment, set it up in their bedrooms, and began producing heavy house music based on big hip-hop beats and boasting strange sounds, sirens and guitar-driven samples. Barely a year into their career the duo was signed to an independent dance label (Glasgow's Soma Records), where their singles were immediately snatched up by fans. Like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk's songs appeal as much to the rock crowd as they do the techno heads. The fact that their single 'Da Funk' has been one of the biggest selling dance tracks of the last 18 months is only one reason why Virgin Records was so eager to brave a bidding war to sign them on.

Daft Punk's debut album, Homework, draws influences from across the musical spectrum. Instead of using samples, however, they haven chosen to create their own sounds using a hodgepodge of analog equipment in Thomas' bedroom. Layer after layer gets added into the mix, a DIY approach which soon gets forgotten when favorite sounds like metallic drones and high-pitch screeches tear into the mix. Raw house beats pave the way for sonic insanity and forwards into instant scrambled mental faculties and general dance floor delirium. Irresistible stuff.

Despite their critical and popular success in the UK, Thomas and Guy have made enemies of the French government for its reactionary anti-rave policies. "Right now, we've got some friends who are being charged with inciting people to take drugs," explains Thomas. "They weren't even selling anything. They were just having a party. But in France these days they're saying that having a party is encouraging people to take drugs, booking a DJ is encouraging people to take drugs."