Thomas Bangalter, one half of Daft Punk, made a stunning return to the decks last night (October 25) with a surprise b2b set alongside Fred again.. in Paris. The unannounced appearance marked his first public DJ performance in 16 years, reigniting memories of his iconic days behind the turntables.
The pair joined Busy P (Daft Punk’s former manager and Ed Banger Records founder) and Erol Alkan midway through their set at Because Beaubourg, a special event celebrating Because Music’s 20th anniversary at the Pompidou Centre. The unexpected moment unfolded around 2:30 AM, with fans realizing what was happening only when Fred again.. posted an Instagram Story an hour prior confirming he’d go b2b with Bangalter.
Together, they delivered a euphoric and nostalgic set, spinning timeless tracks such as Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’, Mr. Oizo’s ‘Flat Beat’, and Bangalter’s own edit of Chromeo, DJ Mehdi, and Stanton Warriors’ ‘Signature / Bonus Beats / Needy Girl’. As the night reached its close, Fred again.. grabbed the mic, telling the crowd it had been “the maddest two hours of my entire life.”
The last time Bangalter performed publicly was reportedly in 2009, during Busy P’s birthday in Los Angeles, making this appearance a full-circle reunion within the extended Daft Punk and Ed Banger family. His most recent stage moment before this came in 2017, when Daft Punk performed with The Weeknd at the GRAMMY Awards.
The full Fred again.. b2b Thomas Bangalter set from Pompidou Centre is now available to watch on YouTube.
