"Da Funk" is an instrumental track by French electronic music duo

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

, initially released as a 12-inch single in May 1995 by Soma and

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

and later included on their debut album, ''

Homework Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed at home. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, Exercise (mathematics), math problems to be completed, informatio ...

'' (1997). Prior to its inclusion on the album, "Da Funk" received little attention and was limited to 2,000 copies. The song and its accompanying music video directed by

Spike Jonze Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...

are considered classics of 1990s

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

. It went on to sell 30,000 copies in 1997. A reversed clip of the song was also released on ''Homework'' as "Funk Ad", which is the final track on the album. Daft Punk produced "Da Funk" after listening to American G-funk records: the bass was composed using a

Roland TB-303 The Roland TB-303 Bass Line (also known as the 303) is a bass synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in 1981. Designed to simulate bass guitars, it was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1984. However, cheap second-hand units we ...

synthesizer. A siren was originally going to be the riff before later being replaced to reflect the style the duo were going for. They wanted to make a song in the style similar to that of gangsta rap and electro. Bangalter also stated that the song's melody is meant to be reminiscent of Italian producer and composer

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

. The song received acclaim from music critics and has been listed as one of the greatest dance songs of all time by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

Background

"Da Funk" was initially released as a 12-inch single on 8 May 1995 under the Soma Quality Recordings label, with the B-side "Rollin' & Scratchin'". The pressing was limited to 2,000 copies and was "virtually ignored" according to a ''

Muzik ''Muzik'' was a British dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003. ''Muzik'' was created by two former ''Melody Maker'' journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of ''Muzik'' from its launch until he ...

'' magazine feature at the time. The single received a boost in popularity when

the Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...

incorporated it into their live shows. Subsequently, the British duo's song " Life Is Sweet" was remixed by Daft Punk for a single release in August 1995.Bush, C. (1997), Frog Rock, ''

'', IPC Magazines Ltd, London, Issue No.21 February 1997. The track also received early support from veteran

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

DJ Annie Nightingale. Daft Punk eventually signed with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

after a bidding war amongst several labels. "Da Funk" was re-released in early 1997 by Virgin with the B-sideJames, Martin. ''French Connections: From Discotheque to Discovery''. London, United Kingdom: Sanctuary Publishing Ltd., 2003. pg 273. () "Musique", a track that later appeared on the anthology '' Musique Vol. 1 1993–2005''. The duo's debut album ''Homework'' features "Da Funk" as well as a reversed excerpt titled "Funk Ad". Daft Punk expressed that they wanted to make the album balanced by distributing tracks evenly across each of the four vinyl sides.Warner, Jennifer
"Interview with Daft Punk"
. p. 3. '' DMA''.

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

. Retrieved on 30 March 2007. The ''Homework'' release of "Da Funk" sold 30,000 copies.

Composition

In an interview with Fredrik Strage for Swedish magazine ''Pop #23'', Bangalter said that "Da Funk" was made after listening to American

G-funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-F ...

for weeks. He stated that the duo wanted to make a song in the style of

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

. They tried to "murk ..sounds" as much as possible. However, Bangalter said that "no one has ever compared it to hip hop." According to him, the melody and the synthesizers used in the song are reminiscent of music producer

and genres such as electro.Strage, Fredrik. ''Daft Punk drömmer om Amerika'' Pop (Stockholm). - Stockholm, Sweden: Bonniers specialtidningsförlag, 1997 pg. 85 (ISSN 1103-8578). The

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

was originally a siren sound, but was changed to reflect the "gangsta rap" aesthetic they were trying to achieve. The

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

was created with a

synthesizer Bangalter purchased in 1993. He had created several patterns with the 303 beforehand: "When we were looking for a bassline, we listened to some of heones I'd already programmed and took the one that fit best." Da Funk is written in the key of

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...

, and composed with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 111 beats per minute.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the track as a "wriggling instrumental combination of cutting-edge

electronic dance Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

and Cameo-styled

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

". Andy Beevers from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

s ''RM'' Dance Update rated it five out of five, adding that "this single is a bit of a refresher for those who have been wondering why there is so much hype surrounding the French duo." He explained further, "'Da Funk' still sounds incredibly fresh with its huge distorted synth riffs, thumping rhythm and scratchy guitar mashed up to create a mutant

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

gem." Andy Crysell from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' wrote, "Two young Parisians abduct the insane lovechild of a one-night stand shared by Hardfloor's fittest 303s and a '70s superfly jam to devise a title track rich in troubled funk and wiggly acid and a flip of murderous hammering

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

." Dave Fawbert from ''

ShortList A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...

'' declared it as "sensational", stating that it "manages to combine about six different outrageously funky parts over the top of an unyielding, solitary, bass note. When the 303 finally kicks in, it's electro ecstasy." David Sinclair from ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' commented, "Another

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

standard goes overground."

Music video

The track's music video was directed by

in February 1997 and titled ''Big City Nights''. It focuses on the character Charles ( Tony Maxwell, drummer of the band

That Dog That Dog (stylized as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar an ...

), an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

dog in a leg cast with a crutch. Charles, who has lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for only one month, is shown walking around with a

boombox A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape players/recorders and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered thro ...

blasting "Da Funk" at a high volume. His hobbled walk is mocked by a pair of children. He is turned down when he attempts to participate in a public survey. His boombox annoys a bookseller on the sidewalk from whom Charles buys a paperback novel titled ''Big City Nights''. Charles meets a woman named Beatrice ( Catherine Kellner), who was once his childhood neighbor. They agree to have dinner together at her home, traveling by way of a city bus. Beatrice boards the bus, but Charles is startled by a sign stating "NO RADIOS". As he is unable to turn off his boombox (which is earlier indicated to have a broken/missing volume button) he reluctantly remains at the bus stop, as the bus drives off with Beatrice. Although the video has drawn several interpretations, Bangalter has stated that the music video has no story or meaning.Kieran Grant, canoe.ca. Retrieved on 15 April 2007.

Impact and legacy

The prominent French club magazine ''Coda'' named "Da Funk" the number one single with 33 percent of the vote. In 2003, '' Q'' ranked it number 670 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In September 2010,

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

included the song at number 18 on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". In 2011, it was featured in the video games '' Top Spin 4'' and

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

's '' Just Dance 3''. Same year, ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' listed it at number 93 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s". In 2012, ''

'' listed it in their "100 Best Songs of the 1990s", at number eight. In 2021, ''Mixdown'' featured "Da Funk" in their list of "The 13 most iconic TB-303 basslines of all time". In 2022, ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' ranked it number 17 in their list of the top 40 dance tracks from the 90's. Same year, ''

'' ranked "Da Funk" number 23 in their list of "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1995 singles 1995 songs 1997 singles Acid house songs Daft Punk songs Music videos directed by Spike Jonze Songs written by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Songs written by Thomas Bangalter Virgin Records singles Song recordings produced by Daft Punk