Daft Punk returns to social media, releases deluxe ’Homework’ album

NEW YORK

Exactly one year after French duo Daft Punk shocked fans by announcing an unceremonious split, they’ve returned to social media and hosted a one-day-only livestream of a 1997 show on Twitch.

The era-defining dancefloor act began the livestream at 2:22 Pacific time -- and on 02-22-22 no less -- sharing rare footage from their December 12, 1997 show in Los Angeles when they played the set without their iconic helmets.

Daft Punk also released a deluxe anniversary edition of their debut album “Homework,” which came out 25 years ago.

From “Da Funk” in 1995 to “Get Lucky” in 2013, Daft Punk became the torch-bearers for French house music across the globe, winning six Grammy awards and pioneering the monumental sound-and-light shows that came to characterize the electronic dance movement (EDM) of recent years.

They did so while almost never revealing their faces: the ubiquitous helmets became another much-copied trope of EDM stars, but also afforded Thomas Bangalter, 47, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, 48, freedom from the fame that quickly encircled them.

Their fourth and last album, 2013’s “Random Access Memories,” was a phenomenal success, winning them four Grammys the following year including best record for “Get Lucky,” the millions-selling lead single featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.