Daft Punk to release 'drumless' version of final album Random Access Memories

French house alchemists Daft Punk have announced a new "Drumless Edition" of their era-defining 2013 album Random Access Memories. 

Set for release on November 17, the new 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories will remove all drums and percussive elements from the original 13-track LP, which featured beats rooted in disco, funk, soft rock and electronica. 

Daft Punk – Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – disbanded in 2021 but released a previous 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories earlier this year. That version included an extra disc with 35 minutes of bonus content, including unreleased demos and outtakes. 

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Originally released in May 2013 as the duo's fourth (and to date final) studio album, Random Access Memories peaked at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart, where it has spent a total of 45 weeks so far. The album is home to the Number 1 single Get Lucky, which features Pharrell Williams and recently became the UK’s 136th million-selling single, earning its status as one of the best-selling songs in the history of the Official Chart.

Interesting fact alert - Random Access Memories memorably won the Grammy Award for Best Album in 2013, beating out perennial favourite Taylor Swift. The loss inspired Taylor to conceptualise her first fully pop album, 1989, as a result and that album's lead single, Shake It Off, last year became the latest (and maybe last ever) song to join Get Lucky in the million-sellers club.

Another Pharrell collaboration, Lose Yourself to Dance, climbed to Number 49 on the Official Singles Chart.  

Other guests on the classic album include electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder and The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas.  

Somewhat surprisingly, Get Lucky was the first and only UK Number to come from the French dance droids, although in their time they did sink a total of six tracks in the Top 10. The last Daft Punk singles to chart in the UK before the duo's break-up were both collaborations with The Weeknd; Starboy, which peaked at Number 2, and I Feel It Coming, which made it to Number 9. 

Following their break-up, Bangalter has pivoted into a solo career, most recently creating the music for the French ballet Mythologies, which was packaged into his first solo record, while de Homem-Christo has continued to produce for other artists (Daft Punk's last work together included collaborations with Kanye West and The Weeknd), most recently popping up on the credits for Travis Scott's first UK Number 1 album, UTOPIA.