Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)
{{Infobox song
| name = Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo)
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas + The Voidz
| album = Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)
| released = {{Start date|2023|5|12|df=yes}}
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = * Soft rock
| length = * 4:00
| label = * Columbia
| writer = * Thomas Bangalter
| producer = * Thomas Bangalter
- Julian Casablancas
- Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
| chronology = Daft Punk
| prev_title = GLBTM (Studio Outtakes)
| prev_year = 2023
| next_title = Within (Drumless Edition)
| next_year = 2023
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|imBlPXbAv6E|"Infinity Repeating" (2013 Demo)}}}}
}}
"Infinity Repeating" is a demo written, produced, and performed by French electronic music duo Daft Punk and American musician Julian Casablancas, along with Casablancas' band The Voidz handling additional instrumentation. Included as part of the 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories, it was released the same day as the reissue on 12 May 2023. It is considered by Daft Punk to be their "last song ever."{{Cite web |title=Listen to the last Daft Punk song ever, "Infinity Repeating" |url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/05/12/daft-punk-julian-casablancas-infinity-repeating |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=The FADER |language=en}}
Production
Daft Punk first met Casablancas in 2010 during their work on the soundtrack to Tron: Legacy through their mutual friend Warren Fu.{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jonathan |date=12 May 2023 |title=Watch Daft Punk Evolve Through The Ages In 'Infinity Repeating' Video |url=https://www.spin.com/2023/05/daft-punk-infinity-repeating-video/ |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=Spin}} While working on tracks for Random Access Memories, Casablancas heard the instrumental demo for "Infinity Repeating," which Daft Punk said they had no intentions to finish. After Casablancas expressed a desire to write to the song, he recorded vocals thinking that another collaborator like Stevie Wonder might sing in his place.{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=2023-05-12 |title=See Video for Daft Punk Rarity That Julian Casablancas Hoped Stevie Wonder Would Sing |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/daft-punk-julian-casablancas-infinity-repeating-video-1234734186/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}
The song was not included on the original release of the album, but Casablancas revealed the song's existence in several interviews.{{Cite magazine |last=Reed |first=Ryan |date=2014-03-31 |title=Casablancas Reveals Second Daft Punk Collab |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/julian-casablancas-reveals-second-daft-punk-collab-245328/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Casablancas called the song "weird" and "not one tenth as pop-u-licious" as "Instant Crush," his other collaboration with the duo. When describing it, Casablancas said the song was "like four half-steps up, moving as that on cycle, on repeat," saying he thought it was more bizarre than any song that had released on the finished album.{{Cite web |date=2014-11-13 |title=Julian Casablancas Says His Second Daft Punk Song Is "Super Bizarre" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/57445-julian-casablancas-says-his-second-daft-punk-song-is-super-bizarre/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}
Release and promotion
Backstage after finishing a concert from the Voidz in 2014, Casablancas met with Thomas Bangalter and urged him to release the song.{{Cite web |date=2014-11-13 |title=Julian Casablancas Details Weird Second Daft Punk Collaboration He Wants Released |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1718508/julian-casablancas-details-weird-second-daft-punk-collaboration-he-wants-released/news/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} In 2020, Casablancas expressed he had tried to collaborate with Daft Punk again, but that they were not working on music as a duo at the time.{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=2020-12-03 |title=Julian Casablancas reveals he's been "trying to do something" with Daft Punk |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/julian-casablancas-says-hes-been-trying-to-something-with-daft-punk-2831165 |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} On 22 February 2021, Daft Punk announced they had split.{{Cite web |date=2021-02-22 |title=Daft Punk Break Up |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/daft-punk-call-it-quits/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} Exactly two years later, on 22 February 2023, Daft Punk announced a 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories would be released later that year.{{Citation |last=Harris |first=Rachel |title=Memories of Music, Memories through Music |date=2004-12-23 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5871/bacad/9780197262979.003.0004 |work=Singing the Village |access-date=2023-09-01 |publisher=British Academy|doi=10.5871/bacad/9780197262979.003.0004 |isbn=978-0-19-726297-9 }} The track was confirmed to be included in the weeks after the reissue's announcement.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-26 |title=The Voidz and Daft Punk Announce Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo) (feat. |url=https://cultrecords.com/blogs/news/the-voidz-and-daft-punk-announce-infinity-repeating-2013-demo-feat-julian-casablancas-the-voidz |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Cult Records Store |language=en}}
The week before the reissue's release, coordinates and the date of 11 May 2023 appeared in Spotify visualizers for specific songs off the original album, teasing a global event happening in ten cities: Berlin, Buenos Aires, London, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, Santa Monica, São Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo.{{Cite web |title=Sur Snapchat, les fans de Daft Punk peuvent découvrir un titre inédit |url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/2023/05/09/sur-snapchat-les-fans-de-daft-punk-peuvent-decouvrir-un-titre-inedit-11184472.php |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=ladepeche.fr |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Sam |date=2023-05-05 |title=Daft Punk Teases Fans with Mysterious Spotify Update {{!}} Merca2.0 |url=https://www.merca20.com/daft-punk-mysterious-spotify-coordinates/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Revista Merca2.0 |language=en-US}} Attendees at the ten cities were able to participate in a geolocated scavenger hunt, using Snapchat to reveal Monoliths playing portions of the music video for "Infinity Repeating," along with snippets of the song.{{Cite web |last=Shaul |first=Brandy |date=2023-05-10 |title=Snapchat Celebrates Daft Punk With Worldwide AR Experiences |url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/snapchat-celebrates-daft-punk-with-worldwide-ar-experiences/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=www.adweek.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Daft Punk unleashes a series of unique AR experiences around the world |url=https://mixmag.asia/read/daft-punk-memories-unlocked-augmented-reality-campaign-horizons-news |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Mixmag Asia}}{{Cite web |title=AR Studio Workshop: "Daft Punk: Memories Unlocked" by the AR Studio Team |url=https://learnar.snap.com/student/activity/1656535-ar-studio-workshop-daft-punk-memories-unlocked-by-the-ar-studio-team |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Snap |language=en}}
In promotion of the reissue, Daft Punk released an eight-part video series called Memory Tapes, featuring many of the album's collaborators discussing the duo's work, legacy, and split.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-01 |title=Daft Punk launch 'Memory Tapes' YouTube series |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/daft-punk-launch-memory-tapes-video-series-as-part-of-10th-anniversary-celebrations/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}} Casablancas discussed the song and "Instant Crush" in the first episode of the series, saying "Infinity Repeating" was a fitting song to "end Daft Punk on forever," while also joking that the idea was "dramatic" as he did not believe in the permanence of the split.{{Cite web |title=Daft Punk Presents "Memory Tapes" Video Series to Celebrate Random Access Memories' 10th Anniversary |url=https://www.indiethirst.com/news/daft-punk-presents-memory-tapes-video-series-to-celebrate-random-access-memories-10th-anniversary |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=INDIE THIRST |language=en-US}}{{Citation |title=Daft Punk - Memory Tapes - Episode 1 - Julian Casablancas (Official Video) | date=12 May 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxa-5BZXsto |access-date=2023-09-01 |language=en}}
Music video
Daft Punk approached regular collaborator Warren Fu about directing a video to the song. They gave him creative freedom and recommended using animation as the duo were officially split and thought it would not be right for them to appear in the video themselves.{{Citation |title=Daft Punk - The Making of Infinity Repeating - Part 1 | date=14 December 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrPfhAe0jLE |access-date=2023-12-16 |language=en}} The video for the song premiered on 11 May 2023 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-12 |title=Daft Punk Share Previously Unreleased Julian Casablancas Collab "Infinity Repeating": Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2223483/daft-punk-infinity-repeating-2013-demo-feat-julian-casablancas-the-voidz/music/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Daft Punk to premiere unreleased track, 'Infinity Repeating,' in Paris this week · News ⟋ RA |url=https://ra.co/news/78963 |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Resident Advisor |language=en}} The video was produced from Partizan Studio in association with Daft Life and features work from dozens of animators from Picnic Studios, H5 Studio, and Light Studios.
The music video and the song are both based on an infinity loop.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-09 |title=Daft Punk Premiering Unreleased Song at Paris' Pompidou Center |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/daft-punk-premiering-unreleased-song-at-paris-pomidou-center/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Meadow |first=Matthew |date=2023-05-12 |title=Daft Punk release 10th anniversary 'RAM' album with "last song ever" -- "Infinity Repeating" |url=https://www.youredm.com/2023/05/12/daft-punk-release-10th-anniversary-ram-album-with-last-song-ever-infinity-repeating/ |access-date=2023-09-01 |website=Your EDM |language=en-US}} After showing a circle slowly develop into an animated walk cycle of a humanoid, the humanoid becomes more advanced, self-destructs, and returns to the starting image of a circle. The video contains many references to Daft Punk's previous work. Fu called the project "especially dear" to him, saying: “Like a lot of the robots’ music, I wanted to create something simple and hypnotic on the surface, that reveals more upon repeat listens and viewings.” A four-part video series on the making of the video was released by Partizan Studio and Daft Life in December 2023. The series contains interviews with the animators from the three studios, as well as with director Warren Fu.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-15 |title=Daft Punk share 'Infinity Repeating' creation video: Watch |url=https://djmag.com/news/daft-punk-share-infinity-repeating-creation-video-watch |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=DJMag.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Uitti |first=Jacob |date=2023-12-16 |title=New Song Saturday: Hear New Tracks from Killer Mike, Daft Punk, Noel Gallagher, and More |url=https://americansongwriter.com/new-song-saturday-hear-new-tracks-from-killer-mike-daft-punk-noel-gallagher-and-more/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}}
The video won the UK Music Video Award for "Best Animation in a Video" at the 2023 ceremonies.{{Cite web |title=UK Music Video Awards 2023: Nominations Revealed Ahead of Awards Ceremony {{!}} LBBOnline |url=https://www.lbbonline.com/news/uk-music-video-awards-2023-nominations-revealed-ahead-of-awards-ceremony |access-date=2023-09-29 |website=www.lbbonline.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Promonews |title=UK Music Video Awards 2023: all the winners announced at ceremony tonight {{!}} News |url=https://www.promonews.tv/news/2023/10/26/uk-music-video-awards-2023-all-winners-announced-ceremony-tonight/83903 |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Promonewstv |language=en}} The video competed in the music video competition at 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.{{Cite web |last=Complex |first=Valerie |date=2024-01-10 |title=SXSW Lineup Sets 'The Fall Guy', '3 Body Problem' Among Fest's 2024 World Premieres As First Titles Revealed |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/sxsw-2024-lineup-the-fall-guy-3-body-problem-1235709942/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} At the 28th Annual Webby Awards, the video won the People’s Voice Award for Animation in a General Video.{{Cite web |last=Tinoco |first=Armando |date=2024-04-23 |title=Webby Awards Winners List: Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Ryan Gosling, Keke Palmer, Shannon Sharpe & Julia Louis-Dreyfus Among Honored |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/2024-webby-awards-winners-list-1235892208/ |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Collaborator DJ Falcon in an episode of Memory Tapes specifically praised the thematic choice to end Daft Punk with the song and the imagery of the video. He called the duo sampling their favorite artists and ending by working with them a closed loop, stating "there's nothing you can add to this; this is it."{{Citation |title=Daft Punk - Memory Tapes - Episode 4 - DJ Falcon (Official Video) | date=23 August 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FNS4q1bW-k |access-date=2023-09-01 |language=en}}
References
Category:Songs written by Thomas Bangalter
Category:Songs written by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Category:Songs written by Julian Casablancas