In the five years since Daft Punk announced their breakup, Thomas Bangalter has kept himself busy by scoring films, soundtracking contemporary dance performances, teaming up with young artists like Lil Nas X and Fred again.., and composing music for ballets. His first solo album, in fact, was 2023’s Mythologies, an orchestral work for Angelin Preljocaj’s eponymous ballet that didn’t sound very much like Daft Punk at all. Today Bangalter has announced his next ballet endeavor, Mirage, which is billed as “a vast and atmospheric piece of electronic minimalism.” That doesn’t sound much like Daft Punk either, but it’s closer!
The 16-dancer ballet Mirage was conceived by choreographer Damien Jalet and contemporary artist Kōhei Nawa. In a short teaser trailer released today, you can hear a little snippet of Bangalter’s music, which sounds like a wash of windchime-like pinging over some subtle IDM percussion. Check that out below.
Also today, Bangalter has announced “a massive immersive event” that he’ll be hosting at Art Basel in Switzerland this year on June 20. The installation is called Warehouse Artefacts, and it’ll combine a DJ set from German producer Rampa with visual art by Julian Charrière, culminating in what’s being described as “a sensory overload aimed squarely at the intersection of music and fine art.”
