Daft Punk

Schoolmates Thomas and Guy-Manuel began their career in indie rock trio Darlin' (named after The Beach Boys song) but were scathingly dismissed by Melody Maker magazine as "daft punk". Turning to house-inspired electronica, they used the put down as a name for their DJ-ing partnership and became a hugely successful and influential dance act. First major single Da Funk was accompanied by a Spike Jonze directed video and more success followed with global dance floor anthem Around The World, One More Time and Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger - which was sampled by Kanye West for his hit Stronger. Albums Homework (1997), Discovery (2001) and Human After All (2005) all made the UK Top 10 establishing a style of simple, Chicago house inspired grooves exploding into a robotic, rave sound. Disguising their faces with masks, crash helmets and robot heads, the duo cultivated an air of mystique, but they've been sampled by Janet Jackson, appeared in TV commercials and performed at the 2008 Grammy Awards.