A truly historic moment in electronic music took place in Paris on Saturday, October 25, 2025, as Thomas Bangalter of the legendary duo Daft Punk joined modern superstar Fred again.. for a surprise back-to-back DJ set. The event, which blended the French House legacy with the new generation of electronic sound, happened at the Centre Pompidou during the Because Beaubourg celebration.
The festival marked the 20th anniversary of the French record label Because Music. The venue held deep personal meaning for Bangalter; he later shared with Fred again.. that it was at the Pompidou Centre in 1992—before Daft Punk even existed—that he first discovered his love for electronic music.
The unannounced finale quickly grew into a four-way collaboration, with Bangalter and Fred again.. being joined by key French electronic music figure Pedro Winter (Busy P), who founded Ed Banger Records and was Daft Punk’s former manager, and UK techno/house DJ Erol Alkan.
What made this performance so significant was Thomas Bangalter’s presence. The set marked his first public DJ performance in 16 years, his last being in 2009. Fred again.. also shared on socials that Bangalter told him that it had been 24 years since he had played a “proper set” without his iconic Daft Punk robot helmet.
Thomas Bangalter and Fred Again playing “Digital Love” at Beauport earlier
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The Music – A Masterclass
The musical selection was a masterclass in dance music history, celebrating the genre’s past, present, and future. It seamlessly moved between Bangalter’s deep roots and Fred again..’s contemporary sound. Unsurprisingly, Bangalter pulled from his legendary back catalog, with tracks like ‘Contact‘ and ‘Rollin’ & Scratchin’‘. The set concluded with an epic mash: Daft Punk’s ‘Digital Love‘ into Fred again..’s ‘Billie (Loving Arms)‘.
The B2B session served as a true education for the crowd, with the DJs dropping highly influential electronic tracks from across the techno and house world, including The Chemical Brothers’ “Galvanize,” Underworld’s “Two Months Off,” and even disco masterpiece Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.”
Perhaps the most surprising moment came when Bangalter, who is also a well-respected film composer, played an instrumental excerpt from Jonny Greenwood’s film score “One Battle After Another.” This provided a cinematic break before the set returned to a pounding groove.
The pure excitement of the event was captured by Fred again.., who took to the microphone at the end to exclaim that the hours they had spent playing together had been “the maddest two hours of my entire life.” This surprise set masterfully connected the deep roots of French electronic music, embodied by Bangalter and Busy P, with the vibrant, sample-heavy sound of the current generation, led by Fred again…
You can listen to the full set in audio, ripped from the internet, right here:
*Cover image credit: Anthony Ghnassia
[H/T] Pitchfork