A Look Back At Daft Punk's 'Homework' 20 Years Later

(Radio.com) Daft Punk's debut album, Homework, released on January 20, 1997, is essentially a tribute record. As its title succinctly points out, the album is the result of partners Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo meticulously studying the depths of their influences, referencing a panorama of sound that encapsulated Chicago house, Detroit techno and '70s disco with a most unexpected twist: the duo's very serious penchant for classic rock.

Which is why amidst the bombastic dance tracks and party anthems, Daft Punk chose to include the above Brian Wilson quote among the album's liner notes. It's just one of many nods the group scattered all over Homework, including shout-outs to a disparate collection of artists including Roxy Music, the Black Crowes and 13th Floor Elevators and future collaborators like Nile Rodgers and Paul Williams.

The album even includes a track titled 'Teachers," little more than a heavily compressed beat featuring a robotic voice calling out a cavalcade of Daft Punk's biggest influences.

Homework emerged at a time when America's underground dance music scene was thriving. By 1996, a new generation of DJs, promoters and fans had taken a DIY approach to producing large-scale raves that could draw thousands of people to experience the then-exploding phenomenon. The scene had grown from big cities like Chicago and San Francisco to far more random locales throughout the Midwest and even across the border in Windsor, Canada.

It was the year that Daft Punk made their U.S. debut deep in the woods of Wisconsin at an event called Even Furthur over a rain (and drug) soaked Memorial Day weekend. Read more here.