What Daft Punk taught me

In July 2024, I watched the Daft Punk documentary. I took notes episode by episode.

What I kept finding wasn't about music.

DJ Falcon described their sound as something that looks easy at first. Simple. But on a bigger canvas you start seeing all the details, all the emotion underneath. He called it attention to detail — every decision considered, every choice specific. That's what I want from a photo. Simple at first glance. More when you look closer.

The Todd Edwards story stayed with me. He hadn't worked with them for years. When they wanted him for Random Access Memories, they didn't reach out directly. They released the Tron Legacy soundtrack specifically to get his attention — knowing he'd notice. Then they waited. Months. And when he congratulated them, that's when the door opened. I kept thinking about the patience in that. The confidence to wait.

Pharrell talked about repetition. Going over the same thing again and again, until it could be perfect. He said that's where the value is — taking the time to iron it out. I don't take that as a call for perfectionism. I take it as not settling. Not keeping the frame you got just because you got it.

Paul Williams said Random Access Memories had no brief, no theme. When they all got together the first time, it was all about experimentation. I wrote in the margin: this is literally what Infinara is meant to be.

Everything they did was based on fascination and curiosity to learn. I wrote that down twice. Because it's the only honest reason to keep making anything. Not output. Not audience. Just the pull of wanting to understand something better.