Unreleased 1997 Daft Punk Mix Surfaces After 27 Years

The Cassette's Journey from Mailbox to Archive

Ralph Lawson, a DJ and label founder, discovered the cassette in 2024 while sorting through his collection. Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo had recorded the mix for Trans Europe Express, a show Lawson hosted on a London station that began as Kiss FM and later became Galaxy FM. The duo mailed the tape in February 1997, just weeks after releasing their debut album, Homework.

The cassette sat untouched for decades. When Lawson finally retrieved it, the tape was moldy and torn. He feared a restoration attempt might destroy it entirely, but partnered with a Bristol studio to repair the damage. The work was completed only recently.

A Snapshot of Early French House

The mix captures Daft Punk at a formative moment, when their seminal French house sound was still developing. The tracklist features Jack Da Ripper's "Beautification Of House," Romanthony's "Everybody Dancing," and House Of Jazz's "Lose My Mind," among other period classics. The duo also included "WDPK 83.7 FM," the fictional radio station intro that framed Homework as a broadcast from the future of dance music.

The full mix is now available on SoundCloud.