Daft Punk Random Access Memories-Vinyl Album Review

2013 – Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

Vinyl surface noise: 5+  (not pops and clicks)

Dynamic Range: 4+

Stereo Imaging: 4+

Image depth/perspective: 4

Overall frequency response: 5-

Side One

1. Give Life Back To Music
2. The Game Of Love
3. Giorgio by Morodo

Side Two

1. Within
2. Instant Crush
3. Lose Yourself To Dance

Side Three

1. Touch
2. Get Lucky
3. Beyond

Side Four

1. Motherboard
2. Fragments Of Time
3. Doin’ It Right
4. Contact

This 180 gram, 33 1/3 RPM double album, was recorded at the following studios:

• Gang Recording Studios, Paris
• Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood
• Conway Recording Studio, Hollywood
• Electric Lady Studios, New York
• Capitol Studios, Hollywood

Daft Punk are a French electronic music duo from Paris formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They achieved significant popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement and had continuous success in the years following, combining elements of house music with funk, techno, disco, rock and synthpop influences.

These are outstanding pressings with exceptionally low surface noise. There were times where I could hear my head amp hiss above the vinyl surface noise; now that’s quiet. On some quieter passages I was not sure if I was hearing their signal chain hiss or mine.

All tracks are a real pleasure to listen to and make for easy listening. There are no hints of hard edges on any instruments or vocals. With vocals and voices having a crisp open presence. The overall sound is clean, warm, very open and provides precise imaging but with a limited depth perspective, even for the orchestral and choir parts. The top end detail is extended but not very bright while I found that the bass, whilst tight and clean, did not dig very deep, even the kick drum while having a punchy sound lacked slam. Snare, toms and cymbals sounded very natural with plenty of detail but generally lacked impact. I wasn’t sure if the kit was sampled or not as there is no specific mention in the albums liner notes. Keyboards and other instrument being electronic provided well defined accompaniments on all tracks.

The discs are very well mastered and with typically only three tracks per side, the cutting head could extract what dynamic range was available from the recording. However, this available dynamic range is NOT put to good use. Most tracks exhibit very similar dynamic ranges with many of the instruments being recorded at similar levels and being electronic they don’t exhibit a substantial dynamic range. I am sure that this limited dynamic range makes for a good dance mix where they crank the levels up but I felt that it detracted from the potential that the tracks could have achieved. There again what I heard maybe exactly what the engineers intended. The kit and occasionally bass lines are the only exception to this issue. Even the orchestra and chorus are hardly rousing in their impact.

While I really enjoyed all the tracks, there is a certain sameness to the techno sound of many of them due in part to their limited dynamic range, which if you ignore, leaves music that I am sure many listeners will thoroughly enjoy and whose quality of recording exceeds many other albums I have listened to.

There are several notable tracks to include S1T1 and S3T2, but this is not in my opinion a demo album, even with the albums excellent mix of music and overall high standard of mastering and pressing.

If you like techno rock then this is definitely an album you should own. I am glad that I do.

Despite this album not being a Direct To Disc cut, significant care and attention was given to both the mastering and cutting process. The result being what sounds to be an excellent rendition of the original master tapes, with low vinyl noise, acceptable dynamics and an good frequency response. All rounded off by some great tracks.

If this is your style of music then go get yourself a copy.

Available on vinyl from Discogs.

See my other vinyl reviews here.