The rise of electronic music in America has reached an apex. Despite the criticisms surrounding the Grammy awards, the electronic genre has finally been honored with awards all around. Perhaps the most poignant takeaway from the ceremony is the fact that Daft Punk swept their categories and won all five out of the five awards for which they were nominated. They also performed with the legendary Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, and Pharrell Williams with a beautiful homage to the 70’s.
They did not simply get lucky with their wins, though. By channeling the soul of disco and combining it with their mastery of electronic music, they created a work that simply could not be awarded with anything less than a Grammy sweep. Before tonight, the duo had only two Grammys for their Alive 2007 live album. Now Daft Punk has surpassed Skrillex as the electronic dance music act with the most Grammy awards: 7 total wins.
Other break-out starts of electronic music claimed awards tonight as well. Zedd capped off a massive year by achieving the award for “Best Dance Recording” and Cedric Gervais cemented his Lana Del Rey partnership by winning the Grammy for “Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.”
Perhaps Kaskade sums it up best. In an interview for the Grammys, Kaskade proclaims “dance music has come a long way.” Daft Punk’s sweep would have been considered implausible ten years ago. Now it represents a paradigm shift in the way America views electronic music. When such an achievement stems from writing an album dedicated to disco, the genre that started it all, it reflects the true beauty of music. The urge to dance never died; it has only grown stronger.
The list of winners below:
RECORD OF THE YEAR
“Get Lucky”, Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Get Lucky”, Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
Random Access Memories, Daft Punk
BEST DANCE RECORDING
“Clarity”, Zedd featuring Foxes
BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL
“Summertime Sadness”, Lana Del Rey (Cedric Gervais Remix)
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