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> A conversation with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo, the duo who together form Daft Punk, always circles back to one central theme: the breakdown of existing rules and the formation of the new. "That's what the whole punk ideology is," Bangalter explains. "It's not a case of anarchy. It's being constructive in destroying the rules, like being on a springboard and jumping from one level to another - always being curious and open-minded." Daft Punk's new release Discovery (Virgin Records) does destroy many of the rules of dance music. From the Eddie Van Halen-esque guitars of "Aerodynamic" to the sweet, poppy harmonies of "Too Long," Discovery is packed with musical surprises. The end result is a complete record that leaves the listener with a child-like feeling of warmth and, ironically, discovery. Bangalter explains why the listener may experience such feelings. "This album has a lot to do with childhood and memories of childhood," he says. "When you are a child you don't judge music. Either you like it or you don't. If you don't like it, you throw it away. If you do like it, you isolate the elements that have the strongest effect. You're not asking if it's cool or not and there's no shame in what you like. That's why we first got into house music. It's open-minded, open-hearted people that come to dance music. [They want to] discover things and to feel free." Of course, there are certain trademarks of the Daft Punk sound that one expects to hear. The vintage synths, vocoders and focused kick-drums will always be there, but this record also adds some new elements. The vocals of Romanthony and Todd Edwards could give the current rulers of the pop charts a run for their money. It is entirely possible that this record could force the group into yet another level of success. Some may wonder if Guy-Manuel and Thomas are ready for the glaring spotlight that cracking the US Top Forty tends to bring. After all, we are talking about guys who don't show their faces in publicity photos and have seemingly developed robotic alter egos to hide from the public eye, right? Such a theory could be possible, but it's much more likely that the two are doing such things only for pure enjoyment. "It's important for people to understand that our work is very simple and sincere, but it also has a funny side; there is a lot of humor in it," de Homem Christo explains. "Sometimes, through the media, things are altered. We often find ourselves explaining things once or twice so people can understand." Daft Punk is already a major influential force in music. Their 1997 debut album Homework sold over two million copies worldwide (400,000 in France alone). So it's to be expected that dance music will feel the impact of Discovery. The duo wants other artists to follow their lead, but to do so with their own touch. "We encourage others to not just do the same thing [as us], but to do their own thing," Bangalter elaborates. "Each of you should break down rules and make your own rules. We would like to be models of freedom rather than models to follow. We do influence people and we feel a little bit responsible, but in a good way." Always exploring and creating, the Frenchmen are often the first to find something new. This sense of innovation often spreads into other media. "Music is the center of what we do," Bangalter says. "House music taught us that there are no concrete standards. We are trying to adapt that philosophy and bring it to other forms of creation. We always try to do different things. It is just a natural evolution to try to combine those different things. We want to encourage innovation and enterprise." Their music videos have always been fun while being complex (directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Seb Janiak always create the best), and their 1999 interactive DVD was pioneering. Perhaps these explorations have worked as stepping stones for their latest breakthrough: their own online community named "Daft Club.…