An unreleased DJ mix recorded by Daft Punk in February 1997 has resurfaced after British DJ and label founder Ralph Lawson recovered and restored a damaged tape that had remained in his personal archive for almost three decades. The approximately hour-long recording, featuring Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, is now available to stream on SoundCloud.
The mix was originally sent to Lawson for his Trans Europe Express radio show on London’s Kiss FM, shortly after the release of Daft Punk’s landmark debut album, Homework, in January 1997. Lawson rediscovered the recording in 2024 while searching through his archive, but the tape’s deteriorated condition, including mould and physical damage, initially made it difficult to recover.
To salvage the recording, Lawson enlisted Adrian from Bristol-based audio restoration specialists Great Bear Digitising. The team managed to remove the mould, repair the damaged tape and successfully digitise its contents, bringing a previously unheard piece of electronic music history back to life.
Lawson initially suspected the tape was an early version of Daft Punk’s March 1997 BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, but restoration revealed an entirely separate mix. Highlighting their early influences across Chicago house, French house, and underground club music, the tracklist features selections from Romanthony, House Of Jazz, and Jack Da Ripper, alongside Daft Punk’s own tracks and their ‘WDPK 83.7 FM‘ station intro.
