Last month, Fred Again.. shocked fans when he announced he’d be teasing the rollout of UBS002 with a series of 10 shows in 10 different cities across 10 weeks. He’s ticked off Glasgow, Brussels, Madrid, and most recently Paris – and the show featured a surprise appearance from Parisian electro royalty, Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter.
The performance at Paris’s Centre Pompidou came as Bangalter’s first return to the DJ decks in quite some time. Throughout, he spun a slew of Daft Punk classics, including Digital Love and Rollin’ & Scratchin’, as well as cuts from The Chemical Brothers and even the theme of One Battle After Another, the 2025 blockbuster soundtracked by Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood.
Prior to the set, Bangalter’s last live appearance was at the 2017 Grammy Awards alongside his Daft Punk partner, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The pair had performed alongside The Weeknd.
Fred Again..’s impromptu stop in Paris also saw saw Phantasy Sound label’s Erol Alkan and Ed Banger Records founder Pedro Winter performing their own B2B DJ sets throughout the night.
As well as aiding the rollout of UBS002, the evening also doubled as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of French record label, Because Music. Billed by the venue as part of the ‘Because Beaubourg’ birthday festivities, Bangalter’s guest appearance also helped add an extra flare of excitement to the festivities… but it was also his way of honouring Paris’ Centre Pompidou before it closes for a 5-year renovation project.
As Fred explains in an Instagram post, Bangalter’s appearance was his way of honouring the Parisian venue before it closed for its 5-year renovation process. “Thomas told me in the lift on the way down to the show that the first time he fell in love with electronic music was in this building in 1992,” Fred writes.
“He also told me hasn’t played a proper set without the mask on for 24 years,” the DJ continues. “I didn’t know what to say to either of those things, and I still don’t. All I said to him at the end is that I hope it isn’t 24 years ‘til the next.”
We’re sure Bangalter appreciated the chance to show his own face for a change. The last evidence of him on the decks without his robotic headgear on was way back in 2009, and it looks like one hell of a set.
There’s no saying what the rest of Fred’s 10 weeks of touring has in store. He’s also been releasing fresh cuts from USB002 to tease fans, with collaborations with Caribou and Floating Points already giving a taste of his upcoming record.
“10 weeks!” Fred shared in his original Instagram post announcing the tour. “A new song every Friday and a show every Friday (in 10 different cities!).”
“We’ve spent the last year or so planning how we want these shows to sound and look and feel,” he continued. “here is an absolutely ridiculous line-up of people joining us in different places… it’s genuinely like 10 of my dream raves in every way. We’ve never done anything like this before… let’s have a magical time together.”
Back in March, Fred was also spotted in the studio with Justin Bieber… so the DJ has potentially got some pretty exciting features down the line.
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