Daft Punk have just unveiled their first full-length motion picture, 'Electroma.' If you weren't able to catch it at film festival screenings, perhaps you viewed the five-minute excerpt Spinner premiered last week. The movie marks a new direction for the French electronic duo, who have adapted their artistic vision to a journey beyond sound. Removing both themselves and their music from the film, the pair craft an expedition through a silent cinematic world populated by lost robots on a quest to become human.

"From the beginning of Daft Punk and the way we decided to make music, we've always wanted to experiment with different art forms -- the idea of natural progression and the growth of an aesthetic that we have been trying to develop both musically and visually," Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter tells Spinner. "So we like the idea of expanding it and making it a gradual expansion both in content and also in ways of expressing ourselves."

While music is the normal means of communication for Daft Punk, the French duo chose to tell the story of two robots on a quest to become human in a different manner. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo set their samplers and drum machines aside in lieu of cameras, using the music of Todd Rundgren and Curtis Mayfield, among others, to score the film.

The result is 'Electroma,' a film employing stunning imagery and unique cinematic techniques to document life as an automaton in a suburban American landscape. The film opens up with an epic drive through the California desert in a 1987 Ferrari, which evokes the feel of Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey,' as Daft Punk explore new horizons with this visually captivating intro. Enjoy a five minute excerpt ahead of its July 22nd stateside DVD release.

Bonnaroo is a festival famous for bringing an eclectic line-up to a traditionally hippie-ish crowd, and the crowd is famous for embracing all of it (from Lily Allen to Tool), however one thing is for sure: Bonnaroo did not take kindly to Kanye West. Perhaps the only performer to get massively booed, West started his show nearly two hours late, at 4:30 in the morning.

Most surprising was Sunday's aftermath: it's an extremely rare occurrence that artists at Bonnaroo express negative remarks onstage, unless directed towards President Bush. Yet, several acts commented on West's poor performance, eliciting additional boo's from the crowd. Robert Randolph led a "F--- Kanye!" chant which was enthusiastically embraced. Broken Social Scene referred to a pause in their show (due to equipment problems) as their "Kanye moment." And Rogue Wave promised fans that they would never leave them waiting in a field until 4:30 AM out of respect for their audience. Anytime an artist (such as O.A.R.) mentioned West by name, from stage, it was met with a round of boo's.

• U2 disclosed the track list for the upcoming deluxe format reissues of their first three studio albums. Expanded editions of 1980's 'Boy', 1981's 'October' and 1982's 'War' each count an array of rare and previously unreleased material. Due for release on July 22, each album will count a 16 page booklet that includes unseen photos, lyrics and new liner notes.

• Daft Punk has entered the studio to begin work on the follow-up to 2005's 'Human After All.'

• A Metallica-themed 'Guitar Hero' appears to be on the horizon. An announcement from Activision, the publisher of the 'Guitar Heo' series, has yet to be announced but a post on Metallica's web site read, "Let's just say that perhaps, just maybe, if you've already mastered 'One' on ['Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'], there might be a pile of 'Tallica songs in your future. More details later this summer."

• Edwyn Collins -- best known in the U.S. for his 1995 smash 'A Girl Like You' -- has recruited a who's who of Britpop to design one-off record sleeves for his new single release, 'Home Again.' The 25 custom sleeves -- which will hit shops June 23 -- were designed by the likes of John Squire (ex-Stone Roses), Blur's Graham Coxon, Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks fame and Franz Ferdinand.

The Rules for Battle: Each week, we pit versions of the same song by two different artists in a head-to-head death match for musical supremacy. (Sometimes it will be the original recording vs. a cover version; other times it will be two different covers.) Then it's up to you to decide: Listen to and vote on which version you think should emerge victorious and which should be sent packing. May the best band win!



The Song: 'Digital Love'

The Contestants: Daft Punk vs. Mobius Band

In This Corner -- Daft Punk: Originally released on the robotic duo's genre-bending 'Discovery' album in 2001, this gem was that record's third single, released in the shadow of the commercial success of 'One More Time.' The track's bouncy beats and automaton vocals exemplify the genre known as filter house. The song is also well know for its rockin' guitar solo and, most notably, its use in the Juliet Lewis Gap commercial.

Daft Punk, 'Digital Love'

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In This Corner -- Mobius Band: Brookyln's indie rock trio is known for dabbling with electronic elements in its music. On this tribute to Daft Punk, they ditched the samplers for some acoustic guitars to showcase the tune's solid structure. If you can take the beat out of a dance song and it still sounds good, you have a winner.

Mobius Band, 'Digital Love'

Kanye West's 'Stronger' -- a tune synonymous with 2007 -- earned a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance and offered Daft Punk the chance to make their first-ever television appearance, not to mention the first time West performed with the French House icons, during Sunday night's awards ceremony. The performance also revealed some of the mystery of the famous Daft Punk pyramid, with an ariel view into the robots' lair.

'D.A.N.C.E.,' Justice

This French electro house duo proves that intelligent dance music does have a place in the American zeitgeist. These two graphic designers gone DJ followed in their mentors Daft Punk's footsteps to churn out one of the catchiest numbers in some time. This floor filler's bouncy bass lines and symphonic samples, coupled with a retro Jackson 5-ish vocal, inspired DJs worldwide to make it the club anthem of the year. And no, we're still not sick of it.
Listen to the song!

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