Daft Punk makes a surprise return on social media a year after their split

Exactly one year after French duo Daft Punk shocked fans by announcing an unceremonious split, they have returned to social media and are hosting a one-day-only livestream of a 1997 show on Twitch.

The era-defining, dance-floor act began the livestream at 2:22 Pacific time - and on 22-02-22 no less - sharing rare footage from their December 12, 1997 show in Los Angeles when they played the set without their iconic helmets.

Daft Punk also released a deluxe anniversary edition of their debut album "Homework," which came out 25 years ago.

From "Da Funk" in 1995 to "Get Lucky" in 2013, Daft Punk became the torch-bearers for French house music across the globe, winning six Grammy awards and pioneering the monumental sound-and-light shows that came to characterise the electronic dance movement (EDM) of recent years. 

They did so while almost never revealing their faces: the ubiquitous helmets became another much-copied trope of EDM stars, but also afforded Thomas Bangalter, 47, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, 48, freedom from the fame that quickly encircled them. 

Their fourth and last album, 2013's "Random Access Memories", was a phenomenal success, winning them four Grammys the following year including best record for "Get Lucky", the millions-selling lead single featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.

The helmet-wearing French duo announced their retirement after 28 years in an 8-minute video called "Epilogue" on February 22, 2021.

READ MORE: French dance music superstars Daft Punk break up after 28 years