Exquisitely played by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, the compositions are evocative and powerful, and never devoid of emotion. And in this sense, Bangalter’s approach to melodies and influences isn’t that dissimilar to sampling - an art Daft Punk mastered, to say the least.įrom the bombastic horns of ‘Thalestris’, the distressingly ominous ‘L’Arrivée d’Alexandre’ or the epic ‘Le Minotaure’ – which appropriately sounds like a surly beast is gradually advancing towards you with murderous intent in its eyes, before letting way to some gorgeous lighter strings in its second half – there is an eerily cinematic effect at play. Throughout, you can hear echoes of the Venetian master and American minimalism, as well as touchstones like Bach and Debussy. While a patchwork approach often leads to compositions feeling clumsily sewn together, it strangely works in 'Mythologies', because the broader concept lends itself to a vignette approach. Lofty and hefty is the name of the game, and this slightly scattershot concept is mirrored in the 23 instrumental tracks, whose melodies feel very distinct from one another and often work better apart rather than combined.

The concept focuses on storytelling and how ancient folklore and myths – from Icarus to Aphrodite, the Amazons and the Gemini (Castor and Pollux) – have influenced conflict and even gender identity. Like the ballet, Bangalter’s ‘Mythologies’ is an exploration of contemporary rituals, as well as the way founding myths shape collective imagination. The album was first heard when the eponymous ballet premiered last summer, a collaboration between Ballet Preljocaj and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, which performed Bangalter’s score under the direction of Romain Dumas. They blew up and are replaced by a sprawling 90-minute composition that represents quite the whiplash-inducing musical pivot.

Gone are the electronic dance tracks that irrevocably changed the sound of modern pop.

That brilliantly enigmatic video of the break-up shows a self-destruction, and in the case of 'Mythologies', it now feels rather apt.

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