Fragments of Time

To address *Fragments of Time*, it is key to understand how the "West Coast vibes" atmosphere that Daft Punk sought for their album *Random Access Memories* was constructed. The song, which is the eleventh track, greatly benefits from the intervention of Todd Edwards, a musician with whom they had already worked on the album *Discovery* in 2001. When Edwards visited the recording sessions in California, Daft Punk asked him to apply his distinctive "cut-up" production method to a section of *Fragments of Time*. He, thinking it would be an eight-bar interlude, ended up creating what would become the song's chorus. Daft Punk were very grateful for this contribution, feeling that the piece precisely needed that electronic touch that Edwards brought with his technique. In fact, Edwards recalled that the microphone he used for his vocal part was of considerable value, having been previously used by Frank Sinatra.

The instrumentation of *Fragments of Time* is a clear reflection of the approach of the album *Random Access Memories*, which turned to session musicians to bring the instrumental parts to life. On this song in particular, Paul Jackson Jr. was responsible for the rhythm guitar, while Chris Caswell and Daft Punk themselves handled the keyboards. The bass was played by Nathan East and James Genus, the drums by Omar Hakim, and the percussion by Quinn. Daft Punk also contributed the main synthesizer and explored the use of the pedal steel guitar with Greg Leisz, seeking a sound that moved between acoustic and electronic. The song unfolds at a tempo of 130 beats per minute in common time, in the key of C Major. The lyrics, according to Edwards, arose from his desire to capture the sensations experienced during his stay in California, the idea of staying and reliving those moments, mentioning a "gold and silver dream" and the creation of "random memories".

In February 2023, a special tenth-anniversary edition of *Random Access Memories* was announced, which would include unreleased material. As a preview, a track titled *The Writing of Fragments of Time* was released, documenting the conversations and improvisations between Thomas Bangalter and Todd Edwards as they worked on the lyrics and melody. These recordings, made without their knowledge in February 2012, were edited and compiled. The release of this track was accompanied by a video directed by Cédric Hervet, creative director for Daft Punk. Edwards commented that in those recordings, Bangalter could be heard saying very witty phrases.