Quotes from Thomas Bangalter

There's a confusion sometimes with the laptop being the current tools and where electronic music initially comes from.

When you look at what we can call the golden era of concept albums, which starts in the mid or late '60s and ends maybe in the early '80s, it's an interesting time for music. You see all these very established and popular acts and bands and artists that were somehow on the top of their game but really trying to experiment.

Initially, electronic music was anti-establishment, as punk rock and rock n' roll were. The music was shut down; the police were against the parties.

Technology is an interesting subject, people thinking: how much good, and how much bad, does it inherently carry?

A cello was there 400 years ago and will still be here in 400 years.

There's something in human performance that is very smooth and very fluid, and at the same time it can be very precise, and that can take a lot of time, trial and error.

Music was segregated in the '80s, and then in the '90s the boundaries started to break down, and rock kids got into electronic music. But then you got this reverse snobbery where people would only listen to electronic music and not rock.

Technology has made music accessible in a philosophically interesting way, which is great. But on the other hand, when everybody has the ability to make magic, it's like there's no more magic - if the audience can just do it themselves, why are they going to bother?

Everyone making electronic music has the same tool kits and templates. You listen, and you feel like it can be done on an iPad. If everybody knows all the tricks, it's no more magic.

I think 'Tron' is a good example of minimalism.

The late '70's and early '80s is the zenith of a certain craftsmanship in sound recording.

It's really interesting to just look at the career of a musician and a producer that went into many different genres and many different styles and many different places but always breaking the barriers between genres and at some point reinventing himself all along the way but also inventing things at the same time.

It's a very subjective, personal, instinctive approach as musicians of saying, 'We don't want to replace what's around; we just want to widen the possibilities.'

There was a naive quality in 1982 around technology and the start of video games. And that's like the start of electronic music - there was this statement and, ideologically, these things to fight for.

The only secret to being in control is to have it in the beginning. Retaining control is still hard, but obtaining control is virtually impossible.

Usually, a band 20 years into its existence doesn't put out its best records.