The Daily Swarm

As 2007 draws to a close, we end right where we started. Back in May, when the Daily Swarm was just a few days old, we broke the news that Kanye West and Daft Punk would co-star in the video for their soon-to-be-released musical collaboration “Stronger,” and even though at the time we’d only heard the song once, it was obvious they were onto to something really big. As you’re surely well aware, its been quite a year for both the rapper and the robots, and the three were reunited recently, this time for an interview and photo shoot for the cover of SPIN‘s January 2008 issue. Inside the magazine KW and DP are named “Entertainers of the Year.”

The mag just hit the newstands and is well worth tracking down, both for the sweet photos and extensive feature set. Writer Andrew Voltz goes to Las Vegas for the last US stop on the Alive 2007 tour, encounters Caitlin Kliesmet and Margaret Kim (the winners of the Daily Swarm Daft Punk Halloween Costume Contest – check out our interview with the crafty Wisconsin girls here), and spends some time with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Man backstage after the set. And in case you were wondering who is really controlling the sound and lights emanating from inside the pyramid, Bangalter sets the record straight once and for all:

It’s not just performing and creating music and images that makes the show….It’s God, in the middle of 30,000 people.

SPIN also sat down with Kanye West and Thomas Bangalter for their first ever joint interview. West is clearly wowed by Daft Punk, both for their helmets-only personas (“Just amazing discipline – that’s straight martial arts status”) and live performance techniques (“It was very breathtaking and awe-inspiring. I still don’t quite understand how they were able to do it”). As for the rumored future collaborations, Bangalter is his consistent tight-lipped self: “We won’t speak about it.”

The full Daft Punk feature went online over the weekend and according the magazine the joint interview will soon be here.

UPDATE: VBS.tv has a 30 minutes audio interview with Daft Punk here.