Cole Cuchna

Unlike a traditional piano, it uses metal reeds and built-in amplification to create a slightly gritty, bell-like tone.

The Wurlitzer became a staple of funk, rock, and pop records of the era, exactly the kinds of records Thomann and Guimond grew up hearing.

Daft Punk specifically named the 70s band Supertramp as the inspiration behind the Wurlitzer on Digital Love, with Guimon telling Mix Magazine, quote, We didn't sample Supertramp, but we had the original Wurlitzer piano that they used, so we thought it would be more fun to have the original instrument and mess around with it, unquote.

Here is Supertramp's 1979 track The Logic Song, which features the Wurlitzer played in a style very similar to the bridge on Digital Love.

Symbolically, the Wurlitzer is the perfect instrument to appear on a song about digital love, sung by a half-human, half-robot.

Because the Wurlitzer itself is an electro-acoustic hybrid.

Its metal reeds vibrate mechanically like a traditional instrument, but the sound is amplified electronically.

Now, this sudden dynamic shift to a solo keyboard functions much like the previous one, a low that sets up the next high just around the corner.

The sample loop slowly begins to re-emerge beneath the Wurlitzer, now paired with the dreamy, airy synth from the song's intro.

Narratively, perhaps we are falling back to sleep here, because it's at this moment that Thomas' voice suddenly reappears, talking directly to this love interest.

And then, in another incredible moment in a song full of them, something answers him back.

Not a man, not a woman, but a guitar.

The interaction between Toma and this guitar is what's called a call and response, a musical dialogue where one voice calls out and another answers.

In a song with such a strong narrative, I can't help but imagine this as the dance between the protagonist and his fantasy lover, which is abstractly represented by this surreal guitar.

However, like Aerodynamic, this guitar isn't technically just a guitar, but rather a mysterious combination of musical elements that Daft Punk preferred to keep secret.

In one interview with The Face, Tomá was asked directly whether this was a real guitar, a sample, or something else, and he very kindly talks around the actual answer.

It's a perfectly mysterious answer.

Thomann says that they operated the technology to get their desired result, alluding to a mix of guitar, synthesizer, and computer assistants without revealing the exact formula.

And rather than try to reverse engineer exactly how they did it, I'd actually like to honor the mystery because, for me, that unknowability is part of what makes the upcoming solo so powerful.

Indeed, what we're about to hear ranks among my personal favorite musical moments ever.