Daft Punk breaks into Billboard chart at number one

Daft Punk's Random Access Memories has entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number one this week, marking a triumphant US return for the helmeted French electronic dance music duo.

The 1970s-flavoured album sold 339,000 copies since its May 21 release, giving Daft Punk its best sales week ever as well as its first number one.

"The set also notches the second-largest sales week of 2013 overall," said Billboard. "Only Justin Timberlake's first-week sales (968,000) in March of The 20/20 Experience are higher than Daft Punk's first-week."

In Britain, Random Access Memories, the group's fourth album since 1997 and the first since its Tron: Legacy soundtrack in 2010, went number one at the weekend.

Online, Spotify said Random Access Memories was on track to becoming the biggest first-week album since the music streaming website - available in 28 countries - went online five years ago.

The first single off the album, Get Lucky, featuring vocals from Pharrell Williams and infectious guitar riffs from Chic's Nile Rodgers, earlier placed in the top 10 in Billboard's Hot 100 pop music chart.

In a cover story in the current issue of Rolling Stone, Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo - credited with helping to popularise electronic dance music among Americans - said it's time for the genre to evolve.

"Electronic music right now is in its comfort zone and it's not moving one inch," said Bangalter, explaining Daft Punk's decision to tap the neglected disco era for inspiration. "That's not what artists are supposed to do."

* AFP