Yes, robots do listen to music, and their favorite band is Daft Punk. Even among carbon-based life forms, this French duo has become revered as a stylish, consistently cool electronic dance band. These days, they’re probably best known for their song “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” which was accompanied with an anime-style video when it was first released in 2001. It’s grown more popular as fan-made YouTube videos have sprung up online by people with some very quick reflexes.

Their name has a unique story of origin. DJs Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter first got their start in music as a cover band. After a poor review in Melody Maker slagged them off as “daft punk,” the name was too original to let go. They reinvented themselves as an electronic dance band, and quickly become the toast of the discotheque with singles like “The New Wave” and “Da Funk.” The latter in particular became a massive hit, and a surreal Spike Jonze-directed music video only increased their appeal.

The duo became a much-desired band to add to any label’s roster, and eventually released their first full-length, Homework, on Virgin in 1997. Blending everything from funk to techno, it whetted the mainstream public’s taste for electronic music with songs like “Around the World” and “Revolution 909.”

Fans had to wait until 2001 to hear from them again, rejoicing in Discovery, which produced several hits like “One More Time” and the aforementioned “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Always aware of the power of strong visuals, some Robotech-inspired music videos were created for several of the album’s songs. “Human After All” followed in 2005, in which the band explored more stripped-down electronic music.

In 2006, Daft Punk stepped outside of the recording studio and into the film studio. They released a surreal film called Electroma that followed two very shiny robots on a kind of bizarre road trip with the goal of disguising themselves as humans. With a kind of quiet, slow brilliance, many of the images in the film transfixed audiences. Though none of their songs appear in the movie, Daft Punk did provide the subtle soundtrack in the film.

Daft Punk remains one the most popular electronica outfits currently recording, and their catchy beats will sound great coming through your cell phone as ringtones or music tones. Get awesome Daft Punk-themed wallpapers while you’re at it.