Daft Punk’s 2001 single “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” is most famous these days for providing the hook for Kanye West’s massive 2007 hit “Stronger.” The original was a fairly big hit in the UK, but nothing compared to the worldwide platinum-many-times-over Kanye hit. So it’s kind of surprising that the original that has been covered more.
Funk cover band and YouTube mainstays Scary Pockets are no strangers to Cover Me. We’ve highlighted a number of their excellent funk covers over the last couple of years. For their version of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” they go full-on big band, with the usual lineup backed by a large horn section. They start the song off with a much slower pace than the original, slowly increasing the tempo to a build up about a minute in. This section climaxes with some big breaks and a talk box solo that leaves the solo in the original in the dust.
Scary Pocket’s version is about a minute shorter than the original but condenses a lot of dynamic tension in the briefer take. The changes in tempo and breaks liven and funk up what is already a pretty funky track. Check it out below.
