Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo (b. 8 February 1974) met Thomas Bangalter (b. 3 January 1975) when they both attended school in Paris, France, in 1987. In 1992, heavily influenced by the Beach Boys, they recorded a song under the name Darling, which in turn found its way onto a compilation single issued on Stereolab΄s Duophonic label. A review in the UK΄s Melody Maker described their effort as "a bunch of daft punk", which depressed the pair but unwittingly gave them a name for their next project.