Thomas Bangalter - Daft Punk land new record deal

Daft Punk land new record deal

Daft Punk have signed a new record deal.

The French dance duo - Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo - are rumoured to be releasing their first album in eight years in May after inking a deal with Columbia Records.

The 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger' hitmakers returned to the studio last year to begin work on a fourth studio album - a follow-up to 2005's 'Human After All' - with disco producer Nile Rodgers.

Speaking about the sessions, Nile said: ''All I can say is those guys are geniuses and to think that after all these years we've been trying to get together, they just show up at my apartment in New York City and the vibe between us is so powerful and so strong - it's unbelievable.

''Spiritually and artistically working with them was as good as anything I've ever done. It's as great as being in a studio with [David] Bowie, it's great as being with Bernard Edwards, and it's as great as the best stuff I've ever done with Duran [Duran] or Madonna.''

Daft Punk - who are known for wearing robot masks in public to shield their identity - last toured, performing live around the world in 2006 and 2007. In 2010, the duo's last studio project was to compose the score for 2010 film 'Tron: Legacy'.