With all the hype surrounding the newest Daft Punk album Random Access Memories, some were unsure whether or not the group could deliver. But last night, Daft Punk cemented their status as dance-music demigods when their fourth album, Random Access Memories, shot to No. 1 of the UK album chart. Climbing to No. 1 at this speed makes Random Access Memories the fastest-selling album this year.

The French duo's fourth studio album sold 165,000 copies during its first week and is selling more than the rest of the top 10 combined. The album's lead anthem, "Get Lucky", featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers, has already spent four weeks at No 1. As well as beating the likes of David Bowie and Justin Timberlake, the album has smashed the previous record set by Michael Bublé, whose album, To Be Loved, clocked 121,000 sales last month.

Daft Punk's latest is a change in direction and momentum, as the last album eight years ago failed to produce a single top-10 hit. But, Daft Punk appears to be on to something. Critics are now hailing Random Access Memories as "disco's renaissance". The album's 13 songs are loosely modeled after the trends and musical styles of disco and have resonated with fans the world over.

Music critic Nick Coleman said: "Disco has become fashionable again and Daft Punk is leading that revival with a fresh, sparkly and chic sound rewritten for the 21st century. It has all the inbuilt virtues of sounds crafted between 1974 and the end of the decade: infectious tunes, an inbuilt bass line, thumping energy and arrangements played by humans.

"After 20 years of mechanised beats, their music is sounding fresh and exciting. In the climate where pop has no centre ground, provinces are being reinvestigated and right now, it just happens to be the turn of disco."