Laurent Garnier

Laurent Garnier
Garnier in 2006
Background information
Also known as	Choice, DJ Pedro
Born	(1966-02-01) 1 February 1966
Origin	Boulogne-sur-Seine, France
Genres	Electronica, house
Years active	1986-present
Labels	F Communications Mute Records

Laurent Garnier (born 1 February 1966, Boulogne-sur-Seine, France), also known as Choice, is a French electronic music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJ-ing in Manchester during the late 1980s. By the following decade, he had a broad stylistic range, able to span deep house, Detroit techno, trance and jazz. He added production work to his schedule in the early 1990s, and recorded several albums.

Early influences

During the late 1970s, Garnier discovered clubbing with his brother in Paris, where his family lived. He had an obsession with disco but also listened to all other contemporary musical genres including reggae, funk, and punk. At 16, Garnier had started recording and mixing music on tape recorders.

In 1984, Garnier started working as a waiter for the French Embassy in London. He stayed there for a year and a half before moving to Manchester in 1986. Living in England he discovered the booming UK house scene and started DJing.

Career

In 1987, he discovered The Haçienda in Manchester, and met Mike Pickering the resident DJ. Chicago house and Detroit techno became popular, and Garnier started mixing there under the name of DJ Pedro.

In 1988, he went back to France to fulfill his military obligations. He also spent some time in New York where he met Frankie Knuckles. Garnier shifted his attention back to France in the early 1990s, running the Wake Up parties at the Rex Club in Paris for three years, while in 1992 he played a three-night long Weekender set at the Cork venue, Sir Henry's. He also mixed in clubs such as le Palace or le Boy, DJing in rave parties and gradually moving into recording as well. For the FNAC label, Garnier released "French Connection" and the A Bout de Souffle EP. After that label went out of business, he formed the F Communications label with Eric Morand (a friend who had also worked for FNAC). He often also DJed at "Open all hours" at London's Ministry of Sound on Friday nights, in the early and mid 1990s, and was a resident at The End before its closure in January 2009.

His first album, Shot in the Dark, was released in 1995. His second, 30, appeared in 1997 and included one of Garnier's best selling singles, "Crispy Bacon". 30 was followed by the retrospective Early Works. After appearing worldwide with DJ appearances during the late 1990s, Garnier returned to production with Unreasonable Behaviour, released in early 2000, which featured one of his best known songs, "The Man with the Red Face". In 2005, The Cloud Making Machine, was released, followed the next year by Retrospective. This was a best of compilation album, which had both his original work and remixes, including some released on vinyl-only, plus rare tracks. His latest album was Tales of a Kleptomaniac (2009).

Garnier has collaborated with System 7, the Norwegian saxophonist Håkon Kornstad, and played several live shows with Bugge Wesseltoft (those recordings appeared on Public Outburst and Retrospective).

Selected discography

Albums

• Shot in the Dark (1994), F Communications
• Raw Works (US only compilation) (1996), Never Recordings
• 30 (1997), F Communications/PIAS France
• Unreasonable Behaviour (2000), F Communications
• Early Works (compilation) (1998), Arcade
• The Cloud Making Machine (2005), F Communications/PIAS
• Retrospective 1994 - 2006 (compilation) (2006), F Communications/PIAS (wit Håkon Kornstad)
• Public Outburst (live album) (2007)
• Tales of a Kleptomaniac (2009), PIAS

Singles and EPs

With Ed Banger Records

• "Timeless EP" -2012

With FNAC Music Dance Division

• "French Connection" (with Mix Master Doody) - 'as French Connection' (1991)
• Stronger By Design EP (1992)
• "Join Hands" (remixes) - (1992)
• Paris EP - 1993 - as 'Choice' (also published by Fragile Records)
• A Bout de Souffle EP - (1993) (also published by Warp Records)
• "For House Music Lovers" - 1993
• "Lost in Alaska" - 'as Alaska' - 1993
• Planet House EP - 1993

With F Communications

• Dune (with Pascal Feos) - Alliance EP - 1994
• "Astral Dreams" - 1994
• Alaska - Deuxième EP - 1995
• Club Traxx EP - 1995
• "The Hoe" - 1996
• "Crispy Bacon Part 1" - 1997 - UK #60
• "Crispy Bacon Part 2" - 1997
• "Flashback" - 1997
• "Coloured City" - 1998
• Club Traxx EP Vol 2 - 1998
• "The Sound of the Big Babou" - 1999
• "The Man with the Red Face" - 2000 - UK #65
• "Greed" / "The Man with the Red Face" - 2000 - UK #36
• "Sambou" - 2002
• "Returning Back to Sirius" - 'as Alaska' - 2003
• Marl Chingus (with Ludovic Llorca) - "6 Months Earlier" - 2004
• "The Cloud Making Machine" (reworks vol 1 & 2) - 2005

With Innervisions

• Back to My Roots EP - 2008

DVDs

• Greed - DVD single - F Communications, Film Office, TDK Mediactive - 2001
• Live à l'Elysée Montmartre - F communications - 2002

Compilations and DJ sessions

• X-Mix - Destination Planet Dream (Studio !K7 - 1994)
• Mixmag Live Vol. 19 (1995)
• Laboratoire Mix (2xCD, React, 1996)
• Early Works (2xCD, 1998)
• Fashion TV: Spring - Summer 2001 Collection
• Classic And Rare : La Collection Chapter 3 (F Communications, 2002)
• Excess Luggage (3xCD, F Communications, 2003)
• The Kings Of Techno (Rapster Records, 2006)
• Mixmag 25 Years Anniversary (2008)

External links

• Laurent Garnier — official site
• Laurent Garnier discography at Discogs
• Laurent Garnier profile at club The End's website
• Laurent Garnier interview on HarderFaster
• Laurent Garnier biography from RFI Musique (in French)
• Laurent Garnier Essential Mix 2009
• Laurent Garnier DJ mix