Laurent Garnier

Laurent Garnier
Garnier in 2006
Background information
Also known as
  • Choice
  • DJ Pedro
Born (1966-02-01) 1 February 1966
Origin Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Genres
Years active 1986-present
Labels

Laurent Garnier, (French pronunciation: ​[loʁɑ̃ ɡaʁnje]), born 1 February 1966, 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

In 1984, Garnier started working as a waiter for the French Embassy in London.[1] He started to play with Dj Nelson a.k.a. Dj Stan in French club. Then, 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.[2]

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.[1]

In 1988, he went back to France to fulfill his military obligations.[1] He also spent some time in New York where he met Frankie Knuckles.[1] 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,[1] 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).[1][3]

His first album, Shot in the Dark, was released in 1995.[4] 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,[5] "The Man with the Red Face".

He is famously known for bringing electronic music to broader audiences. For example, he was the first electronic act to play Salle Pleyel in 2010, an iconic classical music concert hall in Paris, and he composed the soundtrack of a ballet by Angelin Prejlocaj, "Suivront mille ans de calme".

Selected discography

Charted albums

Title Year Peak chart positions
FR[6] BE BE (V) BE (W) UK[7]
Shot in the Dark 1994 — — — — 87
30 1997 42 — — — 92
Early Works 1998 66 — — — —
Unreasonable Behaviour 2000 42 11[8] — — 94
My Excess Luggage 2003 139 — — — —
The Cloud Making Machine 2005 73 — — — —
Tales of a Kleptomaniac 2009 45 — 28[9] 74[9] —
La Home Box 2015 98 — 98[10] 111[10] —

Charted singles

Title Year Peak chart positions
FR[6] UK[7]
Astral Dreams

(with F Communications)

 1994 — 85
Crispy Bacon

(with F Communications)

 1997 — 60
Flashback

(with F Communications)

 1998 — 82
Coloured City

(with F Communications)

 2000 100 98
Mega Single: Techno 2003 95 —
The Sound of the Big Babou

(with F Communications)

 — 92
Man with the Red Face

(with F Communications)

 2005 — 65
Gnanmankoudji 2009 99 —
Greed/The Man with the Red Face

(with F Communications)

 2009 — 36

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 (with Håkon Kornstad)
  • Public Outburst (live album) (2007)
  • Tales of a Kleptomaniac (2009), PIAS
  • HOME box (2015), F Communications

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[11]
  • "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[11]
  • "Greed" / "The Man with the Red Face" - 2000 - UK #36[11]
  • "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)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Johnson, Miles (2007) "Profile - Laurent Garnier", The List, Issue 591, 29 November 2007, retrieved 2012-03-16
  2. ↑ Bush, John. "Biography: Laurent Garnier". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Orlov, Peter (2000) "Label Profile: F Communications", CMJ New Music Monthly, November 2000, p. 15, retrieved 2012-03-16
  4. ↑ Frater, Patrick (1996) "France", Billboard, 20 January 1996, p. 53, retrieved 2012-03-16
  5. ↑ "Weekly Classic: Laurent Garnier's 'The Man With The Red Face'". 5 Feb 2016. Retrieved 29 Apr 2016.
  6. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Discographie Laurent Garnier". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  7. 1 2 "LAURENT GARNIER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  8. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Laurent Garnier - Unreasonable Behaviour". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  9. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Laurent Garnier - Tales Of A Kleptomaniac". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  10. 1 2 Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Laurent Garnier - La Home Box". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  11. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 222. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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