Laurent Garnier HHV Records 14 Items

In the Second Summer of Love

Not only in the Deep-House scene is the name Garnier familiar to most people – in the realm of Acid and Trance as well, the DJ and producer’s immense creative palette over the years has made him one of the most important players in the international scene. Growing up in Boulogne sur Seine, the Frenchman crossed over to England at the age of 20 and worked in the London embassy in the late 80s before he began regularly DJing in Manchester’s clubs shortly thereafter. Under the name DJ Pedro, he acted within the center of the emerging Madchester movement with his eclectic mix of Detroit Techno and Acid House: amidst indie and neo-psychedelia bands like the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, attention was drawn to those who provided stomping Techno in the young world of spontaneous raves and danceable enjoyment of mind-expanding drugs during the so-called Second Summer of Love. The Haçienda Club, managed by the band New Order, was regarded as the central hub for the new youth – at this gathering point of partygoers, Laurent Garnier regularly jumped behind the turntables and established himself as a DJ pioneer of the genre. He then brought the Madchester influence with him to Paris at the beginning of the 90s: there he led the Wake Up Club and provided the locals with the required dose of Techno.

From Acid House to Sound Collages

The transition to producing his own tracks became increasingly important to the Frenchman. He first released several 12" records on the FNAC label, including the now scene-classic EP A bout de souffle. Then, he and his friend Eric Morand founded their own label, F Communications, where his first full-length album, Shot in the Dark, found a home. Although the released LPs were more of a side effect of the actual live fun with Garnier, his 1997 album 30 featured great moments that effortlessly showcased his skills as a techno pioneer. With his 2000 album Unreasonable Behaviour, the producer already focused on tracks that were less hip-swinging but offered experimental diversity, featuring scratchy synthesizer melodies and jazz elements. The 2005 album The Cloud Making Machine was even more atmospheric, with almost no drums and instead adorned with sentimental ideas in the form of sound collages that were reminiscent of film music. It was evident from the guest talents who sang, played guitar, and tickled the ivories on his work that he could not achieve this masterpiece alone.

The Madchester spirit remains

Even with the tracks released in 2009 on Tales of a Kleptomaniac, the techno giant tried to transcend the often clearly defined genre. The Retrospective sampler made it apparent that he did not suddenly take this path, but rather smoothed it over the years. Here, we can follow him in one piece from his roots in Paris in the 90s to the blooming present – and it should be obvious by now that the excesses of his Madchester days have hardly left him in spirit, especially with his extensive DJ performances. For example, at the Time Warp Festival in Mannheim in 2008, he claimed the bass boxes for himself for a continuous eight-hour set. After all, he says himself: “I would like to make things clear: I will remain a DJ for the rest of my life.” In addition to this lifelong passion, however, he also composes for video games and documentaries and collaborates with experimental rock acts such as The Limiñanas. His musical talent was recognized in 2017 when he was awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest national order of merit, marking Garnier’s cultural weight not only in the French electronic world – as a producer, but also as a discoverer and curator of music by others. Because ultimately, it’s about sharing his music treasures: “Being a DJ is, above all, a visceral need for me to share the music I love, no matter what, in one way or another.”