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Laurent Garnier

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Laurent Garnier, also known as Choice, is a French producer and DJ, born in 1966. In 1984 he worked as a waiter at the French embassy in London. In 1986 he moved to Manchester, where he discovered the flourishing British house scene and began to play records. In 1987 he came to The Haçienda and played there under the name DJ Pedro, when Chicago house and Detroit techno were becoming popular. In New York he met Frankie Knuckles.

Music and breakthrough

In the early 1990s he returned to France. For three years he organised the Wake Up parties at the Rex Club in Paris and played in Dijon, at Le Palace and at raves. For the label FNAC he made French Connection and the EP A Bout de Souffle. He then founded the label F Communications with Eric Morand. His first album was Shot in the Dark, followed by 30 in 1997, with the single Crispy Bacon. In 2000 came Unreasonable Behaviour, with The Man with the Red Face, one of his best-known tracks. Later albums are The Cloud Making Machine, Tales of a Kleptomaniac and Le roi bâtard.

Influence

His music is techno and house with a heavy, danceable rhythm, and he often plays long sets. Garnier is regarded as a pioneer of French techno and remains a fixture at the big festivals. He shows how a DJ, who at first only plays records, can also build a label and a sound of his own.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to The Man with the Red Face and notice how the track grows out of a small, repeated figure and how the electronic beat runs firmly beneath everything.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists