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Laurent Garnier

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Laurent Garnier (born 1 February 1966), also known as Choice, is a French electronic music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJing in Manchester during the late 1980s. He became a producer in the early 1990s and recorded several albums.

Laurent Garnier
Also known as
  • Choice
  • DJ Pedro
Born (1966-02-01) 1 February 1966 (age 58)
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Genreselectronic, house
Occupation(s)Disc jockey, record producer, composer
Years active1987–present
LabelsF Communications, Mute, Thirsty Ear

Early influences

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In 1984, Garnier started working as a waiter at the French Embassy in London.[1] He started playing with DJ Nelson, a.k.a. DJ Stan, at a French club. 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, including at the Haçienda.[2]

Career

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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 City 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] and in Dijon from 1990 to 1994 at L'An-Fer 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".

Selected discography

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Charted albums

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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] —
33 tours et puis s'en vont 2023 — — — 41[11] —

Charted singles

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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

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  • 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 (compilation) (2006), F Communications/PIAS (includes a track with Håkon Kornstad)
  • Public Outburst (2007), F Communications, live album with Bugge Wesseltoft, Philippe Nadaud, Benjamin Rippert
  • Tales of a Kleptomaniac (2009), PIAS
  • la HOME box (2015), F Communications
  • De Película (2021), with The Limiñanas, Because Music
  • 33 tours et puis s'en vont (2023), COD3 QR

Singles and EPs

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With Ed Banger records

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  • "Timeless EP" (2012)

With FNAC Music Dance Division

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  • As French Connection (1991), with Mix Master Doody
  • Stronger By Design EP (1992)
  • "Join Hands" (remixes) (1992)
  • Paris EP (1993), with Shazz, as Choice (also published by Fragile Records)
  • A bout de souffle EP (1993) (also published by Warp Records)
  • "Wake Up!" (1993) ("One year of music for house music lovers" – free to people who went to the first anniversary of the "Wake Up" club in Paris)
  • "Lost in Alaska" (1993), with Nic Britton, as Alaska
  • Planet House EP (1993)

With F Communications

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  • Alliance EP (1994), with Pascal FEOS, as Dune
  • "Astral Dreams" (1994)
  • Deuxième EP (1995), as Alaska
  • Club Traxx EP (1995)
  • "The Hoe" (1996)
  • "Crispy Bacon Part 1" (1997) UK No. 60[12]
  • "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 No. 65[12]
  • "Greed" / "The Man with the Red Face" (2000) UK No. 36[12]
  • "Sambou" (2002)
  • "Returning Back to Sirius" (2003), as Alaska
  • "6 Months Earlier" (2004), with Ludovic Llorca, as Marl Chingus
  • "The Cloud Making Machine" (reworks vol 1 & 2) (2005)

With Innervisions

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  • Back to My Roots EP (2008)

DVDs

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

Compilations and DJ sessions

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  • 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

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Miles (2007) "Profile – Laurent Garnier", The List, Issue 591, 29 November 2007. Retrieved 16 March 2012
  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 16 March 2012
  4. ^ Frater, Patrick (1996) "France", Billboard, 20 January 1996, p. 53. Retrieved 16 March 2012
  5. ^ "Weekly Classic: Laurent Garnier's 'The Man With The Red Face'". 5 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b "lescharts.com – Discographie Laurent Garnier". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b "LAURENT GARNIER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  8. ^ "lescharts.com – Laurent Garnier – Unreasonable Behaviour". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. ^ a b "lescharts.com – Laurent Garnier – Tales of a Kleptomaniac". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  10. ^ a b "lescharts.com – Laurent Garnier – La Home Box". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Laurent Garnier – 33 tours et puis s'en vont" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b c 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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