The minister of sound
The Age
Friday December 4, 2009
After a long break, this pioneer of dance is back on decks, writes Andrew Drever. FIVE years ago, veteran French DJ-producer Laurent Garnier ripped up his own rule book, embarking on a 4-year, self-imposed exile from producing all music aimed at the dancefloor.One of dance music's most esteemed and respected names for more than two decades, the Frenchman was responsible for club anthems such as 1993's Acid Eiffel, 1996's Crispy Bacon and 2000's epic end-of-night classic, Man with the Red Face.However, on 2005's strikingly down-tempo The Cloud Making Machine, he began exploring a more personal side of his music, replete with dark, cinematic, jazzy textures, venturing even deeper down this path in 2007 with his improv-jazz-inspired live album, Public Outburst. The levee finally broke last year with the issue of a tellingly titled club EP, Back to My Roots.Garnier says the frustration of not allowing himself to do what comes naturally meant he could return to being interested in making dancefloor music again."Yes, I needed this frustration just for myself, to go away from something which everybody knew me for and to prove to myself that I can go in different directions and feel good about it," the enthusiastic, 43-year-old Frenchman says from his village home in the south of France. "People now know a bit more about who I am. They might not like everything about who I am but at least they won't know what to expect, which is healthy. I think when people know an artist so much that they know exactly his next move, that's when it's dangerous. I like to be in a position of risk all the time."Garnier made his DJ debut at acid-house's original ground zero €” Manchester's infamous Hacienda nightclub €” in 1987 while living in Britain. He took what he learned from Britain's then-exploding dance scene back to Parisian clubs, pioneering the "French touch" sound many years before the likes of latter-day French stars Daft Punk, Cassius or Justice. In 1994, he set up his record label, F Communications, currently on an indefinite hiatus.As a DJ, Garnier has held residencies at some of the world's great clubs: The Rex in Paris; London's The End and Ministry of Sound; and Manchester's aforementioned Hacienda. Renowned for his ability to blend a range of styles, he is also famous for his marathon sets. Garnier's philosophy is simple: anything less than six hours and the audience is getting cheated."I always laugh when I see DJs who are washed out after two hours," he says. "It's not about banging out the hits one after the other, playing two-minute tracks and then leaving after two hours. The time is important, the floor, the lights, the sound system, the space, the mood. This is what DJing is all about €” to catch all of this, understand it and try to do something with this. My job as a DJ is to try to make the night special and to make the night special, you need time."Garnier says his fifth and latest artist album, Tales of a Kleptomaniac, which traverses hip-hop, drum'n'bass, dub-reggae, techno, dubstep, beat poetry and tribal house, is a result of being in tune with his live band. Playing live, Garnier assumes the role of "orchestra conductor" but admits keeping the jazz-trained musicians contained is often difficult."When you're on stage with jazz musicians, who can play like there's no tomorrow, you need to have somebody direct them, otherwise it can become a real mess straight away," he says. "Everybody wants to have their solo ... It's like a bunch of crazy dogs €” you just need to have some strong leads and hold them."Laurent Garnier and band play tomorrow at the Stereosonic Festival, Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
© 2009 The Age