He’s one of the world’s most famous DJs. now Laurent Garnier is demonstrating his talents as a tune-smith, too. He tells us what we can look forward to at Electric PIcnic.
Laurent Garnier brims with enthusiasm. The Parisian producer and DJ never stops talking. A track on his latest album, Tales Of A Kleptomaniac, sums him up: ‘No Musik, No Life’.
But there’s another side to the man. Tales Of A Kleptomaniac is a breakthrough in terms of his abilities as a producer.
He explains: “I feel there’s everything there that I’ve really loved throughout the years: jazz, disco, funk, hip-hop, psychedelic rock, as well as the techno and house.”
Tales is a slippery record, full of unexpected twists and turns.
“I love playing to a crowd and seeing half of them going mental to it... and the other scratching their heads, thinking, ‘What is all this?’”
At Electric Picnic, Laurent’s full band are expected to be one of the highlights of the dance area. It turns out he’s a fan of the festival.
“Actually, Electric Picnic 2006 is one of my favourite gigs of all time,” he enthuses. “I remember every bit of it. Me and the band were pretty nervous staring out into this huge tent of ravers. It turned out to be one of our best live experiences ever.”
Nowadays his interests lie firmly in live performance.
“I haven’t DJ-ed in over 18 months. I’ve put everything into the live show and developing as a producer, which is really important to me. This album and the live show going with it are things I had to do, after years of making music in one genre. I hate, as a punter, going to see someone and seeing them again a year later, and nothing has changed. We give you a different experience at every show. Don’t expect to hear only techno. You’ll get a bit of everything.”
