(Paris, France) – No… The godfather of French techno hasn’t entered into a public spat with anyone; he’s just recorded an album of tracks that come from his penchant for live music experimentation. Calling Public Outburst a ‘live album’ doesn’t come close to describing it…
Laurent Garnier’s always been one to experiment. The leading French DJ in years when most people on the international scene would have struggled to name another one, he still stands above newcomers like Ivan Smagghe and Dan Ghenacia like a father figure. He is, after all, someone who went back to France when acid house was really hitting the UK, specifically to push the sound in his native France.
However, Monsieur Garnier doesn’t rest on his laurels. Instead, he continues to busy himself with music of all styles – few get asked to sit in for Giles Peterson on his Worldwide Radio 1 show, as Laurent has done – and continues to innovate behind the decks and in the studio. And that’s where Public Outburst comes in; his live collaborations with keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft have gained as much acclaim as his DJ sets these days (ask anyone who’s seen them at Sonar), while his partnership with Phillipe Nadaud, a brass instrumentalist, has now lasted ten years. Add into the mix Laurent’s work with ‘Man With A Red Face’ Benjamin Rippert, who’s been a regular part of the act since he was first seen when the two orchestrated the Cinemix at the Louvre Auditorium, and you have some idea of the quality of this project.
From the blessed-out yet twisted beauty of 63, to the instrumental tech-funk of Controlling The House, and ending with the appropriately downbeat Barbiturik Blues; this is serious music for serious music fans – just like M. Garnier himself.
