DJ & Producer · France
Laurent Garnier
Laurent Garnier, French techno DJ born in 1966 in Boulogne-Billancourt, co-founded F Communications and released 33 tours et puis s'en vont in 2023.
quick facts
- Also known as
- Choice, DJ Pedro
- Born
- 1 February 1966
- Birthplace
- Boulogne-Billancourt, France
- Nationality
- French
- Active since
- 1987
- Labels
- F Communications, COD3 QR
- Genres
- Techno, House
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, de.wikipedia.org, fr.wikipedia.org, technoairlines.com, mixmag.net
Few DJs have carried a scene as long as Laurent Garnier. He came back from the Haçienda in Manchester in the late 1980s with a head full of Chicago house and Detroit techno, and spent the next decade persuading France that a club night could be a cultural event. Nearly four decades on he is still one of the names a festival books to give a lineup some weight, even as he has talked about stepping back from touring.
From Boulogne-Billancourt to Manchester
Garnier was born on 1 February 1966 in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, to a father who worked as a fairground operator and a mother who was a hairdresser, according to French Wikipedia. The same source says he made his first mixes in 1982 on a free radio station, Radio Teenager. After hotel school he moved to London to work at the French Embassy, then to Manchester in 1986, where the city's house boom pulled him behind the decks.
In 1987 he discovered the Haçienda and met its resident Mike Pickering. Playing there as DJ Pedro, he absorbed Chicago house and Detroit techno at source. After military service in France in 1988 he spent time in New York, where he met Frankie Knuckles, before returning to Paris and shaping the early French rave and club scene.
Wake Up, Rex Club and the Road to F Communications
Back in France in the early 1990s, Garnier ran the Wake Up nights at the Rex Club in Paris and held a residency at L'An-Fer in Dijon from 1990 to 1994, according to English Wikipedia. French Wikipedia adds a January 1992 rave at La Défense, organised with Libération and the label Fnac Music Dance Division, with around 4,000 people in attendance, and a Thursday show on Radio Nova called Paradise Garage. Early records for Fnac, including French Connection and the A Bout de Souffle EP, led to the creation of his own label.
F Communications, which Garnier founded with Eric Morand after the Fnac imprint folded, became the home of his records. French Wikipedia notes he produced the St Germain album Boulevard in 1995. The label suspended its activities in 2008, and it marked 25 years in 2020 with limited remastered editions of tracks by Garnier, Scan X, Mr Oizo and St Germain.
Albums and Signature Tracks
His first album, Shot in the Dark, appeared in 1994 or 1995 depending on the source, followed by 30 in 1997, which carried one of his best-selling singles, "Crispy Bacon", a UK No. 60. Unreasonable Behaviour arrived in 2000 with "The Man with the Red Face", which reached No. 36 in the UK in its Greed pairing. The Cloud Making Machine followed in 2005, Tales of a Kleptomaniac in 2009, and la HOME box in 2015. In 2021 he released De Película with the Limiñanas on Because Music.
He also wrote Électrochoc, a book about the electronic scene that he watched take shape in the late 1980s and 1990s; a German edition, Elektroschock, appeared in 2005. French Wikipedia lists a string of honours: in February 1998 he was the first winner of the Victoires de la musique award for electronic music, in September 1998 he was the first DJ to headline the Olympia, and on 15 September 2017 he was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, reported as the first DJ to receive it.
Sound and Style
Techno Airlines lists his genres as techno, house, Detroit techno and acid house, but the catalogue is wider than that. French Wikipedia credits him with scoring a ballet for Angelin Preljocaj and film soundtracks, and Mixmag described his 2023 album as his most dancefloor-focused record yet, drawing on club, techno, hip hop, house and drum 'n' bass, with Alan Vega and Alan Watts among the features. It is a fair summary of a career spent refusing to sit in one lane.
Festivals and Live Career
Garnier's name is attached to some of European dance music's founding moments. Time Warp's first edition, staged on 26 November 1994 near Stuttgart, listed him on a bill with Robert Armani and Speedy J, and he has remained part of the festival's returning cast. Nuits Sonores in Lyon counts him among its past performers on English Wikipedia, and he was among the artists scheduled for Sónar and Nuits Sonores in the summer of 2023 before health reasons forced him to cancel. BLITZ in Munich counted him among its guest DJs, and Kompakt's 500th release compilation in May 2025 featured him among its artists. RTS.FM's profile of the Paris DJ Okain notes that hearing Garnier play around the city drew him into the scene.
His reach into younger scenes is visible too. A promoter ticket page for a Moscow show by the DJ Shkedul claims Garnier plays his tracks, though RTS.FM could not verify that. The documentary Laurent Garnier: Off the Record, made with Gabin Rivoire and announced in 2019 alongside a Kickstarter campaign, premiered in 2021, and festival and cinema listings say it features interviews with figures including Jeff Mills, Carl Cox and Derrick May.
Stepping Back, and 2025 to 2026
In March 2023 Mixmag reported that Garnier would release 33 tours et puis s'en vont, his first solo album in eight years, on 25 May 2023 via COD3 QR, a label he founded in 2018, and said he planned to step back from touring in 2024, calling it an important turning point in a 33-year career. In April 2023 he cancelled summer shows, including Plano B in Porto, Nuits Sonores, Sónar, Solidays and Karrusel, citing health reasons. French Wikipedia says he later returned to the stage and to radio, and from September 2024 he has hosted a monthly show, [DEEP]Search, on FIP.
His diary has not gone quiet. Techno Airlines lists him at Monegros Desert Festival in Fraga, Spain, on 26 July 2025. In 2026 Astropolis in Brest, celebrating its 30th edition from 2 to 5 July, listed him on its lineup, including a b2b with Miley Serious according to Unidivers, and English Wikipedia describes him as the headliner of the anniversary. Electronic Groove reported on 30 June 2026 that NEOPOP, returning as ANTIPOP for its 20th anniversary from 6 to 8 August in Viana do Castelo, had named him surprise guest of honour for the closing set, following earlier performances in 2014 and 2019. Techno Airlines also lists S Festival in Lyon, from 9 to 13 December 2026, as his next confirmed date.
FAQ
How old is Laurent Garnier?
Laurent Garnier was born on 1 February 1966, according to English, German and French Wikipedia and Techno Airlines, which makes him 60 as of November 2026.
Where is Laurent Garnier from?
He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the Hauts-de-Seine department near Paris, France, and made his name in Manchester, Paris and across Europe.
What nationality is Laurent Garnier?
French. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt and is regularly described as a French DJ and producer.
Who is Laurent Garnier?
Laurent Garnier is a French techno and house DJ and producer who started DJing in Manchester in the late 1980s, ran the Wake Up nights at Rex Club in Paris and co-founded the label F Communications.
What label does Laurent Garnier run?
He co-founded F Communications with Eric Morand, home to his early albums, and founded COD3 QR in 2018, which released his 2023 album 33 tours et puis s'en vont.
What is Laurent Garnier's best-known track?
"The Man with the Red Face" from the 2000 album Unreasonable Behaviour is among his best-known songs, and "Crispy Bacon" (1997) is one of his best-selling singles.
Is Laurent Garnier still touring?
In 2023 Mixmag reported that he planned to step back from touring and cancelled summer shows for health reasons. He has still been booked for selected festival sets, including Astropolis in July 2026 and a NEOPOP/ANTIPOP closing set announced for August 2026.
What is Laurent Garnier's latest album?
His most recent solo album is 33 tours et puis s'en vont, released on 25 May 2023 on COD3 QR. It is his first solo album since la HOME box in 2015.
What does Laurent Garnier's music sound like?
His records and sets draw on techno, house, acid, hip hop and drum 'n' bass. Mixmag called the 2023 album his most dancefloor-focused record yet.