Laurent Garnier

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.

Early influences In 1984, Garnier started working as a waiter at the French Embassy in London. 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.

Career 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.

His first album, Shot in the Dark, was released in 1995. 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, "The Man with the Red Face".

Following the release of 33 tours et puis s'en vont in 2023, Garnier maintained a significant presence on the international festival circuit. In 2026, he was announced as the headliner for the historic 30th anniversary of the Astropolis festival in Brest. Performing on the "La Cour" stage at the Manoir de Keroual, Garnier was billed for a special three-hour set, symbolizing his long-standing role as a pioneer of the French techno scene and his enduring relationship with the festival's three-decade history.

Selected discography Charted albums

Charted singles

FR "Crispy Bacon Part 2" (1997) "Flashback" (1997) "Coloured City" (1998) "The Sound of the Big Babou" (1999) "The Man with the Red Face" (2000) UK No. 65 "Greed" / "The Man with the Red Face" (2000) UK No. 36 "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)

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

Compilations and DJ sessions 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)