Laurent Garnier
b. 1 February 1966, Boulogne sur Seine, near Paris, France. Influential European DJ figurehead Garnier enjoyed a previous life as a restaurant manager, then footman at the French Embassy (where he claims to have served UK dignitaries like the Queen, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher). Regarded as France's finest techno DJ, Garnier, who started behind the decks at the Hacienda in October 1987, insists that his musical spectrum is much wider. Although he has been a powerful advocate of all things Detroit for some time, he has also had a hand in the establishment of the European hard trance movement. A typical evening will see him mixing standbys from Rhythim Is Rhythim (Derrick May) and Joe Smooth (Promised Land) against classic Salsoul and disco records (typically Donna Summer's I Feel Love), in addition to the hotest new underground sounds. His reputation is built on a punishing schedule, performing five nights a week at up to four different countries within Europe. He also runs a club in Paris called Wake Up, whose free-ranging music policy was reflected on the Wake Up remix of Moby's Hymn. The latter was just one such remixing project, which has brought him to the forefront of the dance world. So too his label, FNAC, which, together with Eric Morand (his PR) pioneered French dance music. It has been superseded by a new imprint, F-Communications. However, before they bowed out of their involvement with FNAC, they put together a compilation, LA COLLECTION, which was extraordinarily well-received by dance critics and pundits. Many of the acts featured followed Garnier and Morand to their new label.