Ahead of Sónar Hong Kong, DJ Laurent Garnier on Asian crowds, young French DJs and why he never looks back
It has been more than 30 years since he played his first record at a nightclub but French electronic music godfather Laurent Garnier still focuses on keeping things fresh and says Hong Kong has one of best crowds he has ever played to
Laurent Garnier has been at the forefront of the global clubbing movement for three decades, rarely taking a break from the turntables since discovering house music at Manchester’s legendary Hacienda nightclub.
While the Frenchman’s fellow pioneers of that era have turned to the “old school” nostalgia circuit and play to middle-aged crowds, 52-year-old Garnier is still striving to push musical boundaries.
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Speaking from his home in southern France ahead of his headline performance at Sónar Hong Kong on March 17, Garnier says electronic music “has always been about looking forward and not looking back. When I start sounding like a rusty jukebox, I’m going to have to stop.”
Garnier is a restless spirit, constantly seeking new horizons for the music that first enticed him when he was working in the UK as a trainee waiter. He gigs relentlessly, has his own online radio show that has been running for 14 years and is in the middle of writing music for a film. He has also just started recording his first new material in years.
Before all that comes to fruition, however, there’s Sónar Hong Kong, the second local edition of the world’s premier dance festival held each summer in Barcelona. Garnier has been part of the Sónar family for years, but this will be his first time at Hong Kong’s iteration.
