“I prefer kids discovering Kevin Saunderson remixes rather than buying 2 Unlimited records…” Laurent Garnier on changing musical tastes [May 1994]

Laurent Garnier has been a pivotal figure in techno for close to three decades now, and has long had a reputation for speaking his mind when it comes to the development of the scene.

Back in 1994, a time when dance’s various subgenres were gaining shape, Garnier gave an interview to Generator magazine on the need for clubbers to keep an open mind when it comes to music.

“I’ve always believed that the emotions within music should be shared with people,” he explained to Generator‘s Veena Virdi. “I think that it’s important to please people, because being a DJ is not about being a selfish bastard and playing just for you. At the end of the day, you’re working for an an owner and trying to please a crowd. And you’ve got to respect that.

“But that doesn’t mean that you can’t play a wide variety of music. You still need some sort of reaction from people. That’s important. I hate going to clubs where people are anaesthetised and think that whatever the DJ is playing must be good. That’s bullshit!”

Citing Detroit techno as a “recent trend” in the UK at the time, he goes on to discuss the eagerness among clubbers to explore new sounds, in the process leaving the past behind.

“I’ve liked [Detroit techno] from day one and have always bought the stuff,” he says. “I prefer kids discovering Kevin Saunderson remixes rather than buying 2 Unlimited records.

“But this whole ‘trend’ business is silly. The problem is that people always go on to something new the following year. Just look at how England was influenced by breakbeats and German hardcore last year. Now that has gone underground, everyone is getting into techno.”

And at a time when Daft Punk were making their first tentative moves into the dance music consciousness, he also offers a word of advice for up and coming French producers and DJs.

“We’ve got to prove that French people can make good music as well, because two years ago, people were laughing at us. They thought ‘France? All you’ve got is camembert, bread and wine’. But now we have a scene, and it’s getting stronger.”

The full article can be found below. [Article taken from Generator, May 1994. Interview by Veena Virdi.]