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Review: There's been much debate over the years about whose version of this seminal track was in fact the best. Laurent Garnier's 1997 classic "Crispy Bacon" gets a vinyl re-issue and it still stands the test of time. You can just imagine how innovative and futuristic this adrenalised peak time weapon sounded like in the mid-nineties. On the flip, the equally legendary Jeff Mills delivers his take on the track, keeping in mind that this is one of only a handful he's ever done. There's relentless and punishing cyclicality on offer here; the sharply resonating loops, that brutally overdriven 808 kick.. it's one of those secret weapons that never leaves the bag of the best techno DJs. Choose your side, but either way it's a definitely a classic!

Review: Ok, so the Speicher 95 series from Cologne's mythical Kompakt label is always capable of pleasing all sorts of DJs, from the shady outsider freaks to the progressive show-off, but having Laurent Garnier on top of that feels like striking gold. The legendary French producer and DJ doesn't exactly release a lot of music these days, so a new two-tracker by the man feels like something truly special to adorn our charts with. On the A-side, "1-4 Doctor C'est Chouette" is an explorative house voyage with plenty of life and organic energy behind its deep web of bass tones and spaced-out melodies; the flip, "From The Crypt To The Astrofloor", is another story altogether - Garnier enters a new realm of cerebral fantasy here, a world that sits more in line with films like Akira or Blade Runner rather than a basement dance floor. Magic.

Review: A brand new red-marbled 12" edition single of '33 Tours Et Puis S'en Vont' by red-faced techno legend Laurent Garnier. The euphoric track appears as the title track of the fresh new LP of the same name, and his first in eight years; here, remixes are handled by the likes of Voltaire, World Of Intent and Avision, forming a physical edition of a much wider remix pack.

Review: 'Kings of Techno' is the 6th instalment in a compilation series that grows more ubiquitous with each release. Over 130,000 albums have been sold in a series that brings together globally renowned DJs & producers to reveal their favourite tracks in the genre they themselves have become best known for. 'The Kings Of' albums allow compilers to make choices well beyond the usual restraints imposed on them. Each release features striking artwork from 60s Rolling Stones photographer & bon viveur extraordinaire Michael Joseph. Techno has its roots in Detroit, more precisely in the eclectic late radio programs of Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson which heavily featured early electronic works (Moroder, Kraftwerk...) and funk, giving birth to a new genre in the mind of a fistful of African-American students, 'The Belleville Three': Derrick May, Juan Atkins & Kevin Saunderson. Featuring a percussive, synthetic sound and a 4/4 beat, techno developed from a strictly underground phenomenon to an established, global genre when it came to England and from there the rest of the world. But this album is not your average techno mix album. How could it be - it features two of dance music's most significant players of the last 15 years. Laurent Garnier was one of the first Europeans to mix American house and techno music in Britain, earning his crown in the glory days of the Hacienda in the late 80s. Some tracks of his mix will be immediately recognizable as techno, such as the obscure 'Just A Feeling' by Instinct - deeply evocative of a 101 lost weekends in the 'Hac', as it affectionately became know by regulars - or the phenomenal 'Utopia' by Jeff Mills - a track which best defines the atmospheric soundscapes associated with the genre. But far from being strictly techno, Garnier's mix is both a testimony to the genre's main influences and an eclectic tribute to the town that saw its emergence: Detroit. The great beauty of his mix is the layering of the many styles, travelling from Alice Coltrane and Aretha Franklin to The Stooges, from Motown's Temptations to Slum Village to futuristic hip-hop-anthem-in-the-making Dabrye's collaboration with Jay Dee on 'Game Over'. Carl Craig grew up in Detroit; his diverse musical output has gained him fans from a broad range of musical backgrounds. Considered as one of the main figures of the second generation of Detroit techno producers, his extensive DJing all over the world witnessed the development of the genre. In direct contrast to Laurent's mix, his takes in music that mostly emanated from Europe. Like Laurent's, some falls easily into the techno category: Nitzer Ebb's industrial bass heavy 'Join In The Chant' fits seamlessly with Capricorn's 'I Need Love' from defunct early 90s trance label Sperm Records. Visage and Human League will be remembered for European chart success in the glory days of late 70s, early 80s pop music, the former perhaps better known for their hit 'Fade To Grey', the latter for their massive 'Don't You Want Me Baby'. Both had a high voltage current running through their music and significantly these tracks still gain a cheer on today's dance floor. So expect the unexpected, once again the meeting of minds in the 'Kings Of' series has spawned an informed, genre-defying double CD that's mixed to perfection, and that takes us on a journey from which we won't want to, or simply can't, return.

Review: 'Kings of Techno' is the 6th instalment in a compilation series that grows more ubiquitous with each release. Over 130,000 albums have been sold in a series that brings together globally renowned DJs & producers to reveal their favourite tracks in the genre they themselves have become best known for. 'The Kings Of' albums allow compilers to make choices well beyond the usual restraints imposed on them. Each release features striking artwork from 60s Rolling Stones photographer & bon viveur extraordinaire Michael Joseph. Techno has its roots in Detroit, more precisely in the eclectic late radio programs of Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson which heavily featured early electronic works (Moroder, Kraftwerk...) and funk, giving birth to a new genre in the mind of a fistful of African-American students, 'The Belleville Three': Derrick May, Juan Atkins & Kevin Saunderson. Featuring a percussive, synthetic sound and a 4/4 beat, techno developed from a strictly underground phenomenon to an established, global genre when it came to England and from there the rest of the world. But this album is not your average techno mix album. How could it be - it features two of dance music's most significant players of the last 15 years. Laurent Garnier was one of the first Europeans to mix American house and techno music in Britain, earning his crown in the glory days of the Hacienda in the late 80s. Some tracks of his mix will be immediately recognizable as techno, such as the obscure 'Just A Feeling' by Instinct - deeply evocative of a 101 lost weekends in the 'Hac', as it affectionately became know by regulars - or the phenomenal 'Utopia' by Jeff Mills - a track which best defines the atmospheric soundscapes associated with the genre. But far from being strictly techno, Garnier's mix is both a testimony to the genre's main influences and an eclectic tribute to the town that saw its emergence: Detroit. The great beauty of his mix is the layering of the many styles, travelling from Alice Coltrane and Aretha Franklin to The Stooges, from Motown's Temptations to Slum Village to futuristic hip-hop-anthem-in-the-making Dabrye's collaboration with Jay Dee on 'Game Over'. Carl Craig grew up in Detroit; his diverse musical output has gained him fans from a broad range of musical backgrounds. Considered as one of the main figures of the second generation of Detroit techno producers, his extensive DJing all over the world witnessed the development of the genre. In direct contrast to Laurent's mix, his takes in music that mostly emanated from Europe. Like Laurent's, some falls easily into the techno category: Nitzer Ebb's industrial bass heavy 'Join In The Chant' fits seamlessly with Capricorn's 'I Need Love' from defunct early 90s trance label Sperm Records. Visage and Human League will be remembered for European chart success in the glory days of late 70s, early 80s pop music, the former perhaps better known for their hit 'Fade To Grey', the latter for their massive 'Don't You Want Me Baby'. Both had a high voltage current running through their music and significantly these tracks still gain a cheer on today's dance floor. So expect the unexpected, once again the meeting of minds in the 'Kings Of' series has spawned an informed, genre-defying double CD that's mixed to perfection, and that takes us on a journey from which we won't want to, or simply can't, return.

Review: 'Kings of Techno' is the 6th instalment in a compilation series that grows more ubiquitous with each release. Over 130,000 albums have been sold in a series that brings together globally renowned DJs & producers to reveal their favourite tracks in the genre they themselves have become best known for. 'The Kings Of' albums allow compilers to make choices well beyond the usual restraints imposed on them. Each release features striking artwork from 60s Rolling Stones photographer & bon viveur extraordinaire Michael Joseph. Techno has its roots in Detroit, more precisely in the eclectic late radio programs of Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson which heavily featured early electronic works (Moroder, Kraftwerk...) and funk, giving birth to a new genre in the mind of a fistful of African-American students, 'The Belleville Three': Derrick May, Juan Atkins & Kevin Saunderson. Featuring a percussive, synthetic sound and a 4/4 beat, techno developed from a strictly underground phenomenon to an established, global genre when it came to England and from there the rest of the world. But this album is not your average techno mix album. How could it be - it features two of dance music's most significant players of the last 15 years. Laurent Garnier was one of the first Europeans to mix American house and techno music in Britain, earning his crown in the glory days of the Hacienda in the late 80s. Some tracks of his mix will be immediately recognizable as techno, such as the obscure 'Just A Feeling' by Instinct - deeply evocative of a 101 lost weekends in the 'Hac', as it affectionately became know by regulars - or the phenomenal 'Utopia' by Jeff Mills - a track which best defines the atmospheric soundscapes associated with the genre. But far from being strictly techno, Garnier's mix is both a testimony to the genre's main influences and an eclectic tribute to the town that saw its emergence: Detroit. The great beauty of his mix is the layering of the many styles, travelling from Alice Coltrane and Aretha Franklin to The Stooges, from Motown's Temptations to Slum Village to futuristic hip-hop-anthem-in-the-making Dabrye's collaboration with Jay Dee on 'Game Over'. Carl Craig grew up in Detroit; his diverse musical output has gained him fans from a broad range of musical backgrounds. Considered as one of the main figures of the second generation of Detroit techno producers, his extensive DJing all over the world witnessed the development of the genre. In direct contrast to Laurent's mix, his takes in music that mostly emanated from Europe. Like Laurent's, some falls easily into the techno category: Nitzer Ebb's industrial bass heavy 'Join In The Chant' fits seamlessly with Capricorn's 'I Need Love' from defunct early 90s trance label Sperm Records. Visage and Human League will be remembered for European chart success in the glory days of late 70s, early 80s pop music, the former perhaps better known for their hit 'Fade To Grey', the latter for their massive 'Don't You Want Me Baby'. Both had a high voltage current running through their music and significantly these tracks still gain a cheer on today's dance floor. So expect the unexpected, once again the meeting of minds in the 'Kings Of' series has spawned an informed, genre-defying double CD that's mixed to perfection, and that takes us on a journey from which we won't want to, or simply can't, return.

Review: Not content with delivering one of last years biggest techno moments with two superlative takes on Carl Craig's seminal "At Les" Christian Smith turns his hand to another deity of the techno realm in Laurent Garnier. In tandem with Brazilian techno icon Wehbba, they drop two alternate versions of Larry's iconic late nineties track "Flashback" with the 3am mix teasing out that distinctive bassline with such panache before it drops with an immensity that Garnier himself was moved to comment "This mix is f*cking brilliant, I LOOOVE IT I will hammer it everywhere LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS" You can't get a higher recommendation than that! The flipside remake remains truer to the original track but is sort of overshadowed by the intensity of the A Side.

Review: Here's something conceptual from everyone's favourite veteran French DJ/producer: an expansive box set containing tracks from his five thrillingly varied 2014 EPs, a previously unheard 12" (entitled Honey, I'm Home), and a shedload of brand new remixes from the likes of Marc Romboy, Traumer and Husbands. Furthermore, the box set marks the surprise resurrection - for this release only, apparently - of Garnier's once-lauded F Communications label. Musically, La Home Box is rather typical of the French legend, including as it does blistering techno, throbbing house, quirky electronica and bumpin' instrumental hip-hop. If that's not enough to get you reaching for your wallet, he's also included a bonus CD and numbered poster. Tres bien!

Review: Laurent Garnier's rebirth as a producer during 2014 - a year when he released five 12" singles on as many labels - is arguably one of the most heartening dance music stories of recent times. La Home Box, released on his revived F Communications imprint, charts that rebirth, gathering together tracks from those releases with a smattering of previously unheard cuts. It offers a snapshot of Garnier's long-displayed eclecticism, featuring not only throbbing techno stompers and woozy, darkwave-influenced house, but also experimental hip-hop, synth-wave and, in the case of "Bang (The Underground Doesn't Stop)", a dash of Head High style, piano-laden jack.

Review: The legendary Laurent Garnier, a man who has been so important to the house and techno world over the last twenty years thanks to seminal tunes like "Crispy Bacon", lands on his native F Communications (another solid club outlet!) with a sparkling new three tracker. "Drifting In Midwater" is a funky yet strangely eerie house melter filled with wonky, processed sonics and a classy, almost jazzy vibe. On the B-side, "I'm Going Home" is the techno sibling and its stop-start beat attack fits in total unison with the rolling trap of a bassline circling below it, whereas "And The Party Goes" heads into lo-fi territories: a drunken beat groove eats its way through hypnotic melodies and distant chords. Class, as per usual...

Review: Whilst the unison of Laurent Garnier and Ed Banger on last year's Timeless EP was unexpected, it nether the less proved to be a worthy exercise for two different generations of classic French electronic music. The label return to the EP here, focusing specifically on Garnier's unashamed celebration of Detroit techno that was "Jacques In The Box" with two totally different remixes. Brodinski and Gesaffelstein drop the tempo to create a nasty, dirge-like groove and Chicago Bordelo head in the opposite direction with an uncompromising techno workout.

Review: Having been surprisingly quiet in recent years, French techno titan Laurent Garnier is hitting 2014 hard. His plan is to release five 12" singles on five different labels, with each focusing on a different style. Here, we find him exploring experimental hip-hop and wonky electronica. There's plenty to enjoy, from the Knight Rider theme-meets-Detroit techno-meets-wonk-hop vines of "Wise Words For No Life Gucamoles" and intense, moody electromnica of "The Rise and Fall of Donkey Dog" contrasting nicely with the Flying Lotus-influenced cyber hip-hop murkiness of "Dinosaurs Are Gone" and "Return of the Lol Cat". The surprisingly varied remixes are tasty, too, with Claide's woozy, garage-influenced deep house take on "Wise Words..." and Baron Retif & Conception Perez's deep, jazz-influenced interpretation of "...Lol Cat" standing out.

Review: Laurent Garnier turned many-an unsuspecting head by appearing on 50 Weapons earlier this year, and before they've had a chance to look back in the other direction the infamous and much-loved Frenchman turns up on MCDE. It swiftly follows a hailed back-to-back DJ set he and MCDE boss Danilo Plessow played at Lyon's Nuits Sonores festival this year, and like Garnier did for 50 Weapons, he's attuned his sound to fit the label. Across both "Psyche-Delia" and "Whistle For Frankie", Garnier's seemingly taken the elements he loved most from Plessow's Raw Cuts series - warm pads, loose drums, bangin' percussion - and given them the full buffered Garnier treatment. If you love Garnier you'll obviously love this, but even more so for listeners not so inclined to the sounds of the big room French legend, this may well change your mind.