Laurent Garnier and Carl Craig are the Kings of Techno

Tuesday, 31st October 2006 at 8:36 pm / Words: Beat Factor

'Kings of Techno’ is the 6th installment 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 DJ ‘s & producers to reveal their favorite 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 60’s Rolling Stones photographer & bon viveur extroadinaire Michael Joseph.

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 80’s. 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, traveling 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 90’s trance label ‘Sperm’ Records. Visage and Human League will be remembered for European chart success in the glory days of late 70’s, early 80’s 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.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

Yusef Lateed - The Plum Blossom
Dabrye Feat. Jay Dee And Phat Kat - Game Over
Jay Dee - Beej-n-Dem Pt. 2
Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady
Arpanet - NTT Docomo
BFC - Galaxy
Instinct - Just A Feeling
Carl Craig - No More Words
MK - Burning
Hamilton Bohannon - Me And The Gang
D.I.E. (Detroit In Effect) - Get Up
Adult - Don't Talk (Redux)
The Stooges - No Fun
Jeff Mills - Utopia
Funkadelic - Bettino's Bounce
Alice Coltrane Feat. Pharoah Sanders - Journey In Satchidananda
Underground Resistance - Amazon (Live)


Disc 2:

Intro
Art Of Noise - Beat box
Capricorn - I Need Love (Inst.)
Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant
Martin Circus - Disco Circus
Kano - It's A Way
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Computer Games
Yello - No More Words
Liasions Dangereuses - Peut Etre Pas
Alexander Robotnick - Dance Boy Dance
Choice - Acid Eiffel
The Black Dog - Virtual
The Flying Lizards - Flesh & Steel
Balil - Nort Route
Visage - Frequency 7
Severed Heads - The Ant Can See Legs