Laurent Garnier - Tales of a Kleptomaniac

LAURENT GARNIER - TALES OF A KLEPTOMANIAC ([PIAS])

There was a time when the Frenchman was a true musical cosmonaut. His DJing was epic - in the truest sense of the word - impeccably mixed trancey techno and house in a style that was his own, and one was taken on a journey with him, when that phrase meant something. That was a long time ago though, and the embers of the classic “Acid Eiffel”, arguably one of the greatest techno records ever made, have died out.

Since the height of his brilliance, Garnier’s star has waned. He’s got older for one, and seeks to explore new territory. Nothing wrong with that, but for me, this wandering amongst styles is so common amongst musicians at this age. They seek to burst free of the shackles that have defined them in the past, and vividly demonstrate that they are for all seasons. And “Tales of a Kleptomaniac”, which in his defence, is a worthy title, is another one of those albums which, by increasing its palette dramatically, finds that the canvas for the paint just isn’t sufficient. Garnier has relocated from the industrial suburbs of Paris to the pastoral surroundings of the South of France, and with him comes a more organic sound. So we have African hip-hop, Dub reggae, the odd bit of techno for the old fans, and a bit of smoky jazz to inebriate the new ones. And to be honest, it’s all a bit of a mess for these ears. There are ideas, plenty of them, but throughout the album I’m tempted all too often to lift the tone arm and move on, because too many times obvious musical archetypes are presented and coloured in without real imagination.

It’s not all bad. There is a little bit of the old Gallic magic in the furious rhythms of “Last Dance @ Yellow”,”Pay TV” is a mysterious little number that I can imagine Maurice Fulton digging out at 5am and whilst I usually deride dub techno nowadays, “Food for Thought” has a skanking edge that most producers in this field fail to summon. Overall though it’s all grand statement about Garnier’s wide ranges of influences without any substance. The less said about the embarrassing “Bourre Pif” the better. “Tales of a Kleptomaniac” struggles to keep one’s attention, and we’re left with a messy album that has no real sense of original narrative.

He’s made worse albums, but one of the crown princes of Techno has a long way to restake his place at the top of a pantheon that many think he still occupies.

Toby Frith

Comments

[wonderli]

love your topnotch english, chance for me to enrich my vocabulary..

as for your strict criticism, could't agree more!

on your thesis as a producer i agree,
BUT
L.G as a dj is still a semigod (when in mood of course.. )