Laurent Garnier

Compiled nearly a decade after their initial creation, the nine songs from 1992-93 captured on Early Works illustrate Garnier's one-time infatuation with dark acid techno epics. None of the songs conclude before the five-minute mark, as the renowned French producer weaves warped 303 acid lines across the busy landscape of his relaxed tempo soundscapes. The resulting effect can be downright creepy bliss, such as during the opening moments of "Water Planet," or nightmarishly alarming at other times when he sacrifices any hint of colorful melody for bleak techno motifs. Of these nine songs, the listener will most likely fall under the hypnotizing spell of "Acid Eiffel." This 13-minute song builds slowly from one faint track of modulating sound to another, resulting in a giant, pulsing acid techno anthem in the ranks of Plastikman's best. Garnier may have grown out of his acid techno phase, but the previously hard-to-find songs on Early Works show just how masterful the French artist had become at constructing this picturesque style of tranquil electronic music. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide