Tristan Garner Interview: Do what you want to do and be yourself

French tyrant Tristan Garner is a name you need to get involved with. Those in the know are already aware of Garner's furiously constructed dancefloor concoctions, which use electro as a backbone but blend a myriad of other musical genres and off the cuff mash-ups, all stitched together with a fervent punk attitude.

He runs the label XTra Life which house his own records and that of a select band of others, also doubling up as the name of a series of parties that have brought his punk attitude towards electronic music to dancefloors across Europe. On top of that there is Reepublic, a five man dream team that sees him teaming up with fellow Gallic groove troubadours Antoine Clamaran, Gregori Klosman, Michael Canitrot and Sebastien Benett for a bevvy of excitable DJ sets across Europe.

It's an approach that has quickly set him apart from his peers, with his productions earning fans across the electronic music spectrum. Over the water he's quite the big deal, both in mainland Europe and the other direction too, where his constant touring in the States has positioned him as one of the champions of a sound that continues to dominate the zeitgeist.

And on these shores he's becoming more and more an established asset to our rave obsession, his headline stint at Bitch on Saturday 26th October (listen to his mix for them above) further chance to show the UK masses his undeniable swagger. We caught up with to get to the bottom of his influences and his thoughts on the possibility of scoring sci-fi films. 

Hey Tristan, thanks for speaking to us. You’re coming back to the UK soon to hit Manchester and we know you love the country. How much are you looking forward to it and what have been your experiences of the nation in the past?

I love UK and i can't wait for this event! You guys have an energy in clubs I can't find elsewhere.

What about your relationship with Manchester and Bitch in particular?

It seems like Bitch @ Venus is the best party in town. I watched some videos on YouTube and I think with my music, it's gonna be a really wild night!

Where else have you been playing this summer, and what gigs have you got coming up?

I had the chance to tour a lot this summer, all around the world from Jakarta to Los Angeles, including several gigs in Europe. At the moment i'm touring in the US.

Your style is very much based on forging a unique collision of a lot of different electronic music elements as well as rock and a punk attitude and manner of presentation as well, and this has helped you stand out amongst your peers. Would you advise people looking to find their feet in electronic music that establishing your own sense of style is crucial?

Of course it's crucial to find your own style and not to be a copy. There are so many DJs & producers today. If you want to stand out my advice would be to listen to your heart first! Do what you want to do and be yourself.  

What production news can you let us in on?

I got so many tracks coming. I worked a lot over the past month and I'm going to release several new tunes, from very underground electro tunes to classy vocals one. You'll be surprised!

We understood you’ve been influenced a lot by Daft Punk in the past. What are your feelings on their latest work, both Random Access Memories and the work with Kanye West on Yeezus?

These guys are real geniuses. Random Access Memories is already a classic album for me. I like their work on Yeezus, it's fresh.

Do you ever plan to create an album in the future, or score a film?

Beside my club tracks, I’m working on my first solo album. And it's a big project as I want to mix videos, sounds and various experiences on this project. 

To score a film would be my dream. For a futuristic sci-fi movie, I guess that would work best with my music.

How is the Reepublic project going?

Reepublic is going really well in France. We wanted to unite the EDM scene in the country with this project, and it worked! The buzz around our crew is growing fast.

And finally, dream situation time... you can go back to any period in clubland history, and play at any club. Who would you have playing alongside you and what tune would you drop that would define the evening?

I would go back in the late 90s, a giant illegal rave with Fatboy Slim. I always loved this guy and his music inspired me a lot. And of course I would drop a track of his… ‘Rockafeller Skank’ (watch the video below).

Tristan Garner plays Bitch Halloween Special @ Venus Saturday 26th October - head here for further details.

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