Laurent Garnier

World renowned DJ Laurent Garnier is best known for his eclectic mix of acid-house, techno and disco for dance floors around the world, however, in The Cloud Making Machine, Garnier abandons booty shaking beats and neck-breaking BPMs for beautifully crafted down-tempo that borders on spacey ambient with sensual synths slowly creeping across the back of each track. The Cloud Making Machine experiments with several noises, from jagged electro on "9.01-9:06” to strung-out hip-hop on "First Reaction (V2)” to eerie orchestrated ambient on "Huis Clos.” Garnier even calls on new friends — jazz pianist Bugee Wesseltoft and Tunisian singer and oud player Dhafer Youssef — to help add an extra layer of organic texture to the soundscape of the album. The only sore thumb on this record is the completely unnecessary electro-rock "(I Wanna Be) Waiting For My Plane” that obviously shows Garnier’s penchant for hard guitar loops and dirty beats, but fails to be more than a mood breaker on an otherwise brilliantly formed record. Created almost like a concept album, The Cloud Making Machine works as a loose soundtrack for a spaced out world where one man’s wishes are granted through clouds sent to heaven from a factory. Could this be Garnier’s The Wall?