“A must have definitive collection for any discerning lover of dance and electronic music.” That’s what the press release reckons, and they’ve probably got a case. Laurent Garnier is a giant amongst men, and women too, in electronic music. After forging a career that was merely based around, rather than centered on Techno, Laurent has become one of the most important names in electronic music, revered for either charged or emotive music which his recordings and live shows ram home in equal measure.

More than a decade after his rise to fame began in the clubland of Manchester, it’s time for his take on a ‘best of’. Thankfully that dreary formula is not stuck to. Rather, Retrospective is an impressive double disc of original versions, remixes, live tracks, new songs, and even two tracks originally produced by other people (DJ Marky and Carl Craig), all mixed by the French master himself, of course. And it damn well delivers, as you might expect it to. Seeing as the quality of the music is top end, it’s a fine job… there are two cds from the man who won’t stop working and touring, but still maintains his monthly Parisian residency. And what a treat this is. There’s everything from the techno of Coloured City, the glitching funk in Germ’s remix of Communications From The Lab, to jazzy downbeat, epitomized in the fantastic live reworking of The Man With the Red Face with Bugge Westcroft, the Norwegian’s skills on the piano stealing the show. This is certainly not to be slept on. Must Have? Most Probably.