If you’ve ever had the opportunity to see Tristan Garner live, consider yourself blessed. And if you haven’t, then you’re really missing out. The 28 year-old Frenchman absolutely rocked the dance floor at The Estate this past Thursday, delivering banger after banger to a hypnotized crowd.
For over an hour, partiers were treated to original productions, unreleased bootlegs and mashups, and various remixes spanning big names through the EDM and rock scene. Sampling classics like “We Will Rock You” by Queen, Tristan cleverly mixed multiple throwbacks in with deep, pulsing electro beats to deliver a massive show.
Before the show, we caught up with Tristan backstage where we spoke to us about touring, his own personal journey of becoming a DJ, and his thoughts on the recent MDMA fiasco infecting the EDM scene.
TK: We are here with Tristan Garner at Estate! How’ve you been?
Tristan: Good, I’ve been good, just finishing up a short North America Tour. I was in San Francisco for a couple days and I have a couple gigs left in Canada but I’ve been good.
TK: Have you played in Boston before?
Tristan: Yeah actually this is my second time playing at Estate. I love this club; when my manager called me and told me I would be playing here I was very excited.
TK: How would you compare the EDM scene in Europe vs. here in America, where it’s relatively new? What do you think of the crowd?
Tristan: I like the way you guys entered into the scene. It’s really fresh. You guys are absolutely crazy and bring an energy that I can’t find anywhere else. Keep going!
TK: Do you think EDM is becoming to mainstream?
Tristan: When the US entered it was mainstream, but that eventually led to being introduced to new genres like techno, deep house. So no, not really.
TK: What we are curious about is your own personal story. How did you yourself become a producer?
Tristan: My story is quite interesting actually. I used to play in a rock band; I loved heavy metal and stuff. When I was around 14 or 15 my friend showed me the Daft Punk album Homework, and it completely blew my mind. I was like what is this new sound?! I loved it. I’m French and I’m very proud to be French for Daft Punk. But I guess that inspired me. I ended up moving to Paris for my studies and slowly started producing. Back then it was more geek-computer type stuff, like programming and everything – it was very complicated to make music. I was more interested in making my own unique sounds than actual DJing. Over time, I went to see big names like David Guetta and Bob Sinclair, and I’d give them my demos saying “Hello I’m Tristan this is my music please check it out.” Back in 2006 I told my parents that I wanted to quit my studies to focus on my music and it worked.
TK: What kind of advice would you give to young aspiring producers?
Tristan: I have to two types of advice. First, listen to a lot of music: Rock, Jazz, Hip-Hop, even classical, to give you a really strong background. It helps a lot. It will keep your mind open and make you creative. Second, don’t try and copy other people. Focus on your own productions and your own sound, and eventually you’ll blow up.
TK: In terms of collaborations, who would you love to work with?
Tristan: For me, I would love to collaborate with rock bands. Look at Steve Aoki. He just collaborated with Linkin Park. This is a dream for me. I’d also love to collaborate with some pop bands, like Coldplay. I love Coldplay. I have some really really big collaborations with big names coming up but I can’t tell you about it! (Laughs) Just know that I would love to collaborate with artists outside the EDM scene.
TK: Where is your favorite place to play?
Tristan: It changes, really. I like playing in Japan and I like playing in Asia. I like playing in America. I can’t tell which is the best because it’s always different. Everywhere is fun for me, and I play different things at different shows. But I really like LA actually.
TK: A question about the inside life of DJs: so many people have the idea that the DJ lifestyle is very extravagant and luxurious, lots of parties and such. However, some DJs have claimed that is actually very tiring and stressful; they have to cut down studio time and personal time. How do you compensate for this?
Tristan: I’m a real party boy you know. I love to party. When I was around 24 or 25 I used to party a lot, but I eventually realized that it wasn’t the best thing to do. It’s not good when you’re drunk or high on a plane all the time. For me, this is my job. It is a profession. That means that I have to deliver and do good work, and you can’t do that when you’re wasted all the time. You have to focus on your music, your life, and your career, as well as social media, like connecting with your fans.
TK: One last question, the one that is on everyone’s minds. What is your thought on the recent MDMA problem that has been blowing up?
Tristan: It’s bad, it’s really bad. Drugs are everywhere: on TV, in the movie industry, everywhere. We had this problem like 15 years ago in Europe, and it really killed the scene. The government shut down clubs and all the festivals closed. I don’t want to associate drugs to music. If people want to take drugs, that’s their choice. It’s your choice if you want to destroy your own life, but please don’t associate drugs with music.
TK: That’s all we have for you Tristan, thank you so much for your time. Good luck on your show and we hope to catch you on tour again sometime!
Tristan: Thank you so much, it’s been a pleasure.