Balance Selections 238: Garance

Garance grew up in Geneva, in contact with an inspiring, vibrant and emotional nightlife, growing up during the “golden age of squats” in Geneva’s littoral south-eastern tip, her experiences of the city’s nightlife combined with her own musical training have seen her create a unique sonic universe.

Mixing a unique blend of melodic and progressive house, Garance quickly found her distinctive music signed to a plethora of high-profile imprints that include Einmusika, Beatfreak Recordings, Tulipa Recordings, along with the 3-track EP ‘Extatique’ on Balance Music in collaboration with the iconic Jamie Stevens.

Her energetic DJ sets has seen Garance perform in clubs and festivals such as Kater Blau, Ritter Bützke, Culture Box , Montreux Jazz Festival, Electron Festival, and Street Parade Geneva, to name a few.

With a new EP forthcoming, remixes for Sundra and Berlin label Deep Tales, and a new DJ residency at the Geneva Museum of Art and History, 2023 is set to be another big year for this exciting artist from Switzerland.

Balance Selections 238: Garance

Tracklisting:

1. Matik (AR) – Helium (Original Mix)
2. Sundra – Dive (Garance remix)
3. Deadmau5 – XYZ (Original Mix)
4. Jamie Stevens & Garance – Extatique
5. Alex O’Rion – Relic (Simos Tagias remix)
6. Factory Sequences – Moisture on the Motherboard
7. FLow & Zeo – Saturn (Morttagua remix)
8. AxeLara – True Lies (Sebastian Sellares remix)
9. Luis Del Vecchio, J.P. Velardi – Underground (Paul Hamilton remix)
10. Damien Spencer – Back to Earth (Erice Lune remix)
11. Clyve – Mirage in a Cloud (Original mix)
12. Matt Dwellers – Marginal (Original mix)
13. Garance – ID (Unreleased)
14. Diego Acosta (UY) – Have a cigar (Original mix)
15. Oliver Harper – Strawberry Thief (Original Mix)
16. Dowden – Capricorn (Original mix)
17. Citizen Kain – Bareknuckle (Stereo Express remix)
18. Mr. Sosa – Psychedelic Jungle (Original mix)

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Garance
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
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Instagram
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Alias/Producer name: Garance
Labels affiliated with: Einmusika, Beatfreak Recordings, Balance Music, Hive Audio, Awen, Klaus:elle

My last 3 releases:

Garance – Yellow Shadows

Jamie Stevens & Garance – Extatique

Garance – Fusion des Corps

What music did you listen to as a child?

My parents are not musicians, but music lovers. My mother has always loved to dance, first at the university campus when she was studying, and then at home in her free time, on Soul, Funk, Reggae and African rhythms. My father was a fan of jazz, especially Miles Davis. So, we were listening a lot of music at home. But, instead of learning piano, or guitar, I learnt piccolo, a little transverse flute, that you can listen at Basel Carnaval, the city where my father was born.This practice gave me the fundamentals of music theory and music sensibility. After that, I decided, with a friend of mine, to learn to play Scottish bagpipes and we integrated the unique band existing in Geneva, composed almost entirely of men, since there was only one woman. I have a great memory playing bagpipes, in the middle of pipe bands from around the world (10’000 pipers and drummers) from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Park to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. I will never forget it. A few years later, I stopped the bagpipes and I started going out at night, focusing on electronic music exclusively, dancing a lot, but especially learning deejaying and working on producing.

When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?

When I was a teen, I was listening to Swiss Radio Couleur 3. My dedication to listening to their special broadcast ‘Pump it Up’ during the weekends, broadcasted live from clubs or during evening events such as those of the Dancefloor Syndroma organisation, with a lot of new sounds, house, trance, rave, and techno, may also have contributed to my development and passion. I was dancing a lot in my room… then, since I could go to clubs, I never stopped. Electronic music has been so important to me, in the personal construction of my life. As the scene is – generally – inclusive, spreading tolerance, love, peace, freedom, I felt from the beginning, in addition to loving this music, that I could be myself, live my sexuality in a more open way.

When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?

The very first time I cannot remember, but I have a lot of memories..I had the chance to enjoy Geneva’s vibrant and deeply inspiring nightlife during the golden age of squats, with almost every night, from Monday to Sunday, a concert or DJ-set to enjoy. I have also good memories of Trance Nights, in the whole Switzerland, and especially in Zurich, Energy Events during the Street Parade.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

I love progressive rock, trip hop, electronica, ambient, dub, I need hypnotic, melodic, repetitive sounds, I like to feel deep inside me passion, nostalgia, melancholy, in short, to feel my heart vibrate.. If I have to name some bands, hum, Pink Floyd, Archive, Hooverphonic, London Grammar, Royksopp.

In the electronic scene, Earth Trax, The Blaze, Bicep, Agar Agar, Lake Haze, Fasme, Jamie Stevens, Guy J, Paul Hamilton, Alex O’Rion, Addex, to name a few.

What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?

The new album of Earth Trax – Closer Now, released in February 2023, but I love his whole work!

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

When deejaying, I currently use CDJ Pionnier 2000 nexus and Pionner mixer, but I also enjoy playing vinyles depending on the situation, as I started deejaying with vinyles ages ago, I have a huge collection .. When producing, I’m working with Ableton live, using different VST plugins, such as Massive X, and Super 8 from Native, Pigments and SEM from Arturia, Diva, to name a few of my favorites at the moment. Ableton gears are also great. The sampling technique is something I appreciate working with as well. And, as my mate in the studio, Olivier Kolly aka Oktet is working with a lot of different analog gears and modular synths, I have the possibility to use sometimes his Moog Slim Phatty for example for lead or basslines… After the creation and composition step, I arrange a studio session with Ladislav Agabekov, a good friend, and sound engineer I work with for a long time, to polish the arrangement and the mix. It is fluid and easy going and we found a good way to collaborate…. He does an incredible job!

What releases or projects do you have on the horizon?

I have an EP under construction (TBA) and a remix ready for Berlin label Deep Tales Recordings, that I also played in this mix. Otherwise, I started now a 6 months residency at the Museum of Art and History in Geneva, as part of the Carte Blanche XXL exhibition – When the sun goes down and the moon comes up – by Swiss artist based in New York Ugo Rondinone. Currently working on shorts tracks for the museum, and working on building a first live set. Let’s see how it goes.

Where can we hear you perform?

My next gig, will be at The Steel Yard in London on March 17th. I feel truly honoured to be invited by Fox & Badge to play as a headliner at their next event, for what will be def an unforgettable experience. If you don’t know Fox&Badge, they create an intense, immersive, transformative, liberating experience, where everyone is fully embracing the theme.. This time, it will be Vickings Thema. The event goes beyond the music, involving arts, performances and self-expression. Great artists such as Miss Melera, BLANCAh, ANII, Just Her, Lauren Mia between everything else already played there. Can’t wait to celebrate love, art and sensuality with the whole community. So if you are in London March 17th, please come with us. Then in April, I’ll play in Annecy, France, in a great club called Le Téléphone Rose, and in Geneva, my hometown.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

I made this podcast on my computer, using Ableton Live. I took the time to do it, since I started it almost 3 weeks ago. I listened to it several times, to check that each track has its place, I deleted and added tracks.. On this mix, you will find a remix I did for Sundra and berlin label Deep Tales which is set to be released on April, ‘Extatique‘, a collaborative track with Jamie Stevens that was out last year on Balance Music, an unreleased track I just finished which is not signed yet, and musics from artists I’m a superfan, such as Paul Hamilton, Alex O’Rion, Dowden, and more.. And the last track is very special to me is Mr. Sosa – Psychedelic Jungle (Original mix). I cannot explain, listening to it, I feel passion and nostalgia on the same time..

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:

I would say the top track I always have in mind and that I frequently play ‘Open Cage (Original mix)’ by Daso. This artist has always been one of my favourite electronic artist, he was so talented .. When I heard he passed away, it made me really sad…