Known for playing a keytar over high-octane live electro sets, producing tunes with the likes of Jean Michel Jarre, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and three albums with David Guetta, and a genuine belief that he is actually from space (OK, perhaps a slight exaggeration), Joachim Garraud is unlike any other DJ in this poll.
“That is one of the reasons why people vote for me,” he admits over the phone on the way to another airport. “I am trying to do something different to a typical DJ set.”
If not only for finger slapping a hand-held synth strapped to his back while on stage, Joachim's live show has come even further into its own during 2011. With the release of his only artist album, 'Invasion', back in 2008, he has since begun staging the most intergalactic, sensory-exploding audio-visual spectacle he can physically muster between himself and a team of six graphics experts. “I have worked for three years with Serato, so now I can play video files as an audio file during my show,” says Joachim. “For that, I produced 200 original video concepts. I really wanted to have 3D content with beautiful visuals to go with each track.”
As well as tearing up the likes of Lollapalooza, Electric Zoo and SW4, you may have also witnessed him dropping personal re-edits - revved to around 130bpm - of early trance tracks, '80s electro and '90s techno into his head-spinning sets throughout 2011. But one thing you will never find him doing is hooking up with a pop vocalist to bag chart success. He wants his name to remain synonymous with the dancefloor, nothing more.
“I produce tracks for DJs. I don't really care about radio.” ADAM SAVILLE