David Carretta [FR] 18+

Our Halloween night has its first headliner, and David Carretta knows a thing or two about pleasure and panic. The Marseille-born pioneer of French techno has kept the darker instincts of punk and new wave close throughout his career.

He formed an industrial band in 1988 before finding his way to Sven Väth’s Harthouse. In 1996, “Innerwood” appeared on International Deejay Gigolo’s first release. With Le Catalogue Electronique and Kill Your Radio, he became a central figure in electroclash alongside Vitalic and Miss Kittin & The Hacker, bringing rock attitude and a darker kind of seduction into club music.

His records bring the icy EBM of Front 242 up against the analogue thrust of Italo disco. The Sequential Circuits Pro One and Korg MS-20 are favourites in his studio, but this isn’t an exercise in 1980s nostalgia. Techno gives those influences their force and discipline. “Vicious Game” makes the case: cutting synths and a menacing vocal, with a rhythm that leaves little room for hesitation.

Carretta also co-founded Space Factory, making room for new producers alongside established names. And beneath the stern percussion, there’s a sense of humour. On Nuit Panic, “Visage” takes aim at selfie culture, while “Le Prince de la Cuite” turns the joke on himself. The album’s title captures the uneasy proximity of a good night out and a bad idea.

We thought Halloween was a fitting occasion to find out where he takes us.