djdownload.com - Label Details - Renaissance

Now a global clubbing phenomenon, Renaissance was founded as a club night in March 1992.

The emphasis from the very beginning was on quality. Classical imagery derived from the paintings of the Italian Renaissance were the trademark of the clubs advertising and immediately stood in out in stark contrast to the identities of its competitors. Nothing like this had been seen before, and there was an instant excitement and curiosity, created by what was a carefully thought out marketing campaign.Venue 44 played original host to Renaissance and from the start barriers were broken and trends set. It was the first club to use 3 or 4 high profile guest DJ's every week, backed up by the afore mentioned advertising campaign, which seemed to feature in every magazine you opened; a practice that has since become standard industry formula. The concept reaped instant rewards for Renaissance, and the club was a massive success.

With the image of the club complete, the focus naturally turned to the music. Once again this was an area where Renaissance excelled. In a typically innovative move, Sasha was announced as the weekly resident DJ, and a then relatively unknown John Digweed chosen as his partner. These two DJ's are now responsible for leading dance music at the cutting edge and, in turn, creating a worldwide demand for British club culture. In October 1994 Renaissance released their first album 'Renaissance - The Mix Collection', mixed by Sasha and John Digweed. It demolished sales figures of any complitation album before, and is still recognised as the benchmark for all club compilation albums.

The success of the first album prompted Renaissance to develop a tours department. The aim of this was to support sales of the current and all future album(s), and in turn, spread the Renaissance ideal to as wide an audience as possible. The first U.K tour, in 1994, incorporated all the elements which had made Renaissance such a success; stunning décor was lavished upon the venues by a specially trained production team with complementing projections of beautiful Renaissance imagery. This, coupled with the distinct Renaissance sound, gave clubbers throughout the country a taste for all things Renaissance. Renaissance Worldwide was born eight years ago, and has touched down in all the world's major locations, including America, Russia, China, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, Switzerland and Newcastle to name but a few. In addition, Renaissance has completed seven consecutive seasons in Ibiza.

Returning to the UK and the present day, Renaissance run monthlies at club Stealth in Nottingham, and The Cross in London (which is now in its ninth year), which both regularly see top-flight guests such as Dave Seaman, Hernan Cattaneo, James Zabiela, Rui Da Silva and Sander Kleinenberg.

Throughout all this activity the Renaissance albums have continued to go from strength to strength.

In 1999 Renaissance joined forces with the mighty Ministry of Sound to further develop a singles label. The singles arm gained instant recognition with Mark Pichiotti's seminal progressive anthem by Sandstorm - 'The Return of Nothing', and has since been churning out the usual quality one expects from the brand.

In 2003, Renaissance bought out the Ministry of Sound from the joint venture, taking full ownership of the recordings business. This has enabled the brand to focus on and control the output of both albums and singles from the label. Recent compilations include two Masters Series releases from Hernan Cattaneo, two Renaissance presents “The Therapy Sessions” mixed by Dave Seaman & Phil K, two Renaissance presents Everybody mixed by Sander Kleinenberg, and an amazing Alive mixed by James Zabiela. If you don’t know them, where the hell have you been? This label doesn’t just put out dance music, it most often defines it.

A prolific, unparalleled series of international shows, complemented by an exciting new release schedule for the label, suggests Renaissance has ridden the storm of the supposed decline of dance music. The brand has been carefully steered away from the more commercial enterprises of its peers, and has held on to and nurtured the values that stand Renaissance in such good stead today.