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The Guest List: Jacques Renault goes into hyperdrive with 21 guaranteed party-starting jams
The Brooklyn-based don dives deep into the archives with a mouth-watering selection of house & disco gems
Brooklyn-based DJ, producer, and seasoned party starter Jacques Renault has forged a deserved reputation for purveying supremely high-grade sounds that skirt through all the glorious shades of disco, house and beyond. From well-crafted edits to late-night originals, his sound has its foundations in the more discerning end of positively vibrating club culture, and his imaginative DJ sets share with his productions a vivid luminosity and discernible refinement, retaining a feel-good intention throughout.
The Let's Play House event series and label he co-runs with Nic Mercer is synonymous with a special kind of dance floor funk, with the imprint regularly playing host to some of the finest creators in the field. This month saw Jacques release his third full-length album, 'Sky Island' – an ambitious and densely populated exhibition of quick-fire disco alchemy manifested in the form of a nocturnal radio megamix. To celebrate the fine work of club-centred aural art, we reached out to him to ask him to supply a selection of personal favourites indicative of his distinct sonic armoury. As if to highlight his effervescent enthusiasm for the brightly burning scene he represents, he opted to go far beyond the regulation 10 picks for his chart, more than doubling the tally to an expansive and uniformly floor-filling 21 entries. Proof, if proof were needed, that Jacques Renault brings you extra. So, the time has come to stand aside and let Mr Renault tell us all what's good in the form of his technicolour Mixmag Asia Guest List. Prepare to be dazzled...
1 Frankie Bones 'The Orchestra'
“Bonesbreaks have been my sample layer inspo and The Orchestra was on one of my first mixtapes I ever had. Still stands up to this day.”
2 Jump Cutz 'Hooked'
"I have all the Luxury Service records and this one is my favorite. Disco house perfection of a classic I love, too.”
3 The O’Jays 'I Luv Muzik (Vicious Disco-mix)'
“It felt like everyone would ask me about this version when I played it. Pumped, simple and to the point. It just kicks.”
4 First Choice'Let No Man Put Asunder' (Ron Hardy Re-Edit)
“I remember buying this record at Hard Wax. I was listening to these Ron Hardy mixes at the time and was so stoked to have and play this.”
5 Borrowed Identity 'Musique'
“Big fan of Borrowed Identity, we did a record with him on Let’s Play House and he remixed 'Faith' from my 1st album as well. He took this One Way classic and arranged it to perfection. Perfect DJ record.”
6 Sound Stream 'Dance With Me'
“The maestro flips Two Tons O' Fun like none other. Every record he makes I buy. His first volume I bought at Gramaphone when I started DJing. He continues to deliver.”
7 Frank Hooker & Positive People 'This Feelin''
“MCDE chopped this up for his Raw Cuts series which I love but I found myself going back to the original. It’s sick.”
8 C.O.M.B.i. 'I Found Morning'
“Eric Duncan flipping Debbie Jacobs’ “High On Your Love” was an epic intro to this series. What a jam and still is when you bring it out.”
9 Kano 'It’s A War' (Serge Santiago Instrumental Re-edit)
“Serge knocked it out with this one. All of them on his label. Refreshing epic tracks of classics like this. I love the OG but this is better.”
10 GQ 'Lies' (Theo Parrish Ugly Edit #7)
“This Theo rework people know. I brought it out again. Dirty tape edits messing in all the right areas."
11 Carl Craig 'Moxie Specimen 5'
“Early Moxie with Carl cutting up Cats n’ Jammer Kids. Always something to throw in to change up the tempo.”
12 Ray Mang 'Number One'
“Raj has been doing this for a long time. I can’t think of anything he’s touched that I don’t like. This release on Noid stands up to me. Perfect dance floor tune.”
13 ALEXANDER ROBOTNIK 'Problems D'Amour' (Kenny Dixon Jr Mix)
“KDJ is known for many other tunes but this one does it for me. Kinda cheesy but what isn’t. I like how it’s done, to the point.”
14 DJ Harvey 'No Way Back'
“Harvey reworks gotta grab you, from the beginning his energy has always been there. As a DJ, too."
15 Sam Jam Dance N Chant Tangoterje Re-Edi
“Terje’s arrangement of this has been inspiring for me. It’s absolutely perfect for the DJ, gliding in all the changes perfectly. What a tune.”
16 Rick Wade 'I Can't Take It'
“This classic can’t go away. I keep bringin it back out just to hear the changes. Inspirational.”
17 Eros Vol 3 'B1'
“The Eros series is unique. I have them all just like the Popular People’s Front releases. Each track is blending a bit of this and sampling that making them stand out. The added effects are all I want, too.”
18 JohNick 'Play The World'
“Classic NYC track, had to include this only because it’s a jam. Add it.”
19 Montana 'It Looks Like Love'
“The Organ Grinder remixed Boe & Zak’s version of this which is amazing but not on youtube. Had to share the original, it’s perfect.”
20 Psychedelic Skratch Bastards 'Battle Breaks'
“My first battle record. I was a fan of DJ Rectangle, too. I’d mess around with these when friends were over. Watching the pro videos was better.”
21 Jacques Renault “Searching For Some Real Love”
“Wanted
to include one of my own at the end. My take at pushing a classic up a
notch. We released it on OTP Party Breaks series just for fun.”
Thanks so much Jacques for this inspired list, everyone at Mixmag Asia HQ is now officially chomping at the bit for the clubs to let us back in.
Jacques Renault 'Sky Islands' (Record Store Day RSD 2021) is out now, you can listen and buy it here
