Renaissance

6 posts

Renaissance VII

The Renaissance festival returned in 2017 in it’s new home of The Lounge (aka Nightclub Kolis) in Archway. The festival is a celebration of all forms of alternative culture, with art exhibitions, comic books, video clips and life drawing all featuring on this occasion, though the musical elements still occupy much of the day. There was a double-ended stage setup indoors (RAM and TWIN stages) and a small performance area outdoors (ARCHERS stage), and no less than 8 DJs filling in the gaps between the various performances. Here’s my contribution.

Archers Stage Set

New ground always being broken, this was my first ever DJ set outdoors. This accounts for the quite subtle nature of what I played.

Vernian Process – Sarabande
VNV Nation – Solitary (Orchestral Version)
Spiritual Front – My Kingdom For A Horse
Current 93 – Oh Coal Black Smith
Gae Bolg – Hymne
Faun – Punagra
Cinderella Effect – Timekiller
Deine Lakaien – Love Me To The End
Diary Of Dreams – AmoK (Acoustic Version feat. Torben Wendt)
Ego Likeness – I Live On What’s Left 2008
Silke Bischoff – On The Other Side ’93

RAM Stage Set 1

Kat5can – (Screaming Like A) Crack Baby
Battery – Meat Market
Krystal System – 26 Days
NIN – Heresy
Pitchshifter – Please Sir
KMFDM – Never Say Never

RAM Stage Set 2

Concrete Lung – Recovery Position
Fear Factory – Self-Immolation
Sepultura – Arise
Testament – Into The Pit

Renaissance VI

Renaissance – The annual all day festival is now in it’s sixth year, now going from midday to midnight with countless bands, performance poets, art displays and video clips. I’ve undertaken some DJing at all but the first one, and here was no exception. A DJ setlist from the middle part of the day doesn’t come close to summing up the full story of the event, but as ever, I’m committing my contribution to the event here. Thanks to all involved (too many to list) for an epic experience.

Cyber Axis – The Prophecy
The Galan Pixs – Anuschka Corazon
Mindless Faith – Momentum
Killing Joke – Whiteout

<Little Death Machine>

Controlled Bleeding – Any Questions? (Crotch-Rock Mix)
Acumen Nation – Parasite Mine
Stahlhammer – Herz Aus Stahl
Stahlmann – Stahlmann (anyone seeing a theme?)
Sulpher – You Ruined Everything
Chant – Manifesto
Ministry – Rio Grande Blood

<Ventenner>
<Spoken Word by Fascimile>

Radiohead – Just
Foo Fighters – The Pretender

<The Tango Pirates>

Renaissance V

Renaissance is a once-a-year alternative all-day festival. This was my fourth time DJing the event, which has since relocated to Elektrowerkz, home of Slimelight. The new venue allowed for a second stage, resulting in the biggest line-up yet. 5 DJs were brought in to cover the gaps between the performances on mainstage (aka ‘Ram’ stage), and also on the second Archer (‘soloist’) stage in the bar area (Vade Retro, The Scott, Alan 69, Jester and myself). There was also a chance to DJ the Slimelight Goth/80s floor afterwards.

Archers Stage Sets 1-4

The Archers stage began live performance at 4pm, but I took the chance to play some more of the atmospheric tunes in my collection earlier in the day. This wasn’t continuous, leaving gaps when everyone was watching the bands in the other room, but at least it provided some contrast. This also saw my first real attempt at classical music DJing, following the Terminates Here rule that anything in my collection is viable setlist content!

Purcell – Music For the Funeral of Queen Mary: March
Handel – Sarabande from Suite No. 11
Bach – Bouree in B Minor
Beethoven – Adagio Canabile
Elgar – Enigma Variations (Nimrod)
Vivaldi – Winter – Allegro Non Molto

Stalingrad – The Road On Which You’ll Die
The Protagonist – Zoroaster
Hector Berlioz – Theme from The Shining
Ron Goodwin – March of the Children (From Village of the Damned)

Coil – Dark River
Ambre – Khan
Steve Roach – Infinite Shore

Death In June & Boyd Rice – Black Sun Rise
Current 93 – All The Pretty Little Horses
Jordan Reyne – Factory Nation
Strawbs – The Hangman and the Papist
Blood Axis – Reign I Forever

Ram Stage Sets

Now support DJing for the bands. Originally, Death Valley Scars were meant to do a PA immediately before Splendor, but as things transpired that wasn’t possible, so I ended up supported each band individually.

O.V.N.I. – Good For You
Soko Friedhof – Blutrünstiges Mädchen
OhGr – Shhh

<Death Valley Scars>

Foetus – Friend or Foe
Luxt – American Beast
Ministry – Lay Lady Lay

<Splendor>

Florence + The Machine – Kiss With A Fist
Apocalyptica – Quuatano
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Balrog Boogies
Vic Anselmo – Open Wide

<Maleficent>

Emigrate – Wake Up
Ost+Front – Mensch
Atrocity – Trial
Godflesh – Like Rats

<MaxDmyz>

Archers Stage Sets 5-6

At this point, I was brought in to support Howlin’ Anton from Bleak, whose full band I’ve support DJed for in the past. How to support Death Blues? Answer……

Nick Cave and the Bad Seed – Where The Wild Roses Grow
Johnny Cash – Hurt
Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
Type O Negative – White Slavery
Rammstein – Seeman

And then back a little later. By this stage in the event, only real anthems fitted the bill on either stage. Cue anthems.

Sheep on Drugs – 15 Minutes of Fame
Lords of Acid – Out Comes The Evil
Prodigy – Everybody In The Place
Faithless – Salva Mea (Floating Mix)
Underworld – Born Slippy.NUXX
Robert Miles – Children
William Orbit – Barber’s Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Mix)
VNV Nation – Joy
Front 242 – Headhunter (Apoptygma Berzerk Mix)
Project Pitchfork – Timekiller
Vangelis – Tears In The Rain (the lead out song….time for everyone to go and watch Die Kur)

Slimelight Goth/80s Floor

A little bonus set at the afterparty….performed off tablet for technical reasons, but only my second attempt at playing Slimelight (my first being 45 minutes on the Industek floor two years ago). Tonight’s set was somewhat more accessible!

OMD – Maid of Orleans
Depeche Mode – Ice Machine
The Human League – Empire State Human
Simple Minds – I Travel
Gary Numan – Metal
Killing Joke – Requiem
Gang Of Four – Damaged Goods
Magazine – Shot By Both Sides
Joy Division – Isolation
Chameleons – Don’t Fall
Sisters Of Mercy – Alice
Love and Rockets – Kundalini Express

Renaissance IV

Renaissance IV – A total of 23 different bands, projects and solo artists played the event, as well as 6 DJs. Credit must go not only to all artists involved, but especially Ays from Die Kur for bringing such an ambitious project to fruition.

Anyway, my own DJ stint “filled the gaps” between the final three bands. A pretty diverse selection, but here’s how it all pieced together

Leaves Eyes – Norwegian Lovesong
Ostara – Bavaria
Blood Axis – The Hangman and the Papist
Death In June – The Calling Mk2

<Jordan Reyne>

Sunshine Blind – Regodless
Gitane DeMone – Stars Of Trash (Guitar Version)
Psychophile – Vice Girl

<Cold In Berlin>

AC/DC – Highway To Hell
Judas Priest – Breaking The Law
Metallica – Enter Sandman
Pantera – Mouth For War

<Die Kur>

ABBA – Thank You For The Music

Renaissance III Festival

Fresh (?) from the Alternative Bring’n’Buy Sale upstairs, I headed down to the Boston Music Rooms to DJ at the Renaissance III festival.

BB Blackdog Support

King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man
Amorphous Androgynous – The Mello Hippo Disco Show
Pink Floyd – High Hopes
Tool – Schism

Drilling Spree Support

NFD – Light My Way
<acoustic interlude>
The Cult – Fire Woman

Ariel/Ghostfire Support

Irrlicht – Porquoi
The Creatures – 2nd Floor

Jordan Reyne Support

Current 93 – Black Ships Ate The Sky
How To Destroy Angels – The Space In Between
Dead Can Dance – Enigma Of The Absolute
Unto Ashes – One World One Sky

The “Go Home” Song

Kenny Rogers – The Gambler

Renaissance II – Mischief Night Festival

A Halloween (or near-enough) festival held in the Boston Music Rooms. A hugely diverse 9-band bill, mixing local favourites with new discoveries. My second time DJing for Global Citizen and Die Kur, and my 4th (!!!) for MaxDmyz. This particular set called upon extreme corners of my collection, and with a few requests thrown in too, I really hope that this dispels any myth that I’m just an industrial DJ!

Wendy Carlos – Theme From A Clockwork Orange
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells Theme (Opening)
Radiohead – Everything In It’s Right Place
Smashing Pumpkins – Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
Seigmen – Slaver Av Solen
Earth Loop Recall – Like Machines

<Saville Row>

Legendary Pink Dots – The Soft Toy
Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb

<BB Blackdog>

A Perfect Circle – The Hollow
Moonspell – Opium
Paradise Lost – As I Die
Tristania – Mercyside

<Calatrilloz>

Johnny Cash – Hurt
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – The Ship Song
The Velvet Underground – Venus In Furs
Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan

<Bleak>

Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire
Virgin Prunes – Baby Turns Blue
Tiger Lillies – Hell
Johnny Hollow – This Hollow World
Rasputina – This Little Piggy
Dresden Dolls – Coin-Operated Boy
Revue Noir – The Gravediggers

<Ghostfire>

New Model Army – 51st State
The Clash – I Fought The Law
The Ramones – Somebody Put Something In My Drink

<Reskizio>

Tubeway Army – My Shadow In Vain (Band Req.)
The Cassandra Complex – VALIS
KMFDM – Anarchy
The Fair Sex – Not Now, Not Here

<Global Citizen>

Sepultura – Ratamahatta
System Of A Down – Revenga
Sex Pistols – Anarchy In The UK (Req.)
Rob Zombie – Superbeast

<MaxDmyz>

Orgy – Blue Monday
Rammstein – Pussy (Req.)
Ministry – Jesus Built My Hot Rod
NIN – Dead Souls (Req.)

<Die Kur>

VNV Nation – Nova