Beautiful People 2007: Jacques Renault

Music producer and DJ Jacques Renault may agree that disco sucks, but as a major player in today's nu-disco scene, he's making sure the music lives on. "Ninety percent of disco is bad," says the 28-year-old. "One percent is perfect, and that last nine percent is what I'm really interested in." Avoiding cringe-worthy tunes like those from the Village People, nu-disco producers like Renault are carefully selecting the best sounds from the '70s and remixing them with a darker, sexier flavor.

Renault fell in love with the disco sound in 2001 while working in sales at the legendary Gramaphone Records in Chicago. Now living in the Big Apple, his mission is to have his own label and to get New Yorkers dancing again like they did way back in the "old" disco days. He's certainly making headway at his popular weekly event, I.S.S. at the Tribeca Grand, with partner DJs Speculator and Kklovenhoof. "It feels great to see people who are going to other big parties in New York now coming to our night. It's hard to find a real dance party in New York."

Renault is also spreading the nu-disco joy beyond the boroughs. His recent single "Runaway" (released on Wurst Edits Records with sometime musical partner producer/DJ Marcos Cabral) sold out its 900-record vinyl print run. Meanwhile, his previous single "Workin'" (released on Prince Language's label, Editions Disco) was spun by bigwigs like LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and DFA's Tim Sweeney. Listen for Jacques's upcoming tag-team Rapture remix with DJ James "F!@#$%^" Friedman. Or just catch his Viva Radio (American Apparel's radio station) show Runaway Disco. This Brooklyn resident is also taking his funky beats on European tour this spring. But what comes next for the DJ if the nu-disco craze meets the same fate as its ancestor? "I'm just interested to see how big it gets, but everything turns into something else," says Renault. "I'm ready."
Celestine Arnold

Jacques wears a T-shirt by Dave Denis.

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