It is a strange land in the far north of Europe, usually renowned for its uncouth inhabitants’ penchant for daredevil sports, power tools and music that sounds like it has been made with the aforementioned. Yes, Renaissance Man may hail from Finland, but beyond an iron constitution that allows these artists to keep on playing and playing, the similarity ends there. The two halves of Renaissance Man met whilst working in an architecture office in Helsinki. They saw in each other prime examples of an end-of-naughties cultural multitasking airmile-guzzling kind of lifestyle that prompted them to join forces under one name and build the kind of house they really wanted.

From 2008 onwards, their monthly club night NOW! had already treated Helsinki to the sounds of their musical contemporaries. In late 2008, the pair decided to change the dynamic and unleash their own creations on an unsuspecting world, trawling the aural universe in search of sonic nuggets to pepper over their tracks. Debut Spraycan was released on Switch’s Dubsided in early 2009, followed by Rhythm on the Kitsuné Maison 7 compilation. A subsequent EP on Parisian label Sound Pellegrino launched title track What Is Guru as one of the year’s underground hits, making Renaissance Man highly sought-after remixers for the likes of Brodinski, Crystal Fighters, Health, Le Corps Mince de Françoise… Original tracks and remixes have seen support from fellow DJ’s including Diplo, Annie Mac, Claude Von Stroke, Tiga, Jesse Rose…

This rollercoaster success has led to some serious thumbing of Renaissance Man passports with gigs across four continents in major clubs (Social Club/Paris, Hive/Zurich, WMF/Berlin) and festivals (Stereosonic/Australia, Les Transardentes/Belgium, Igloofest/Montreal). The mayhem looks set to continue in 2010 with at least two new records, including an EP on the Made to Play Label, remixes for The Very Best, Solo and The Crookers, plus numerous international shows in prestigious venues including Fabric and Panorama Bar. Who knows, that elusive Renaissance Man album might even make its appearance…

Taking their inspiration from 3000 years of art and science, Renaissance Man prove that you can think out of the box, but that it’s even better to think outside the walls. Or make that borders.

www.myspace.com/renaissancemanmvsic