As an artist who’s been active since the 1980s, Lee Renacre aka 100Hz can offer much in the way of retrospection. Coming up before the advent of the internet, he is of a generation of producers that mastered their craft without the aid of Google or YouTube. Born in South London, Renacre, along with childhood friends James Chapman and Doran Walker, first came to prominence as 100Hz in the early 90s. Embracing the DIY ethos, the trio launched Optimism Records (which went on to become Format) and self-released their breakout tracks ‘Low Frequency Overload’ and ‘Catching Spiders’, using the boot of their car as a means to distribute.
The impact of these releases helped them secure bookings for events such as Raindance etc. Which saw them swiftly trade their positions from the dancefloor to the DJ booth in a matter of months. Throughout the proceeding years, 100Hz would go on to become one of the UK’s most revered live acts while developing a back-catalogue laden with abstract electronica melodies that span the house and techno spectrum. In 2024, the project now consists solely of Renacre, who is able to summon decades of experience when performing his meticulously crafted live sets to leave dancefloors across Europe in awe of his performances.
On Saturday 7th December, 100Hz joins YAMA Music along with Dan Formless to play the second edition of SNUG at The Blue Posts in London’s Soho. But, before that, I invited 100Hz to appear as part of my YAMA Meets series in which we discussed his upcoming live show with us, the evolution of live performing and his most prized studio possessions.
Q1. Introducing Mr. Lee Renacre, aka 100Hz – We’re excited to have you join us for SUNG @ The Blue Posts (Soho). But, before we delve into your near 35-year career as one of the most revered live artists in your field, please tell us what we can expect from your set on the 7th December.
Hey guys! Well, I always put in plenty of time rehearsing before a live set, finding drum patterns and bass lines that work together as well as mid riffs and vocals. On the night sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t! It can be a very hand on and improvised affair at times, especially when what you’ve been rehearsing doesn’t quite sound like what you practised. So, being able to think on your feet really helps. My performance, if all goes to plan, will still be a surprise to me! It’s heavily influenced by the crowd and what they react to so I can’t really say other than its my 100Hz style; which can be quite techno leaning but with a hint of melody and jazz elements with a few complex polyrhythms too.
Q2. Let’s take you back to Catford. It’s 1989 and you’re making music with an 808 and a Yamaha sequencer using a 4-track tape to record ‘Low-Frequency Overload.’ What influences – either musical, environmental or perhaps social – did you draw from?
We recorded ‘Low Frequency Overload’ at a studio that we rented because of the lack of proper equipment available back then. But we did gather elements from our home recordings and samples that we used in the record. We were all influenced by the classic electronic artists and tracks of the time such as Fingers Ink, Blake Baxter, Baby Ford, K Alexi Shelby to name but a few – and these guys still do it for me big time! The aim of the game back then was BASS, loads of it, as much as you could press onto vinyl. We were young men going to the epic big raves of the late 80s and early 90s, like Rain Dance, Biology etc. After arriving home, we would then tear into making music together while still off our chops and feeling the vibe of the night before. It was also all about dancing to the music. And I mean really dancing! We felt that the way we danced shaped the music we made and wanted the sound to reflect that and not to conform to the normal, hence lots of tracks with unusual time signatures.
Q3. As someone who is primarily a producer and live artist (as opposed to a DJ) could you talk us through the differences of preparing for a live set in 2024 to 2014. What’s changed with regards to equipment, crowds, attitudes, and music?
Wow, the prep back in the day for a live set was epic! You would have to enter all the program changes to the machines by hand and use a midi dump file between each track to change the sounds and FX. I would then have to play some floaty stringy sounds in the background to allow me time to change everything around. We even had diagrams of the front panel of our SH101 to remind us of where all the sliders and knobs should be. At times we would even fake a live PA, yes really! The promoters of these raves would prefer a very short set of 3 tracks or so and insist on a chrome cassette tape being played as we pretended to play our tracks live with no cables or any kit being plugged in – real Top of the Pops style. We did this at Rain Dance and one other event at an early Soul weekender. The crowd were always absolutely up for it, big fish little fish and all of that no worries. The music of the day was so full of energy, the tempo was well up into the 130s and there was always a mass of hot sweaty dancing people. Now, it’s a little more reserved with lots of phones at times and the tempo is lower, same great vibe but different.
Q4. Tell us about your most treasured pieces of studio gear (either past or present). For instance, what has helped shaped the sound of 100Hz?
I think we were best known for the use of our beloved Roland SH-101, that is still with us but not in good working order and needs repairing – must do that! I’m digging the Korg Volca range, I have one unit with a midi out mod and it’s epic. I can control other bits of kit with its lovely little sequencer. I also really love the Roland TR-6s, a drum machine that I use with my live sets. It’s got so many other quality sounds I could almost do a whole live set with it. Another few Roland toys I use a lot are the Boutique JX-03 and JP-08, classic sounds in small packages. And the one piece of gear that helps with all these machines are my midi controllers, which are an essential piece of kit for anyone’s studio.
Q5. As we near the end of 2024 would you like to share with us your plans for next year?
Next year, I plan to play out a lot more while trying to perfect my live set as it’s an ongoing project. There are so many different approaches, I’m always thinking of new ways of performing and trying new kit. I’m still making lots of new music and plan to release the 3rd EP from my label, Modugroove. We have music planned with the agency/label at Suena Hermosa too and I would love to get an album out as I still have so much music to share. What also needs to happen is a ton of editing, all those beautiful jams need to be sorted out and released. Just keep on rollin’.