Ian Ossia: Leeds, Renaissance and the Music Behind the Mix CDs

Ian Ossia's DJ education started with electro and house in Leeds, before a mix tape reached Sasha and brought a booking at Venus in Nottingham. He became one of Renaissance's early residents, mixed the third disc of The Mix Collection Part 4 in 1996 and the first disc of Renaissance Presents… Volume One in 1998, and later shared his own 2001 mix, Mutations. There's a version of Renaissance history that starts and ends with the superstar names on the biggest sleeves. Ossia is a good reminder of the residents who gave those nights a sound in the first place. Compare his commercial mix-CD appearances with the later-shared Mutations recording to hear a career that was always broader than one famous compilation.