“Nothing beats that feeling of coming home,”smiles Jacques Renault. It’s a cold afternoon in February and we are sitting in the kitchen of his modest Brooklyn apartment. The place feels small and cozy, and the light filtering in from the window of his studio adjacent to us makes it all the more inviting.

DJing, he’ll tell you, is just the “performance” part of the job. As one of the most respected young DJs and producers to emerge from the growing pool of disco-house revivalists, he’s in demand. A worldwide traveler, Renault has graced parties with his music from Portugal to Japan and beyond.

For the second installation in our AUTOBRENNT Profiles series, we spotlight the New York-based photographer, Jai Lennard and his exclusive Don’t Be Shy photo shoot. You can view other projects and photos by the artist on his online gallery at www.jailennard.com.

At first glance, Jai Lennard comes across as slightly conservative. Or at least, his trimmed look and polished image hide the fact that he’s anything but orthodox. Dressed in a grey cardigan, deep blue denim jeans, skin-colored moccasin slippers and thick-rimmed glasses, he completes the picture in his minimalist-inspired apartment. I feel like we should be gazing across the grassy lawns of Central Park East, not the weathered grey buildings of Williamsburg. The hand-selected art pieces, from small, framed illustrations to grotesque sculptures strategically placed around the living room contrast nicely with the understated furnishings and light wooden floors of his place.

Crackdowns and Sacrifices

Music – whether making it, buying it or working in the industry – involves sacrifices. Taimur Agha knows this reality all too well.  “I can’t afford to lose any more right now. I’m living on peanuts,” sighs Agha. Then, panning the impressive shelves of vinyl at halcyon the shop that surrounds us, he breaks into a grin and adds, “I need some records.

Less than a month ago Agha’s  Halloween techno hoedown powered by his Blkmarket Membership team was crushed by the citywide crackdown on underground parties that night.  The bust cost his team a fiscal dent and a slew of partygoer backlash that followed.

“It’s been a hard four months,” he said, admitting that he barely can sleep these days. It’s tough enough to be under taskforce threats but that’s not the only pressure he’s facing. In addition to co-running the famed underground Blkmarket parties, Agha is the musical director of the city’s newest club, District 36. He has been fighting an uphill battle with Manhattan’s tight legal grip on venues and nightclubs, hence the prolonged postponement of the club’s official opening.