After a three year hiatus, the big Renaissance UK festival returns in 2007 – this time bigger and broader than ever. The label made its name in the nineties by championing progressive house, but this year’s Wild in the Country has something for everyone, spanning the genres from minimal techno and progressive to dance rock and electro-house. You know the names: Sasha and John Digweed, Underworld, Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Tiga, Hot Chip. Justice, Mathew Jonson – if you were disappointed with the dance lineup at Glastonbury – and we were - Wild in the Country is a pretty good bet.

RENAISSANCE TURNS 15

So what’s the party in aide of then? Aside from you running around wild, the bash is to celebrate the fifteenth year of Nottingham label Renaissance, the minds behind the success of Sasha, John Digweed and a half a dozen other mega names in the genre known as progressive. But you know that story already. The real deal is that the fest is a bit of a celebration for all kinds of dance music: Sasha & Digweed fans can overdose on four hours of back to back S&D on the main stage, dance rockers get a quadruple dose of the best of the genre, and minimal fans getting lots of Chileans. A bit of a meeting of the tribes then. Public announcement: Renaissance will be selling notepads, stopwatches and anoraks to trainspotters of all stripes at the main gate for the occasion.

Front and centre: Who are you most looking forward to catching at Wild in the Country?

"I'm really looking forward to seeing Hot Chip. I love their albums but I have never managed to catch them live before". - Sasha

"When Ricardo plays it turns my head sideways in a way that feels like it might fall off and split into a million ping pong balls spiraling into the center of the Milky Way." - Mathew Jonson

"There's loads of DJs we'd like to check out like Tiefschwarz, Luciano (we loved his 'Love Dose' remix), Ricardo Villalobos (the most out-there DJ/producer we've heard in a long time). But in the end it would have to be Paul Woolford, flying the flag for the UK." - Underworld

"It might sound a bit cheesy but I'm just happy to be playing there and to be a part of it, especially on that stage - myself and Geddes are the only British DJs there." - Damian Lazarus

"I always enjoy seeing Hot Chip as they are really good live. Their recent single 'My Piano' was amazing and I suspect they will be playing some material off the new album." - James Shaw from Simian Mobile Disco

GETTING THERE

The party happens in front of Knebworth Manor. The brochures make it seem like you’ll be sitting for high tea with the Earl of Hertfordshire, but best not to go knocking on the door of the stately manor if you need to pee. "Strangely enough, they won’t let us inside the house," says Geoff Oakes from Renaissance. The festival is actually held in the grounds of manor, i.e Knebworth Park – us plebs will know it from those Robbie and Oasis vids – which is a quick twenty-minute hop on the train from London. Directions: The non-stop Inter-City runs every 30 minutes from Kings Cross to Stevenage and takes about sixteen minutes (local trains are a bit longer). From there it’s a two-mile taxi hike. Check the Wild in the Country page for other options. (Note: Finding your way home is your own problem.)

WHAT TO EXPECT

WITC sounds like a boutique festival, but expect to share the stately grounds with ten to twelve thousand others. But not all in the one place – the fest is divided up in three smaller stages. "We've taken a lot of time designing the arenas so they really look and feel like a club environment rather than a festival," explains Oakes. Each stage will have a Funktion One system, but if the thump gets all too much there's also fairground attractions, giant croquet and more. RA recommends a few minutes on the bouncy castle if you’ve lost your mates.

THE THREE STAGES

WITC takes place over twelve hours from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The stages are split pretty much along genre lines, with the main stage hosting progressive and electrohouse (Underworld, John Digweed & Sasha, Tiefschwarz, Eric Prydz), a second stage hosting minimal techno (Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Mathew Jonson) and a third stage hosting more dance rock and indie acts (Hot Chip, Justice, Simian Mobile Disco.) Let the arguments begin.

Renaissance 15th Anniversary Stage: Sasha and Digweed are playing from 9.30 to 1.30 a.m and for the last couple of hours they’ll be back to back. Then comes Underworld until 3 a.m - Smith & Hyde are promising to preview new material from their forthcoming album ‘Oblivion With Bells’ but expect a few hits, too. Also on the main stage are party electro-Germans Ali and Basti Tiefschwarz, Swedish house mafioso Eric Prydz, Paul ‘Erotic Discourse’ Woolford as well as Renaissance man Marcus James.

RA pick: Sasha & Digweed bring out the best in each other, not to mention goad each other into spinning a few classics.

Wild Stage: The second stage is where Herefordshire will be going minimal for the evening. The fest has snagged two of the biggest names in European dance, Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano, who really need no introduction, while Wagon Repair whiz Mathew Jonson lugs along his mountains of gear - all reports are that he is playing off the hook at the moment. Rounding out the bill are Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus, NY Deep Space legend Francois K and Mulletover resident Geddes. Can’t complain.

RA pick: Villalobos is on fire in 2007. He’s playing the closing set.

Neon Arena: The third stage has more of a skinny jeans aesthetic with – deep breath - Ed Banger impresarios Justice, indie-dance duo Simian Mobile Disco, 2 Many DJ’s, Tiga, Erol Alkan and the Filthy Dukes manning the decks. Rock on, basically. There's also a live set from electro-poppers Hot Chip at 10:30 p.m. Set your watch.

RA pick: Simian Mobile Disco never forget to groove.

THE WEATHER

It might be summer, but let's face the facts, post Glastonbury, all we really care about is the mud. Fortunately all three stages are in covered tents so inclement weather shouldn't present too many problems. "We're sat perched beautifully on top of one of the most pristine areas of the grounds. There are proper roads through the whole park," says Geoff Oakes confidently. "You'd never get any of the issues you get with some festival sites in terms of weather because it's so well maintained.” No excuses then.

Renaissance's 15th anniversary Wild in the Country happens at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire on Saturday, June 30, 2007.