Renato Capoccia

Renato Capoccia is an Adelaide DJ, venue operator and music programmer closely tied to the city’s late-1980s and 1990s club culture. At 19, he began running Cargo Club on Hindley Street, managing the venue from 1988 until 1999 and turning a family restaurant into a home for Adelaide’s underground. While many rooms centred on rock and punk, Cargo booked funk, acid jazz, techno, hip hop, poetry and live acts from Australia and overseas. Its Wednesday sessions became a city fixture, with artists, students and hospitality workers dancing until the early morning. The venue hosted early appearances by Sia and Samuel Dixon, musicians connected to Björk, The Cranberries and Miles Davis, and spontaneous sets involving major Australian performers. Renato, also billed as DJ Rautie, continues to play selections shaped by the Cargo years: soul, funk, acid jazz, hip hop, Balearic sounds and left-field club music. His later appearances include sessions at Ferg’s Stepney with Huggy Bear Sound System.