Renato Ratier and the Fifteen Hours of D-Edge Festival That Never Stopped

There was something in the air that set it apart from those parties that promise the world and deliver noise. D-Edge Festival 2026 began before sunset and did not stop: more than fifteen continuous hours, five stages with distinct identities, over fifty artists, and a stubborn idea that electronic music does not need to shout to take over a space.

From the Defected stage to D-Edge itself, each room had its own vocabulary. Defected spoke in sophisticated house, with Coppola b2b Nocapz, Aline Rocha, KiNK, Carl Craig and Moodymann sharing the booth like old accomplices, until Renato Ratier stepped into the b2b with Beltran and the night found its axis. Moving pulsed at a more dynamic cadence: Gui Boratto, Mishell b2b Cour T., and Ed Lopes b2b Waltervelt drew a progression that only those who stayed to the end could hear in full.

Nave was the stage of direct intensity. ARBR opened the way, Anderson Noise b2b DJ Murphy kept the temperature up, Nastia and Len Faki pushed to the limit, and Daria Kolosova with Acid Asian delivered the climax before the close with Bervon b2b HNGT. In the DJ Marky & Friends space, drum and bass showed its global elasticity, with Makoto, DJ Hazard, L-Side and Marky himself connecting different sonic continents on one floor. And D-Edge served as both finish line and restart: Junior C b2b Julio Torres, Adnan Sharif b2b N.A.S.S.I., through to dawn with From House to Disco b2b Leo Janeiro and Cactunes b2b Fel C.

Between light, architecture and sound, the festival built a narrative that goes beyond music. More than a sequence of performances, it was a statement that there is a project with its own DNA, led with consistency for 26 years.

A Conversation with Renato Ratier

D-Edge has always had a very distinct signature. What is absolutely non-negotiable in that identity, and what had to evolve?

Actually, we are always trying to keep moving, mainly through curation, researching new artists and following what is happening on the scene. At the same time there is a non-negotiable core that goes back to the beginning. Our artistic and visual concept and the way we run the project remain very aligned with what we believed in back then. The DNA stays the same. What evolves is the way of translating it in the present, without concessions that would strip D-Edge of its essence.

With 30 years of career and more than 8,000 vinyl records, what still gives you the most pleasure to play?

I have always been a great researcher of music, across different genres. But my foundation has always been in the strands of house. There is a strong influence of Black music such as jazz, blues, funk and deep house. Rock also played an important role in my formation. I like to explore different textures; I have gone through phases such as electro house and I appreciate the more minimalist aesthetic, but in the end, what moves me is that more organic musicality, more connected to groove. The groove commands everything.

The groove commands everything.

Renato Ratier

After 26 years building an ecosystem beyond the club, what is the next chapter?

My focus now is on strengthening the base of what we have already built, the clubs and, above all, our musical arm, the three record labels. The last few years have been challenging on a personal level, so this moment is also one of reorganising and reconnecting with the essential. I am more focused on the studio, producing music. We have a book project for the coming months and the possibility of developing something broader in audiovisual in the future. And one of the most gratifying aspects of this moment is seeing my son Guilherme Fetter begin to take part in the project. He is 22, very interested, and that brings a very special perspective of continuity to everything that has been built here.

It started with a sunset and carried on past sunrise. After fifteen hours and 26 years, D-Edge still moves the way its founder says it should: with the groove in command, and the next generation already at the door.

@dedgefestival

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