DJ Dan, pioneer of West Coast rave culture, dies at 57

DJ Dan, a large fig successful West Coast location euphony whose enactment helped effect California’s globally influential rave culture, has died. He was 57.

“It is with profound sorrow, heavy admiration, and an enduring consciousness of gratitude and emotion that we denote the passing of Daniel Wherrett — known professionally to the satellite simply arsenic DJ Dan — 1 of the astir beloved, genre-defying, and genuinely influential pioneers successful the past of American physics music,” representatives for the creator said successful a connection announcing his death. “He leaves down not conscionable a discography, but a civilization — a mode of feeling euphony that touched millions of souls crossed 4 decades and 5 continents. He often said helium felt his intent successful beingness was ‘to heal done music.’”

The connection did not springiness a origin of death. Wherrett had been scheduled to play a amusement astatine at the Dead Ringer nine successful Nevada connected March 28 but did not arrive.

Wherrett, a autochthonal of Washington state, moved to Southern California and past San Francisco successful the ‘90s, arsenic the authorities was gathering its networks of location euphony festivals, collectives and nightclubs. He released respective well-loved mixtapes with L.A.’s DJ Ron D Core and founded the L.A.-based grounds label, InStereo Recordings. He besides co-founded San Francisco’s Funky Tekno Tribe collective, which became known for its rangy sets codifying a chiseled West Coast nine euphony dependable — a psychedelic-infused melange of breakbeat and dub, funk, location and techno.

He was a fixture successful the precocious reaches of DJ Mag’s yearly creator rankings, and recorded respective influential BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes. He played astir large creation euphony festivals of the era, including Ultra, EDC, Creamfields and Dance Valley, and charted 3 singles connected Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart, including 2004’s number-one “That Phone Track.”

Wherrett placed 3 albums connected Billboard‘s Top Dance Albums chart, and was an in-demanded remixer for acts similar Depeche Mode, New Order, Lady Gaga and Janet Jackson.

Veterans of California’s nine euphony country shared condolences. Mark Farina wrote that Dan was “A superbly bully person, fortunate to person known him and telephone him a friend.” Younger artists similar Jubilee besides recounted Dan’s formative power connected their country - “DJ Dan made immoderate of the archetypal mixtapes that got maine into raving erstwhile one was young. So bittersweet to perceive this news,” she wrote.

“He leaves down his music, his label, his mixes, and the countless thousands of dancers who recovered themselves — genuinely recovered themselves — successful the mediate of 1 of his sets,” his representatives wrote. “The satellite is quieter today. But property play connected thing helium touched, and you volition perceive precisely wherefore we mourn him, and precisely wherefore we are everlastingly grateful helium was present to animate us.”