DJ Dan, a producer and pioneer for the West Coast House Sound, has died
NEED TO KNOW
The DJ's death was announced on his social medias
His last single release was on Feb. 20
DJ Dan, who was known as the Pioneer of the West Coast House Sound, has died at age 57.
The DJ's death was announced on his social media pages on Sunday, March 29. A cause of death has not been revealed.
"He leaves behind not just a discography, but a culture — a way of feeling music that touched millions of souls across four decades and five continents. He often said he felt his purpose in life was 'to heal through music,'" theannouncement on Instagramstated, alongside a series of photos.
According to the announcement, DJ Dan (born Daniel Wherrett), co-founded Funky Tekno Tribe, which was a "collective that would reshape the West Coast dance scene from the ground up."
The West Coast House sound, per the announcement, is a "psychedelic fusion of House, Breakbeat dubs, and Techno unlike anything heard before."
"Those who knew Dan personally knew a man who saw music in colors. Disco was orange; techno was blue and brown; progressive sounds were a cool, deep blue," the post read. "He described his DJ sets as 'peaks and valleys of energy through color' — and that synesthetic vision translated into something audiences felt in their bodies long before they understood it with their minds. He credited his inspiration to James Brown, his parents, and 'all the underdogs who fought their way to success in life.'"
The announcement also described his life outside of music, which included cooking, traveling and collecting records. He was also passionate about food and art.
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A rep for DJ Dan did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
DJ Dan was born and raised in Lacey, Washington and started out as a fashion student — before discovering his love for electronic music, according to a release byAPT Entertainment. In the early '90s, he moved to Los Angeles and released a series of mixtapes and live mixes that helped him gain recognition as a DJ.
Over the course of his career, he headlined festivals like Ultra, EDC, Creamfields, Dance Valley and more. He also remixed artists from a wide range of genres including Depeche Mode, A Tribe Called Quest,Lady Gaga,Janet Jacksonand more.
In addition to creating music, DJ Dan — whoadvertised and played a series of showsleading up to his death — also founded the L.A. label InStereo Recordings.
DJ Dan's final release was a collaboration with DJ Mes called "Rough It Style" in February. His last full-length project was 2024'sTekkMeow.
"Dan once wrote 'Enjoy every day to its fullest no matter what BS or Drama the world throws at ya... We only get one 'go' on this carnival ride... what's after... who knows?'" his death announcement concluded.
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