Gilles Peterson tweeted saying it is hard to put into words the influence and impact Andrew Weatherall has had on UK cultureso sad to hear of his passing.
Novelist, Irvine Welsh said, Genius is an overworked term but Im struggling to think of anything else that defines him.
The Chemical Brothers, Ed Simons declared A true inspiration and hero. A lovely funny man. Incredible DJ.
These are just a selection of some of the reactions to the death of electronic musics own man-of-letters and proclaimed swordsman Andrew Weatherall at the age of 56.
Andrew Weatherall occupies a distinct position in British electronic music and club culture. To view him merelyasthe producer of Primal Screams 1991 album Screamadelica is reductive, rather he should be remembered as an arranger of Screamss raw materials, allowing them to catapult to an untouchable pinnacle as a result of Weatheralls knowledge of dub and house musics sonic potential.
He worked alongside New Order and the Happy Mondays producing a scintillating remix of the latters track Hallelujah. However, although Screamadelica and Weatherhalls foray into the Madchester music scene was a commercial highpoint.
Andrew was much more than a one trick pony. He was a DJ, a tastemaker, a remixer, a record collector, a selector, a techno cosmonaut, a revolutionary. He signalled the confluence between the vitality of acid house and an emerging post-punk aesthetic and in the process, carved himself a niche as an idiosyncratic figure within underground music.
Weatherall was born in Windsor, Berkshire, in 1963. During his formative years, he spent his time immersing himself in the vibrant funk and soul nights littered across the capital city. He eventually left home aged 18 and worked in various roles as a labourer; but it was in 1987, the year he moved to London, that Andrews career exploded.
Weatherall was hired to DJ at the south London club Shroom, where he began to establish himself as a selector, playing across the spectrum of electronic music. In 2014, Weatherhall told the BBC that I saved up all my money and went to London at the weekend to buy records, I just got a really good record collection together to the point where people started to say Why dont you play this at our party?, Why dont you play this at our club?'
Following on from his emergence as a collector and DJ, in 1990 Weatherall created his own label Boys Own Productions where he became a highly sought remixer. He collaborated with Paul Oakenfold on Hallelujah, as well as New Orders World Cup single World in Motion in 1990. His Radio 1 Essential Mix broadcast on November 13, 1993 has gone down in electronic music folklore as an iconic touchstone that was to be heavily imitated yet never bettered.
Andrew Weatherhalls views on electronic music often aligned with notions of spiritual transcendence, viewing music throughout the ages as being the vehicle to which we achieve a higher level of spiritual enlightenment.
In an interview with Uncuts Michael Bonner, Weatherall states that club nights imitate the ancient Greek rituals involving herbal drugs to achieve transcendence. For Andrew, People were having transcendent experiences in 1940s dancehalls, dancing to a big band; now we do it with drum machines and electronic technology its the same concept. Humanity hasnt changed for 100,000 years, but our technology has.
For Weatherall, then, there is something innate in humitys quest to seek an out of body experience, an experience that he soundtracked for so many across different generations.
I was lucky to attend a few of Weatherhalls A Love From Outer Space club nights in Glasgow that he ran with Sean Johnston. The nights were always intergenerational, attended by old-skool ravers from the late 1980s summer of love, to new generations of dancers.
Weatherall set one rule and one rule only for DJs at these club nights: no track could surpass the 122bpm mark. As a result, the club nights plodded along to the steady rhythms of the 808 drum machine underpinning the swirling oscillations of synth stabs and the dancers gnawing on their Wrigleys spearmint.
An anecdote I heard from an ALFOS club night was, upon hearing a dancer giving Sean Johnston trouble across the DJ booth, Weatherall asked the dancer how much hed paid to get in. A fiver, he said. To which Andrew replied, Heres a tenner, now f*ck off.
As tributes will continue to pour in across the underground and mainstream music world, Lord Sabres influence on dance music culture will last in the collective memory for as long as there are dance floors.
View post:
A Tribute to Andrew Weatherall - The Mancunion
- The Lives of Others [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Aliens and Spiritual Enlightenment [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Dreams [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Open Your Eyes [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Spiritual Enlightenment and Grizzly Bears [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- I’m Alive! [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Seeing the World [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- First Taste of Spiritual Enlightenment [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Pause [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Welcome [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Resurrection Needed for the Catholic Church, not Jesus. Christianity, Islam ... - American Chronicle [Last Updated On: April 5th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 5th, 2010]
- The Secret of Kells - Harvard Crimson [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Taylor: The true Easter within - Lake County News [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- CHOICES! Your Go To Source for Enlightenment! / Spiritual Movie Morning - WCNC (subscription) [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Sex Swami duped firangs in the US - NDTV.com [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Girls' school defies Taliban terror - Times Online [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Shen Yun Performers Present Spiritual Connotation with Life - The Epoch Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Yoga Draws Criticism - TopNews United States [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Banjamin Bratt: 'I Wanted to Be Anything But an Actor' - Palm Beach Post [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- The History of Buddhism - MPBN News [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2010]
- Secrets of the Catholic Church - The National Law Journal [Last Updated On: April 9th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 9th, 2010]
- U-Theatre of Taiwan dance troupe's West Coast debut spotlights its virtuosity - OregonLive.com [Last Updated On: April 9th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 9th, 2010]
- Religion Calendar - Montreal Gazette [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- Siquijor conducts recollection for parolees - Philippine Information Agency [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- Prayer for guidance - Inquirer.net [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- East Bay Buddhist temple strives to maintain relevance in new land - San Jose Mercury News [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- Spiritual Journey: Stay-home mom Melody Melvin - The Huntsville Times - al.com (blog) [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- What Does The Buddha Have To Do With Jesus? - Huffington Post (blog) [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- Laura Dern and William H. Macy Heading to Cable - Inside TV (blog) [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2010]
- American Guru Steven S. Sadleir brings Shaktipat to Spain and Italy - PR Web (press release) [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2010]
- Who and What Is Buddha, Really? - Huffington Post (blog) [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2010]
- The ACLU works to sap our spiritual strength - The Free Lance-Star [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2010]
- Christ Enlightened, The Lost Teachings of Jesus Unveiled by Best-Selling ... - PR Web (press release) [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2010]
- All About Kundalini Yoga - EmpowHer (blog) [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2010]
- Catholic leadership's image tarnished by recurring scandal - Staunton News Leader [Last Updated On: April 16th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- Iowa Swami Who Beguiled the Jazz Age - New York Times [Last Updated On: April 16th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 16th, 2010]
- More than a spiritual exercise - Nagaland Post [Last Updated On: April 18th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 18th, 2010]
- Despite media smears, world and faithful have warmed to Benedict - Irish Times [Last Updated On: April 18th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 18th, 2010]
- The Fool's Story in the Major Arcana - I-Newswire.com (press release) [Last Updated On: April 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 19th, 2010]
- Pakistan's pre-Islamic art goes on show in Paris - DAWN.com [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- New author shares emotional enlightenment - The Trinidad Guardian [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- The theft of yoga - Washington Post (blog) [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2010]
- Enter the Realm of the Buddha - Georgetown University The Hoya [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- Indian guru arrested over sex scandal: Police - Montreal Gazette [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- Life Out Here: Tea Party with a twist - Imperial Valley Press (subscription) [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- April 25: A Turning Point for Today's China - The Epoch Times [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2010]
- Nityananda bound devotees with non-disclosure agreements - Sify [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- Buddhist Extremists in Bangladesh Beat, Take Christians Captive - Pakistan Christian TV [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- Liberty and the Death of God - American Thinker [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- A Commentary on Religious Intolerance & the Dalai Lama - Subversify (blog) [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- The Fool's Story in the Major Arcana - BigNews.biz (press release) [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- Review: Seeking Life's Meaning - New York Times (blog) [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- An Analysis Of I Corinthians 15 - Blogger News Network (blog) [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- Luxury in spiritual Ladakh, India - Times Online [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- JD Salinger: A 'Selfish Old Goat,' But Not a Perv - Politics Daily (blog) [Last Updated On: April 24th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 24th, 2010]
- Sorry, your patent on yoga has run out - Washington Post (blog) [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2010]
- Leggo my ego - Winnipeg Free Press [Last Updated On: April 25th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 25th, 2010]
- Church Set to Regain Museum Treasures - The Moscow Times [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- The multiple sides of Ricky Williams - San Diego Union Tribune [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- The Dalai Lama, Buddhism, and Tibet: Reflecting on a Half-Century of Change - Student Pulse [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- The Kumbh Mela: what can it teach us about mental health, consciousness and ... - Psychology Today (blog) [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (DVD) - Film Threat [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- A Leg Up on “THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE” - FANGORIA (blog) [Last Updated On: April 28th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 28th, 2010]
- The hottest docs at Hot Docs - Globe and Mail [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2010]
- Florida Dems shut down state House - Politico [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2010]
- Reading Energy Fields with Tanis Day - The Barrie Examiner [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- Book flights to India for a luxury mountain retreat - Southall Travel [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- In death, mass murderer sees freedom - Citizens Voice [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- Author Becky Walsh on enlightenment through sex - Dscriber [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- Is Western Christianity Suffering From Spiritual Amnesia? - Huffington Post (blog) [Last Updated On: April 30th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 30th, 2010]
- The Road That Leads to Nowhere - The Road That Leads to You - New York News Today [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2010]
- In Their Words: Her path to inner peace - Times Herald-Record [Last Updated On: May 2nd, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 2nd, 2010]
- Rielle, Oprah, and Zen America's Truth-Off - Politics Daily (blog) [Last Updated On: May 3rd, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 3rd, 2010]
- CathBlog - Newman's reasoned faith outshines postmodernism's dark stars - CathNews [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2010]
- Light of the Sufis exhibit explores Islam's mystical side - Houston Chronicle [Last Updated On: May 13th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 13th, 2010]
- The last word: In search of enlightenment, mindfulness and nirvana in Silicon ... - Financial Times [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]
- 'Light in the Wilderness,' by M. Catherine Thomas - Mormon Times [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]
- Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive-Fascist Distinction - U.S. News & World Report (blog) [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]
- Are You Praying to the Only True God? - WEBCommentary [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]
- Haunting 'Lourdes' Revels in the Poetry of Ambiguity - HollywoodChicago.com [Last Updated On: May 14th, 2010] [Originally Added On: May 14th, 2010]