Horst Weidenmueller, !K7 Founder Who Launched DJ-Kicks Series, Dies at 60

Horst Weidenmueller, who based the influential indie/digital label !K7 and launched the celebrated DJ-Kicks compilation sequence, has died, the label introduced yesterday (February 11). No reason behind demise was given, however the assertion referred to a critical sickness. Weidenmueller was 60 years previous.

Weidenmueller was born within the Black Forest area of Germany however moved to Berlin in his early 20s, the place he based !K7 in 1985 to supply music movies. It advanced right into a document label a decade later, releasing techno and home alongside DJ-Kicks compilations—a sequence whereby producers and DJs compiled units that bridged dancefloor and homebound listening, giving DJs an outlet to discover past the same old combine format and discover new audiences within the course of.

After the inaugural C.J. Bolland combine, DJ-Kicks rapidly grew to become a staple of digital music, with dozens of legends making landmark mixes that grew to become consecrated classics, increasing dance music’s scope as an album format. Austrian duo Kurder & Dorfmeister made the second DJ-Kicks LP, and subsequent greats similar to Four Tet, DJ Koze, Kemistry & Storm, James Holden, and an unparalleled Moodymann have contributed.

Alongside the sequence, Weidenmueller continued to signal previous and future greats to !K7—together with A Man Known as Gerald, Matthew Herbert, and Erol Alkan—in addition to music from additional afield, like Difficult and, extra lately, Hundred Waters and Bloc Occasion’s Kele Okereke.

In its assertion, !K7 wrote that Weidenmueller’s “imaginative and prescient, ardour, and dedication formed !K7 since 1985 into what it’s right now, and his legacy will proceed to encourage us. Past his function at !K7, Horst was a passionate advocate for the unbiased music neighborhood, a dedicated environmentalist, and true good friend. His contributions have left an enduring influence on the trade and won’t be forgotten.” The label, the assertion added, “stays dedicated to persevering with his imaginative and prescient with the identical ardour and integrity that he embodied.”