Los Angeles Techno Legend Silent Servant Has Died
Central American-born, Los Angeles-raised techno legend and Sandwell District member Silent Servant has died.
The news was confirmed to Resident Advisor today, January 19, by Triangle Agency management. The cause of his death has yet to be determined.
The Los Angeles-based DJ and producer, real name John Juan Mendes, was best known for his work as part of the Sandwell District Collective, which he led from 2002 to 2011, when the group broke up and helped revolutionize techno . Voice 00 sec.
Mendes' musical career spans more than 30 years. He started DJing at the age of 16 and soon met Regis, the owner of Downwards Records . They later released several singles together in the 2000s.
After the breakup of Sandwell District, Mendes' solo career saw him play regularly with Berghain, Tresor, Bassiani and others, and co-found the Jealous Gods record label with Regis and James Ruskin.
Earlier this week, Sandwell County announced the release of a 12-track archive compilation titled WHERE NEXT in February.
In late 2023, Mendes released his latest work, In Memoriam, "a deeply personal memoir of a career spanning more than 30 years in which he explored and exploited the dark side of music."
The work combines the memory of the musician and at the same time shows a modern approach to its creation. It was released on November 24 via Tracer Records .
"This EP is the first time I've been able to put all my memories and influences into musical form," Mendes told Mixmag in November.
"From my love of Detroit techno (Model 500 and Cybotron) on the M-87, to the more swinging EBM of the M-90, to main wave and chain reaction dub techno on the M-99 and finally to techno: 'M -00' including from New York, Berlin and the UK in 2000.
Listen to the latest from the silent servant below.
Gemma Ross is deputy editor of Mixmag. Follow him on Twitter