Veteran New York producer DJ Spinbad is being mourned by the dance music community after his death Tuesday at age 46. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
On Twitter, artists including A-Trak, El-P, Keys N Krates, Mark Ronson and DJ Jazzy Jeff paid tribute to the late DJ, born Chris Sullivan. “Damn, RIP DJ SPINBAD legendary talent,” A-Trak shared. “His mixtapes changed the game..incredibly creative from an incredible person,” wrote Junior Sanchez, while Mark Ronson paid homage saying, “True NY legend. Such a good guy, supporter of great music and technical master. Too soon.”
Spinbad was a renowned turntablist known widely for his high-energy, party-starting and technically clean mixtapes, which masterfully fused disparate sounds and genres and made him a fixture in New York’s electronic and hip-hop communities. Listen to his 2013 Live In India mix below.
Sullivan, a regular on New York’s WHTZ, released a pair of albums: Underground Airplay Version 1.0 and a 2004 Fabriclive compilation. During his career, he toured as the opener for Moby and comedian Russell Peters.