This week we lost an icon and an innovator. The celebrated record producer, DJ, remixer and dance music titan Andrew Weatherall died yesterday [February 17] at the age of 56.
Known for his work with Primal Scream, the ‘Screamadelica’ producer – who once reviewed the band for NME under his pen-name Audrey Witherspoon in 1989 – also released scores of records under his own name, and various monikers: The Sabres of Paradise, Two Lone Swordsman and Bocca Juniors. He also turned his hand towards remixing.
It’s nigh on impossible to pull together a comprehensive ranking of Weatherall‘s remix work alone. Armed with a flagrant disregard for genre constraints, he was unbelievably prolific with a treasure-trove of a back catalogue that spans multitudes, journeying from post-punk and dub to techno and rockabilly.
Weatherall had many talents, but his fearlessness was surely one of his most valuable powers. Unafraid to mess with sacred musical territory, and armed with an unparalleled ability to tune into a song’s throbbing heart, he will be sorely missed.
Here are just some of Andrew Weatherall’s truly inspired musical reworkings: visiting an early iteration of The Chemical Brothers (originally The Dust Brothers), Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ centrepiece, his unrivalled remix of My Bloody Valentine, and the greatest World Cup theme of all time along the way.