Czech dance music pioneer DJ Tráva has died aged 60

Czech DJ, producer, promoter and label head DJ Tráva - AKA Petr Votava - has died, aged 60. 

According to Czech publication Headliner, Votava's death was confirmed by "two independent sources", though both declined to share details around the specifics.

Votava was due to perform at Prague's Chapeau Rouge on October 5, though venue manager Pavel Šmíd confirmed to Resident Advisor that he had passed away. 

Born in 1965 in Domažlice, Votava began his career within the Czech punk movement of the late '80s before becoming entrenched in Prague's burgeoning electronic scene following the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

According to Headliner, Votava began organising one of Prague's first-ever techno parties at the U Zoufalců, before picking up his first residency at Bunkr in 1995. 

Earning international spotlight via broadcasts on MTV, Votava later took up a residency at ROXY, where his parties MIX and SHAKE welcomed the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and The Prodigy to Prague. 

In the early '00s, Votava established his own record label Lex Recs, on which he released his first record 'MONGO.LOVE' as part of collaborative project Significant Other - alongside Klára Nemravová, Martin Kadnár and Petr Mikolášek.

Under the alias DJ Tráva, he later released music on labels such as Eukatech, and, in 2015, formed live project Lazy Lizard alongside Risto Sokolovski. 

[Via: Headliner]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter