Monkey Maffia, one half of German electronic duo Wighnomy Brothers, has died

Monkey Maffia, one half of German electronic duo Wighnomy Brothers, has died.

The news was confirmed to German publication FAZEmag on September 16 by Freude Am Tanzen, a record label close to Monkey Maffia. No cause of death has been confirmed.

Monkey Maffia, real name Sören Bodner, formed the Wighnomy Brothers with his friend and collaborator Gabor Schablitzki (aka Robag Wruhme) in 1997. The pair met in communist East Germany during the late '80s and bonded over a love for breakdancing, hip hop, and early electronic music.

That same year, the Wighnomy Brothers landed a residency at Club Kassablanca in Jena, Germany, and began producing their own tracks under the pseudonym, which included 'Killerteppich' (2003), and 'Wurz + Blosse' (2004).

Bodner and Schablitzki were known for their eclectic style, blending minimal and melodic techno with the sounds of jazz, soul, and deep house. They released music on Kompakt, BPitch and Ghostly International, and toured worldwide, playing at festivals including Awakenings in Amsterdam, Eastern Electrics in London and Decibel Festival in Seattle.

In 2009, the pair parted ways, striking out on their own paths. As Monkey Maffia, Bodner largely released music via Freude Am Tanzen. On his website, the artist is described as an “anarchistic selector with a sharp sense for the particular and distinguished note of a genre which has no name.”

He was also a keen lover of vinyl and founded the record store Fatplastics in Jena, Germany.

Tributes to the late producer are currently flooding in, with French electronic trio dOP writing on Instagram: “Deeply saddened and touched about Sören Monkey Maffia's passing," adding that he represented “a golden era of this music” and the “avant garde of dancefloor music for us”.

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram