​Pioneering trip hop DJ and producer J Saul Kane has died aged 55

J Saul Kane, the pioneering trip hop DJ and producer hailing from London, has died aged 55, DJ Mag reports.

News of Kane’s death was confirmed to DJ Mag by a friend of the late producer yesterday, November 19, after tributes began to circulate online. No cause of death was given.

Kane, born Jonathan Saul Kane, worked under aliases including Depth Charge and The Octagon Man in the late 1980s, known for his pioneering efforts in lifting the sound of trip hop off the ground in the UK.

As a producer, Kane was inspired by films, sampling kung-fu movies before Wu-Tang Clan. Kane also sampled cult films and spaghetti westerns in his work, and was inspired by football to include snippets from games in his tracks, which would later go on to hit the charts.

In 1999, Kane released the football-themed single ‘Goal’ under his Depth Charge alias, sampling a commentator following a goal by Kane’s favourite footballer, Brazil striker Jairzinho.

Other football-inspired tracks produced by Kane include ‘Romário’, a 1998 track which made the UK’s Top 100 charts, as well as ‘Drogba’, celebrating the Ivory Coast-hailing striker.

During his career, Kane founded the UK record label Vinyl Solution, where he released his debut album ‘9 Deadly Venoms’ in 1994, as well as records from the likes of Bizarre Inc and Le Thugs.

In the mid-‘90s, after Vinyl Solution went defunct, Kane launched D.C. Recordings as a replacement for the label, which saw releases from Everything But The Girl, The Hacker, Padded Cell, and more.

J Saul Kane was predominantly known for his pioneering work in trip hop, but has also been credited with bolstering the sound of big beat through the ‘90s. His other aliases included Alexander's Dark Band, T.E.T and Grimm Death.

Read some tributes to the late DJ and producer below.

[Via DJ Mag]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter