UK techno pioneer Lee Purkis, aka In Sync, dies, aged 54

UK techno pioneer Lee Purkis has died, aged 54. A stream of tributes have poured in following the news. No cause of death has been confirmed. 

Purkis — known to many as In Sync — is regarded as one of the earliest DJs to support, promote and play house music and techno in Britain. Forming Insync vs. Mysteron with Chris Hartley and David Manuel, the group founded the 10th Planet label in 1992.

Releases by Purkis have appeared on labels including Peacefrog, Fragmented, Relief, Basement 282, and Plink Plonk. In 1989, he was involved in the opening of FatCat Records in his hometown of Crawley, East Sussex. The shop became a renowned specialist in dance music, largely stocked through Purkis’ trips to Detroit and Chicago. 

Purkis launched the Fortune8 imprint in 2005 as a platform for his new and previously unreleased productions. Later, a number of his archival mixtapes were reissued through the likes of Delsin, Third Ear, and Back To Life. Classic tracks were also re-released, including ‘Storm’, which first landed on Irdial Discs in 1992.

Read tributes to Purkis left by friends and peers in the dance music scene, and listen to his work below.