Techno Journalist Dan Sicko Passed Away
August 29, 2011 5:38 AM   Subscribe

Journalist and Detroit techno historian, Dan Sicko passed away Sunday, August 28th from a rare form of eye cancer.

Dan was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2008, and has been battling it for the past 3 years.

Dan is best known for his book Techno Rebels which recounts his first hand experiences with early Detroit Techno, as well as digging deeper into the scene and its impact on the wider world of electronic music. He was also active online since the early days of the [313] techno mailing list, and had even distributed his own digital magazine, Reverb, via floppy disk and FTP sites. More news on Dan's passing at CDM and Resident Advisor.
posted by p3t3 (14 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
I know outside of the techno fans, Dan is barely a blip on most peoples' radar, but for those that knew and remember him he will be sorely missed.

The very first day I met Dan personally, I ended up in his living room being introduced to his little daughter (I had no such plans at the DEMF festival that morning, but he was more than willing to host guests as we made our record shopping rounds). He also visited my old college radio show a couple times to talk about his book, and was always a delight. Best wishes to Dan's wife, daughter, family, and friends.
posted by p3t3 at 5:38 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by mkb at 6:32 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by Uncle Ira at 7:38 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by hyperizer at 7:40 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by joe lisboa at 7:43 AM on August 29, 2011


This kind of geek curating and writing is incredibly vital for subcultures, and depend on people like Dan for my work on country. I don't know his work personally, but seriously hope to engage in some reading. I have also come to love Detroit, deeply. These are some of the reasons why.


Thanks for this, also fuck cancer.
posted by PinkMoose at 7:53 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]


I thought about making an FPP but was too sad to do it- thanks for this, P3T3. Dan will be greatly missed - I re-read his book a year and a half ago and donated money for his hospice care, but he was gone before most people even realized he was sick. My heart goes out to his widow, Allison, and his daughter Anabel.

His GoFund donation page is now routing the money to an educational fund for his daughter, if anyone is interested: http://www.gofundme.com/DanSicko

Rest in peace, Dan - you gave the world an important gift with your writing.

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posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:23 AM on August 29, 2011


:( .
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 11:25 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by interrupt at 11:41 AM on August 29, 2011


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posted by Jon_Evil at 12:16 PM on August 29, 2011


Dan's webzine "Reverb", originally distributed as stand-alone Macintosh applications!
posted by mkb at 8:26 PM on August 29, 2011


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(ex 313 list member)
posted by inpHilltr8r at 10:28 PM on August 29, 2011


Another way to help: Ghostly International's donating 100 percent of the profits on this commemorative shirt to Dan's family.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:19 AM on August 30, 2011


Thanks for the donation links, Unicorn. Since leaving Michigan 5 years ago, I lost touch with a lot of those folks, and this news came as a big surprise and shock (and left me feeling a bit guilty for being so out of the loop with them). It's nice at least being able to send some support.
posted by p3t3 at 7:39 PM on August 30, 2011 [1 favorite]


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