Word comes from Johannesburg this morning that Brett Jackson, South African Deep House icon, has passed away after a battle with cancer.
Brett was the label manager for Soul Candi (an absolutely huge independent label in South Africa). He also ran and produced for his own label, WOT! Records (Lydia Wrobel reviewed the remixes of his collaboration with Orion and Jade, “Change”, exactly one year ago). In addition to work by South African producers, WOT! also boasted Belgium’s Swirl Peepz and the USA’s Jake Childs on their roster.
As a DJ, Brett mixed several CD compilations starting in 2003 which did a lot to establish South Africa’s reputation as a Deep House mecca. Many were released on Soul Candi, including the joint Soul Candi/OM mix The Best of OM Records (2009).
Interviewed on the Soul Candi site just three months ago, Brett said of South Africa’s House Music scene, “I’m really excited about the music now, it’s always changing and evolving and I think the time for SA to shine has never been more perfect.”
