Social media speculation of experimental artist SD Laika’s death was confirmed in a statement shared by his family.
Last week, a since-deleted post by a Last.fm user claiming that SD Laika (real name Peter Runge) died in 2023 was widely parroted on social media by fans of the experimental producer. His family has now confirmed it to be true in a statement.
“Peter was an immensely talented and original musician,” reads the tribute they shared with Mixmag. “He was also a super funny, smart, and kind-hearted person. Our family loves and misses him. We’re grateful to everyone in the music community who enjoyed and supported the art that meant so much to him.“
Born in Milwaukee, Runge’s debut release as SD Laika was the 2012 effort Unknown Vectors, which arrived by way of Visionist‘s Lost Codes imprint. The six-track EP, which included a remix by the label boss himself, married artful noise and dissonant melodies in a way that contributed something new to the conversation around electronic music.
That led to Robin Carolan to sign Runge’s most acclaimed release, the album That’s Harakiri, to his Tri Angle Records imprint in 2014. Aphex Twin, who notoriously doesn’t give out praise generously, called SD Laikan one of his favorite contemporary artists in an interview with Groove Magazin that was published later in the year.
“When I heard his music for the first time I was immediately aware I was listening to something truly original and incredibly forward-thinking,” Carolan has said, according to Mixmag. “I don’t think Peter ever quite comprehended how good his music was, which is part of the reason I was so happy we were finally able to get That’s Harakiri out into the world, especially now given what’s happened.
Neither Runge’s cause of death nor the exact date that it happened are publicly known at the time of writing.
