J Saul Kane of Depth Charge Fame Dies at Age 55

J Saul Kane played a seminal role in the trip-hop genre that rose to popularity in the mid-1990s.

J Saul Kane — renowned for the electronic music he produced under aliases such as Depth Charge, Octagon Man, and T.E.T — has passed away at the age of 55.

Mark Moore of S’Express and Alain De La Mata of D.C. Recordings confirmed Kane’s death to DJ Mag after rumors of it had begun to circulate online. No cause of death has been shared with the public at the time of writing.

Jonathan Saul Kane started out as a disc jockey at London clubs like The Wag Club and Heaven before the start of his celebrated career as a recording artist. In fact, Tim Simenon sampled his turntable techniques for a single titled “Megablast” on Bomb The Bass‘ debut 1988 album before Kane released music of his own in earnest.

The following year marked Kane’s debut release as Depth Charge, Bounty Killers, whose mix of old funk samples with audio ripped from esoteric sources would form one of the fundamental building blocks of a sound that would come to be known as trip-hop. Later on, he explored electro via his Octagon Man alias, and T.E.T allowed him to experiment with house music.

Kane released a number of his works as Depth Charge via a 1994 double LP titled Nine Deadly Venoms. His output leading up to and during this era is thought to be a primary influence of record labels like Ninja Tune and Mo’ Wax.

Known for an affinity for martial arts films that led him to sample them in music recordings, J Saul Kane facilitated the UK reissues of several titles through Made In Hong Kong, the company he helped launch. Later in life, he took up photography.

We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of J Saul Kane during what can only be a difficult time.