Stu Allen obit

Stu Allan: Dance music DJ pioneer dies aged 60

 

He was not on the list.

DJ Stu Allan, hailed as a "visionary force in the world of hip-hop, dance and rave", has died at the age of 60.

Allan, who championed the burgeoning genres in the 1980s and 90s, had been receiving treatment for cancer.

His manager said while they were "so sad... we are relieved he is finally at peace after his illness".

Paying tribute, fellow DJs said Allan was a "beautiful ego-free music lover" and a "shining light of the rave scene he helped build".

Allan grew up on Anglesey and was initially in a band, but moved to Manchester after being made redundant from his job on the island.

He began DJing in 1982, after being inspired by a play of hip-hop DJ Grandmaster Flash's The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show the previous year.

By 1984 his mixes and remixes were being featured on Manchester's Piccadilly Radio, where he was later given his own Sunday night show, before continuing with slots on Key 103.

'Very important voice'

He went on to become known as a pioneer of rave and house music, giving first radio plays to the likes of A Guy Called Gerald, 808 State and Shut Up and Dance.

He was also a regular guest DJ at Manchester's renowned Hacienda and other nightclubs across the UK and in Ibiza, and was part of the 90s music act Clock, who achieved 13 UK Top 40 singles.

In 2021, he told the Roar rave music podcast that he had "always enjoyed quality good dance music".

Reacting to the news of his death, fellow Hacienda DJ Dave Halsam said Allan had been a "fantastic man who did so much for the local dance music scene and beyond".

"He supported and encouraged everyone else too. A beautiful ego-free music lover."

808 State's Graham Massey said Allan had been "a very important voice in Manchester's history of electronic music broadcasting".

BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Sweeney, who worked with Allan at Piccadilly Radio, said he had been a "visionary force in the world of hip-hop, dance and rave".

"We spent many an hour in the Piccadilly Radio studios talking about music in all its genres.

"He was a genuinely nice, modest guy."

DJ legend Carl Cox said Allan had been "one of my heroes" and was "a shining light of the rave scene he helped build", while Jon Dasilva, who also played at the Hacienda, said he had "ushered in a dance revolution" and "was so important to Manchester and beyond".

Singer Robbie Williams tweeted a link to a set by Allan on Youtube with the message: "Stu from 14-year-old me. Thank you very much."