Prolific UK House DJ Phil Asher Has Died

January 22, 2021 | Words : Cameron Holbrook

Prolific UK House DJ Phil Asher Has Died

January 22, 2021

Words: Cameron Holbrook

The West London house music pioneer was 50 years old.

Phil Asher, undoubtedly one of the UK’s most distinguished DJ/producers, has passed away at age 50 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.

With a career spanning almost three decades, he rose to international acclaim through his encyclopedic knowledge of soul, jazz, disco, breaks, and more with his incredibly smooth mixing skills and quality track selections that set dance floors ablaze. Famous for linking 4/4 and broken beat in a way that had never been heard before, his acclaim would land him regulars gigs all over the UK and take him to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Brazil, Japan, Canada, United States, New-Zealand, Australia, and beyond. 

Asher was instrumental in pushing house and soulful music in London through his work at two of the UK capital’s finest record stores, Quaff Records and Vinyl Solution.

Working under numerous groups and monikers such as Basic Soul, Demonstration, E & E Sound, and Phlash, Asher boasts hundreds of releases that have appeared on imprints such as Rekids, Versatile Records, Reel People Music, Slip N Slide Records, Houseology, and dozens more.

As quoted by journalist Jan Peeters, “With an admirable sense of energy and spontaneity, he’ll encounter anything that crosses his many paths and turn it into a musical piece of art. Phil Asher truly is…a master at work.” (Plastiks 58)

Tributes to Phil Asher have been pouring in on social media as the dance music world mourns the loss of a legend. Read a selection below.

Revisit Phil Asher’s bountiful discography on Beatport.

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