Detroit Techno DJ and Producer K-Hand has Passed Away

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Obituary, Stories | 0 comments

K-Hand black and white

Detroit native K-Hand (real name Kelli Hand), an early purveyor of Detroit techno and house music, has passed away.

Close friends of the iconic DJ and producer confirmed the news on August 4th, though no official cause of death has been released. An outpouring of condolences immediately swept across social media as news of Hand’s tragic passing surfaced.

Hand’s friends, family, supporters, and fellow musicians including Warp Records, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Doorly, Ellen Allien, and many more paid tribute to the late artist.

Remembering K-Hand

With a significant impact on Detroit’s techno and house movements as well as a career that spanned well over thirty years, K-Hand is highly regarded as a key figure in electronic music. From humble roots as a reveler in the club scene to owning and operating her UK House Records imprint, she exerted a sizeable influence on the scene. Hand’s Global Warming EP and debut album, On A Journey via Warp Records, are standouts of her ’90s discograhy.

K-Hand regularly toured around the globe. She frequently performed at some of the world’s most popular clubs, including Berghain, Revolver, Tresor, Good Room, and many others.

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