It has been reported that Manchester DJ Dave Booth died on Saturday, May 16th, 2020. He boasted a career extending back to the ’70s that was interwoven with milestone events in dance music and beyond.
Dave Haslam shared the news via Twitter. Since then, tastemakers like 808 State, Danny Howard and Peter Hook of Joy Division have celebrated Booth’s life in statements of their own. “I trusted the advice he gave me because of his kind nature & experience, I genuinely believed he wanted me to do well (rare in this industry!),” Howard tweeted. “The Northwest scene has lost an incredibly talented DJ, one I will always look up to, a genuine, selfless soul.”
Booth disc jockeyed at Pips at least as long ago as 1976. According to him, the club laid the groundwork for iconic Manchester destination The Haçienda, whose history merits a mention in any conversation about the U.K. acid house explosion of the late ’80s. His eclectic song selection later made him a fixture of such clubs as Space Ibiza, Deville’s and Spike Island.
Dave Booth’s cause of death remains unknown at the time of writing.