RIP Stephen Samuel Gordon aka The Spaceape

A sad farewell to the poet laureate of the dubstep generation

by Joe MuggsThursday, 02 October 2014

It has been announced by the Hyperdub label that Stephen Samuel Gordon, better known as The Spaceape, vocalist, poet and live performer, passed away peacefully after a 5 year struggle with a rare form of cancer.

Gordon was the constant recording and performing partner of Hyperdub founder Kode 9, and collaborator with key Hyperdub affiliates including Burial and Kevin Martin, and his rich voice and lyrics which blurred academia, mysticism and science fiction with the power and finesse of soundsystem culture were a constant for lovers of "bass music" through the 2000s.

He was a mysterious figure, rarely speaking in public other than through his lyrics, but had acknowledged his health issues when he released his only solo record, the Xorcism EP, in 2012. This was a set of low-key musings on mortality, mixed with sounds derived from Haitian voodoo music. But despite his utter refusal to play any kind of celebrity roles, he was much beloved by those who bought his records or saw his often incendiary performances, and his cryptic yet powerfully affecting lyrics will continue to resonate with a generation. He leaves a wife and six-year-old daughter.

Watch Kode 9 & The Spaceape's most recent video "The Devil is a Liar":

Explore topics

Share this article

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more New music

Album: Pokey LaFarge - Rhumba Country A pig in a pokey, as the singer farms in Maine and reads the Bible, with technicolor results

Album: Josienne Clarke - Parenthesis, I Redefining the self, from the most absorbing of British singer-songwriters

Music Reissues Weekly: West Coast Consortium - All The Love In The World Top-drawer British harmony pop band whose promise was unfulfilled

CVC, Concorde 2, Brighton review - they have the songs and they have the presence Welsh sextet bring their lively Seventies-flavoured pop frollicking to the south coast

Album: Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism An admirable attempt to catch the magical groove that helped us through lockdown

Album: Sia - Reasonable Woman An awesome singer-songwriter comes into her own

Mitski, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - cool and quirky, yet deeply personal A stunningly produced show from one of pop’s truly unique artists

Album: EYE - Dark Light New band from MWWB singer Jessica Ball prove worthy of what came before

Nadine Shah, SWG3, Glasgow review - loudly dancing the night away The songstress offered both a commanding voice and an almost overwhelming sound.

Album: The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know When self-assurance trumps unashamedly showcasing influences

Orbital, O2 Institute, Birmingham review - the techno titans celebrate their rave years in style The 'Green' and 'Brown' albums get a full airing to an ecstatic crowd

Music Reissues Weekly: Warsaw - Middlesbrough 14th September 1977, Joy Division - Manchester 28th September 1979 Thrilling live document of one of Britain’s greatest bands

Follow @theartsdesk