UK techno pioneer In Sync passes away at 54
Purkis was considered one of the first DJs to have supported, promoted and played house music and techno in Britain.
Credit: Alamy
UK techno pioneer Lee Purkis, also known as In Sync of Insync vs. Mysteron, has passed away at age 54.
No cause of death has been confirmed at the time of writing,
Purkis, a veritable legend who is considered one of the first to have supported, promoted and played house music and techno in Britain, was a part of Insync vs. Mysteron with Chris Hartley and David Manuel. The group would go on to found the 10th Planet label in 1992, though Purkis would also release music via labels Peacefrog, Fragmented, Relief, Basement 282, and Plink Plonk.
Purkis was also involved in the creation of FatCat Records in 1989, helping turn the record shop into a dance music destination by keeping it stocked with 12-inch vinyl from Chicago and Detroit from his trips to the cities. He would reemerge from a hiatus in 2005 with the new label Fortune8, which focused on Purkis’ new and previously unreleased productions.
See tributes to Purkis from throughout the UK techno scene below.
I’ve just heard the sad news that my old mate Lee Purkis aka Insync passed away yesterday. Lee was one of UKs early…
Posted by Richard West on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Been a few years since I saw Lee .In Sync – Storm is quite frankly a work of art and one of the most haunting and beautiful records I ever heard in Techno . It certainly cemented for me the soul of techno and the journey . Timeless ! RIP Lee and thankyou for the music ! 🖤🙏🏼 https://t.co/tbLWwl9K9v
— Luke Slater (@reallukeslater) March 22, 2023
RIP Lee Purkis, a real unsung hero… this is the absolute essence of all that is great and true and beautiful about techno https://t.co/byKLadXgYY
— #BassMidsTopsAndTheRest 🛸🫠 (@joemuggs) March 22, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/dave.cawley.71/posts/pfbid0rMjpwaD2Rmj2buSc793zcSivCXkiRnTRd9vwP6KEPwfhAqc1RDFWMHvwLCesW6Xvl?__cft__[0]=AZXJu6RZ4lleEN1bp9_LG6qtrASYs-P1vVVCsCdh2_zym_cZWxBVXhqk0ufHrC7cD-GLVl6AzZDNwDsPKCnYe_MQCUNmBveVDAN-b-MhYKlJXKA_v6RsDJGUOcKbDyClua4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
seeing reports that lee purkis has sadly passed away – a pioneer in the uk techno scene through fat cat and the creator of one of the greatest tracks of all time. always in my bag, forever in my head… rip.https://t.co/cRKhTNv7UR
— circuits (@circuits_nts) March 22, 2023
I worked with Lee Purkis on a horror reissue label he did a while ago (https://t.co/QdLcXPzTtE) – I properly bent his ear the first time I met him! the definition of an unsung hero, and a lovely guy to boot. His contribution is huge
— Ben (@b_nmrrs) March 22, 2023
