Techno producer Juan Mendez, known as Silent Servant, dies | Dance music
Juan Mendez, the techno musician and member of the Sandwell District collective known for productions under the name Silent Servant, has died.
His UK press representative confirmed his death. He was in his mid 40s but his exact age and the cause of death have not been given.
Celebrated for his dramatic, sometimes malevolent but darkly beautiful production style which drew from industrial music, Mendez was born to Cuban and Mexican parents and raised in Los Angeles. He began DJing in his mid-teens. “I was never a punk. Ever. I was a new wave nerd, basically,” he said in 2019. “But I did believe in a very punk rock kind of obsessive dedication to what you do.”
He started producing his own music and began releasing it as Silent Servant in 2006, alongside other members of the Sandwell District known as Regis, Female and Function. Mendez was the graphic designer for the collective, and worked as an art director outside of his music career.
After Sandwell District disbanded in 2011, Mendez formed his own label, Jealous God, and released music on a variety of others, most recently in November 2023 with Berlin’s Tresor. Sandwell District reformed that year and were preparing for a high-profile set at Barcelona’s Primavera festival, as well as the release of a new compilation album in February.
Musicians have paid tribute to Mendez, with Daniel Avery calling him “an amazing artist and incredibly gentle guy”. Drew Daniel, of Matmos and the Soft Pink Truth, said Mendez was a “truly original and gifted producer”, while Peter Van Hoesen described him as “one of the kindest people in electronic music”.
Juan Mendez, the techno musician and member of the Sandwell District collective known for productions under the name Silent Servant, has died.
His UK press representative confirmed his death. He was in his mid 40s but his exact age and the cause of death have not been given.
Celebrated for his dramatic, sometimes malevolent but darkly beautiful production style which drew from industrial music, Mendez was born to Cuban and Mexican parents and raised in Los Angeles. He began DJing in his mid-teens. “I was never a punk. Ever. I was a new wave nerd, basically,” he said in 2019. “But I did believe in a very punk rock kind of obsessive dedication to what you do.”
He started producing his own music and began releasing it as Silent Servant in 2006, alongside other members of the Sandwell District known as Regis, Female and Function. Mendez was the graphic designer for the collective, and worked as an art director outside of his music career.
After Sandwell District disbanded in 2011, Mendez formed his own label, Jealous God, and released music on a variety of others, most recently in November 2023 with Berlin’s Tresor. Sandwell District reformed that year and were preparing for a high-profile set at Barcelona’s Primavera festival, as well as the release of a new compilation album in February.
Musicians have paid tribute to Mendez, with Daniel Avery calling him “an amazing artist and incredibly gentle guy”. Drew Daniel, of Matmos and the Soft Pink Truth, said Mendez was a “truly original and gifted producer”, while Peter Van Hoesen described him as “one of the kindest people in electronic music”.
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