Music world pays tribute to Janette Slack, acclaimed Hong Kong DJ and producer, who helped pave the way for women DJs
- Hong Kong-born Janette Slack, an acclaimed DJ who had her own electronic music label, has died at the age of 42
- In a post on Facebook, her brother wrote that Slack ‘was more than just a sister, a daughter and a friend. She was the light and soul of the room’
Janette Slack, a groundbreaking Hong Kong music producer, label boss and DJ, died on November 13, 2022, at the age of 42.
Known for her high-intensity mixes, exhilarating stage performance and gregarious personality, Slack made a name for herself cutting tracks at some of the world’s most legendary venues, such as London’s Torture Garden.
“She was the rarest of people, with genuine magnetism - attracting, connecting and lighting up those around with her unmatched energy and peerless infectious enthusiasm,” said Justin Sweeting, head of music for Clockenflap, the Hong Kong outdoor music festival where Slack had performed.
“From formalised projects to even the briefest of social interactions, quite simply, she always made everything better.”
In a Facebook post announcing her death, her brother Trevor Slack said “she was more than just a sister, a daughter and a friend. She was the light and soul of the room.”
The family has asked for privacy at this time to cope with the loss.
As a young adult, she left Hong Kong behind for London, where she spent the ’00s grinding her way through the city’s club scene. It culminated in a residency at Torture Garden – Europe’s largest fetish club – further propelling her to international fame and becoming the basis for her first full-length album.
In 2014, Slack returned to Hong Kong, where she became a mainstay in the city’s growing music scene, performing at clubs, warehouse parties and junks, all the while continuing to tour around the world. Throughout this period, she also operated her own electronic music label called Slack Trax.
In a 2015 interview, she told the Post: “Sometimes they’ll ask for a ‘hotter picture’, and I’ll tell them to f*** off. It’s unbelievable how much this happens … I’m not going to be purposely provocative to get gigs.”
Her music, too, defied categories. Pulling sounds from different forms of electronica, house, g-funk and rock riffs, she has been attributed with helping catapult Asia’s dance music scene into the future.
English DJ and producer Krafty Kuts wrote on Facebook: “She was an amazing DJ, producer and teacher full of energy and happiness. I booked her for my club nights in London and she always rocked the party.”
Carl Loben, editor-in-chief of DJ Magazine, also posted his tribute on Facebook: “She was such a positive spirit with inspirational energy, a great DJ, a fine producer, a teacher, and just an all round lovely human being.”
Dates for a funeral and memorial service will be announced later.
