Whoa. This really caught me by suprise. I havent really even thought about him in quite some time, maybe due to him not being very active (if even subscribed) to this list anymore. Either way, I met him when I played Iowa City back in 2000 (??) and he was part of the welcoming commitee. Took quite good care of me, and had many a discussion with him about Detroit music in general, and even specificly... Shades of Jae. I thought of that before I even finished reading Kents post.
I dont know what to say, other than I'm 31 years old, and I'm already sick of people dying. Seems like these days, I hear of someone who I know, or respect, or both, every 2 months or so.
Strange we are all just hearing about this now. Kent, if you hear anything more, please post it or email me.
Peace out, Ryan. You will be missed. derek. On Wed, 20 Dec 2006, kent williams wrote:
Ryan Burns, a DJ and lover of Detroit Techno who lived in Iowa City, was found dead in his apartment on November 12th. I know nothing else about the manner of his death. Some of you may have met Ryan at DEMF -- he roomed with Tristan and I in 2001. His obit and discussion about him on the Iowa dance music site Ubersonic: http://www.ubersonic.org/thread/view/id/2454 Ryan was someone who had a lot of personal problems, which don't really bear discussing here. If you knew him, you know what I'm talking about, and if you didn't, well, it doesn't matter. The thing about Ryan, though, is that there was no one I ever met who loved good techno and house music more -- it was the one abiding passion in his life. He led a pretty messy, chaotic life but when you talked to him about music he could become focused and enthusiastic. When he did, he'd get a little grin and a faraway look in his eyes. I know next to nothing about his family or personal life, and hadn't spoken to him for nearly a year. But if you want to pay respect to him, next time you drop "Shades of Jae" -- probably his most prized possesion and top track -- take a moment to nod your head, because if there is a heaven, Ryan will be nodding right along with you.
