Australian DJ, producer and electronic music pioneer Adrian Thomas, known to the music community as DJ Ajax, was struck by a vehicle while out celebrating his 42nd birthday on Thursday February 28 and died at the scene.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning when Thomas ran into a road in Melbourne and was struck. An ambulance was not called to the scene as Thomas was killed on impact.
“It’s believed the man ran in front of the north-bound truck on College Crescent shortly before 1am. He died at the scene,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
Thomas’ label Sweat it Out released an official statement on Friday expressing the loss and also Thomas’ monumental contributions to the electronic dance music scene in Australia and in the world.
“We are devastated and heartbroken to have lost Adrian and our thoughts are with his family and many, many friends who share our grief at this time,” the statement read. “He was a hugely talented individual and was highly respected by the local and international dance music community as a pioneer and innovator.”
Shortly after his death, supporters, fans, friends and colleagues took to social media sites such as Twitter to express their condolences and pay tribute.
“RIP to Ajax, my thoughts are with all the Australian homies, I can’t believe this. Such a warm and generous dude, a real leader,” tweeted US DJ A-Trak.
Thomas was best known to EDM fans as a founding member of the DJ group Bang Gang and as a producer, releasing Yolanda Be Cool vs D Cup’s hit “We No Speak Americano” in 2010. The track went on to win several major awards in Australia and has sold more than a million digital copies in the U.S. to date.
Thomas is often credited with helping revitalize the EDM scene in Australia over the past ten years. He was voted among his home nation’s top 50 DJ’s by inthemix.com every year since 2005 and landed the top spot twice (2006, 2007). However, most would consider his legacy to have been opening the doors for new electronic artists and DJs in Australia and beyond.
We at DJoystick.com would like to send our condolences to Thomas’ family and friends. He will be dearly missed, but at least we have the music to enjoy forever.
R.I.P. Adrian “DJ Ajax” Thomas, Feb. 28 1971-Feb. 28 2013
