Jack Revill, the Scottish DJ and producer who performed under the moniker Jackmaster, has died, his family confirmed in a statement posted to his official Instagram. They revealed that he died on Saturday (October 12) following complications from an accidental head injury in Ibiza. “While deeply touched by the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and fans, the family kindly requests privacy as they navigate the immense grief of this devastating loss,” their statement continues. He was 38.
“Jack’s passion for music and his relentless drive to push creative boundaries through his work at the Numbers label and Rubadub Records in Glasgow, including discovering countless innovative artists, made him a beloved and pioneering figure in the electronic music community both in front of and behind the scenes,” his family’s statement continues. “His talent for blending genres and delivering electrifying DJs sets and productions earned him the respect and admiration of peers and fans across the globe. His legacy will continue to inspire, and his impact on the world of dance music will remain indelible.”
Through Jackmaster was a producer, he considered himself a DJ first and foremost, influencing a whole generation of DJs that followed suit in the process. Whether at a local club or performing at international festivals, he took pride in showcasing his diverse music taste and weaving together a wide range of tracks across genres, eras, and popularity – especially as a competitive back-to-back partner with other DJs.
Born in Glasgow in 1986, Jackmaster first learned how to DJ from his best friend Calum Morton—who would later go on to collaborate with him in adulthood—and poured all of his time as a teenager into learning how to better hone those skills. A crucial part of that experience arrived at Rubadub, the famed record shop where he landed a job at age 14. Instead of requesting a paycheck, Jackmaster asked to be paid one record per each hour of work. Soon, those stacks of records turned into lifelong connections that would aid his ascent through the music world.
“I just fucking loved music so much and it was all I was ever doing,” he told Resident Advisor in 2014. “I never had to buy any records again, so that was an obvious perk. It was just little things, like when promos would come in and you would have first dibs on them. You’d maybe have to argue about it with one of the older buyers or whatever, but you knew you could at least borrow it for a gig or borrow it for the weekend, and that for me was really invaluable… There was stuff for the Fabric mix that I would have never got if not for Rubadub, like the Underground Resistance stuff. Rubadub always had a really good relationship with people in Detroit and especially Underground Resistance—they’re almost like best buddies really—so I was able to have direct emails for people like Mad Mike and Cornelius who does the licensing, and if it really came down to the wire I would ask one of my bosses.”
In 2010, Jackmaster merged his record labels Dress 2 Sweat and Wireblock, the latter of which was co-run with brothers Calum and Neil Morton, with Stuff to form the new label Numbers. It naturally took its name from the club night that they all ran together in Glasgow, which still hosts dance nights there and in other cities. Under the joint Numbers label, they went on to release records by Sophie, Jamie xx, Hudson Mohawke, Jessie Ware, Rustie, and others digitally and on vinyl.
Jackmaster won the Breakthrough DJ honor at DJ Magazine’s Best of British Awards in 2010. It marked the first of many accolades in his career, which went on to include future DJ Magazine rankings, scaling Resident Advisor’s Top 100 DJs polls, and landing a residency slot on BBC Radio 1. He was also the inaugural winner of the Sub Club Electronic Music Award at the 2016 Scottish Music Awards, and was honored with the Tennents Golden Can Award for Contributions to Scottish Culture in 2017.
Although Jackmaster released a number of original singles throughout his career, including “Nitro” and “Let’s Go,” arguably his most well-known releases are FabricLive.57, which he was directly invited to curate by Fabric in 2011, and the 2016 mix DJ-Kicks Jackmaster. His most recent releases were 2023’s Party Going On EP and the Avision collaborations “Bumpin’” and “Just Get Up.”
In 2018, Jackmaster publicly apologized for “attempting to kiss and grab people against their will” at the festival Loves Saves the Day. “I was abusive and acted lewdly and inappropriately towards numerous members of staff at the festival—both female and male—during a drug-induced blackout,” he wrote, “which I had put myself into after my performance by drinking a substance called GHB.”
Dozens of artists have posted tributes in Jackmaster’s honor after hearing the news of his death, including Diplo, Honey Dijon, Modeselektor, Black Coffee, Dillon Francis, and Peggy Gou. “Inspiration. Pure talent. Pioneering DJ. Friend,” Disclosure wrote on Instagram. “The music scene will never be the same without you. Thank you for all the amazing memories, shows & laughs we had together. 🙏🏻 Rest in peace Jack.”
