Stephen Samuel Gordon, AKA The Spaceape, passed away peacefully today after a five-year fight with a rare form of cancer called neurolymphamatosis. The announcement was made by his label, Hyperdub. "Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends, and all who have been touched by his writings and performances" the statement read. "His Hyperdub family will always miss him".Gordon's musical career has been intertwined with the UK label from its inception. His first release, Sine of the Dub, in 2004 was also Hyperdub's first release, and marked the beginning of Gordon's many collaborations with label boss Steve Goodman (Kode9). Gordon's unforgettable voice—low, commanding, ringing with clarity—was the perfect match for Goodman's brand of dark, slow-burning dubstep; paired together, the effect conjured both encroaching doom and apocalyptic redemption. The duo collaborated again on two more albums—Memories of the Future in 2006, and Black Sun in 2011.
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Gordon's battle against cancer had a direct impact on Black Sun, which imagined a modern dystopia where a dying sun destroys the earth with sickly radiation. Through "sonic fictions of bodily malfunction and radiation," Gordon created a moving meditation that rang with both personal and cosmic truth.Gordon released his debut solo effort Xorcism for free in 2012, an EP inspired heavily by the sounds and spirit of traditional Haitian music. His most deeply personal work, Xorcism explored Gordon's grapple with his illness in stark and poetic terms. On songs like "On The Run," Haitian voodoo music fills the background while Gordon intones, "I've been dreaming of a wonderful life/In peace with a child and a beautiful wife/But life's a liar, baby, life's a cheat/making promises it cannot keep… Now I'm living out my life like I'm on the run". In interviews, Gordon credited the Xorcism EP with exorcizing his inner demons: "the very second I pressed send, a taxi was waiting to take me to hospital for more treatment. But during my 15 minute journey, I felt lighter, relieved to have let go of so much weight which in turn may give me a better chance at healing."Last Monday, Gordon released his final EP, a collaboration with Kode9 called Killing Season. Standout track "Devil is a Liar" was inspired by a text message he received from a family member who learned of his relapse. A declaration of his secular beliefs—"There ain't no demon or a savior/it's just what your heart will make ya"—Goodman's voice snarls over Kode9's monotone drone and stark rhythms. This declaration of triumph over the shadowy forces of gods and demons became his last, and most moving, display of defiance.Gordon leaves behind his wife Luciana, six-year-old daughter Cleo, his second family at Hyperdub, and a lasting mark all over the world.@MichelleLhooq