Luis Vasquez was a singer, composer and musician known professionally as The Soft Moon, his dark wave music project.
- Died: January 19, 2024 (Who else died on January 19?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles at the age of 44.
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Luis Vasquez’s legacy
The California-born Vasquez fell in love with punk music from the 1980s, especially acts like Bad Religion, Fugazi, and Minor Threat. That aesthetic heavily influenced the development of his early sound: loud, energetic, and confrontational. However, in 2009, inspired by such dark wave acts of the late 1970s as Suicide and the post-punk, electronics-driven Joy Division, he created The Soft Moon. With this project, he dropped the brash punk guitars in favor of minimalist electronic sounds.
Vasquez was the sole creative force behind The Soft Moon. His new musical focus landed him a record contract, and by 2011 he was opening for the bands Interpol and Mogwai, and later Depeche Mode. His work was praised by such publications as Pitchfork. All told, he released six albums (one under his own name, five as The Soft Moon), and an array of singles, remix albums, and collaborations. The Soft Moon performed as recently as 2022, appearing at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, and the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California.
Tributes to Luis Vasquez
Full obituary: CBS News
