Daniel "DJ Dan" Wherrett

DJ Dan, a pioneer of the West Coast rave scene who propulsive mixes helped shape both the sound and culture of electronic music, died in March 2026 at the age of 57.

Born Daniel Wherrett on July 8, 1968, in Lacey, Washington, DJ Dan arrived in California in 1991, where his mixtapes and live sets began to help shape the rave scene. House music and rave culture, known for all-night dance parties in nightclubs, festivals, and off-the-grid locations, thrives on independent releases. DJ Dan embodied that spirit early, building his reputation through mixtapes and collaborations with fellow DJ Ron D Core before eventually founding his own label, InStereo Recordings, in 2001.

By then, DJ Dan was a fixture at West Coast dance and electronic music festivals. He was an in-demand DJ, routinely cited by publications like DJ Mag and URB Magazine as one of the top DJs of his day. In 2006, he was named the top house DJ in the world. This was helped by songs like "That Zipper Track" and "That Phone Track," the latter of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard dance charts.

"He leaves behind not just a discography, but a culture - a way of feeling music that touched millions of souls across four decades and five continents. He often said he felt his purpose in life was 'to heal through music,'" reads a statement released by his representatives.

Over the course of his career, DJ Dan became a fixture at the major electronic music festivals of the West Coast and beyond. He was also the co-founder of the Funky Tekno Tribe in San Francisco, and created remixes for artists like Depeche Mode, Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga, New Order, and A Tribe Called Quest.

"Off the stage, he was a cook, a traveler, an obsessive record collector whose family bought him a new turntable every Christmas - not because it was tradition, but because it was the only gift he ever wanted," a statement on his death reads. "He was passionate about food, art, and the way disparate things could combine into something neither had been alone."

By Eric San Juan

(Image: FilmMagic Inc/FilmMagic)