Tom Relleen, Tomaga member and key London experimentalist, has died

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  • Relleen was also a founding member of Phonica Records, a booking agent with the Julie Tippex agency and one-half of The Oscillation and Autotelia.
  • Tom Relleen, Tomaga member and key London experimentalist, has died image
  • Tomaga member Tom Relleen has died age 42. The London musician's death was reported on by The Quietus, who confirmed the news with the group's sole other member, Valentina Magaletti. Relleen died in St. Barth Hospital on August 23rd after a battle with stomach cancer. "Tomaga had a new album scheduled for next year and a few dates confirmed in September," Magaletti told The Quietus. "We rushed to master the album in his final days because the release was important to him." The prolific and singular group had released seven albums over the last six years, including collaborative full-lengths with Neil Tolliday and Pierre Bastien that came via Emotional Response and Nicolas Jaar's Other People. The band also appeared on split releases with the likes of Jozef Van Wissem and This Heat member Charles Hayward. Relleen also worked with Demian Castellanos as part of two projects, The Oscillation and Autotelia, who released their debut album, I, on Rocket Recordings last month. Tomaga and The Oscillation were represented by the Julie Tippex agency, where Relleen eventually worked as an agent, repping the likes of Silver Apples and Acid Mothers Temple. Prior to that, Relleen helped open up Soho vinyl mainstay Phonica Records in 2003. "Tom played a key role in bringing the more experimental records into the shop: electronica, dub, drone, shoegaze, post-rock and much more," Phonica founder Simon Rigg told RA. "He worked with us for six years before leaving to pursue what he really wanted to do: be in a band and make music, but always remained a dear friend and loyal supporter of Phonica." "For more than ten years he was more than a collaborator for all of us at Julie Tippex, but also a friend, an incredibly nice, charming and intelligent man with a natural kindness, a calm and genial attitude to life and an openness to people and situations which was very comforting for everyone around him," wrote Julie Tippex founder Marie-Pierre Bonniol. A memorial service for Relleen will be held soon. Check out Tomaga's Bandcamp opage.
RA