Published
Wed, Sep 29, 2021, 13:40
- Active in the scene since the mid-'80s, the Eindhoven legend passed away after a short illness.
Dutch techno pioneer, writer and educator Aïda Spaninks, AKA Lady Aïda, has died aged 63.
The news broke earlier this week in Eindhovens Dagblad, a local news outlet in the Dutch city where Spaninks was raised. She reportedly passed away following a short illness. According to 3voor12, she recently had breast cancer.
Born in the village of Diessen in 1958, Spaninks was affectionately known as the "first lady of techno" in the Netherlands. She cut her teeth in the mid-to-late '80s in Eindhoven, running parties and breaking new ground by DJing at major pop festivals like Pinkpop and Lowlands. A star before trance took the Dutch scene global, she collected around 50,000 vinyl and continued DJing into her 60s. In 2009, she set up Rebelbass, a DJ school in Eindhoven.
Spaninks was also a keen writer, running the Rebelbass blog on 3voor12, as well as penning a monthly column in Eindhovens Dagblad.
A ceremony to celebrate the life and career of Lady Aïda is planned for October 4th in Eindhoven. Read some tributes.
Listen to a mix by Lady Aïda from Lowlands 2011.