Published
Wed, Dec 28, 2022, 13:25
- He passed away on Christmas Eve after a three-year spell with cancer.
Legendary UK dance music promoter Shaun Roberts, best known for his 16-and-a-half-year stint at London club fabric, has died.
Roberts passed away on Christmas Eve after a three-year spell with cancer. fabric shared a tribute on social media yesterday, December 27th.
"As a team and a family we are devastated at your loss," the post read. "The dearest friend to us, a cherished fabric family member, professional raver, passionate music lover, full of strength, determination and so much more. We love you very much."
Born in 1975, Roberts was part of the fabric team from the very beginning. At Notting Hill Carnival in 1999, he handed out "half a million flyers" to help promote the club's opening later that year, fabric cofounder Cameron Leslie told Resident Advisor.
Roberts quickly rose to become promotions assistant, working under Steve Blonde, the man responsible for the first incarnation of the club's flagship Friday night party, FABRICLIVE. In 2006, Roberts took over from Blonde as promotions manager and kept the position for the next decade, helping cement FABRICLIVE as one of the world's most beloved and wide-ranging clubbing brands.
"He had such a deep passion for such a broad cross-section of music, and an ability to put things together that weren't always safe," said Leslie. "That made the eclectic mix that FABRICLIVE has always been about possible. It's quite a skill to be able to curate and run an event like that on a weekly basis, to not let things go stale and to be constantly evolving."
Friend and former colleague Dave Gamble worked under Roberts at fabric between 2010 and 2015. "Everyone in the scene loved and respected him," he told RA. "He was always making sure that everyone was having a brilliant night at the club. It didn't matter if it was sold out or a quieter night, he'd always make sure that everyone went away feeling like they were looked after—the proper fabric experience."
He added: "Shaun also had loads of interests and hobbies outside of club music. He loved reading, history, skiing, Sunderland A.F.C., football, cricket, all sorts of sports. He'd always be sending me interesting articles from all over the place or messaging me about someone being really good on BBC Parliament. He was so generous and just a proper laugh."
Roberts eventually left fabric in January 2016. Five years later, after he had been diagnosed with cancer, the club hosted a fundraiser with The Chemical Brothers, Andy C and many others.
"He was such a great ambassador for fabric and for what we stood for," said Leslie. "It was so deep in his DNA. He was such a key component of the venue for such a long time [...] It's going to be a massive loss for a lot of people."
Dozens of artists and industry figures from across the electronic music community have shared tributes to Roberts.