Andrew Weatherall: who was the Screamadelica producer who died of a pulmonary embolism?

Producer and DJ Andrew Weatherall best known for producing Primal Scream album Screamadelica has died aged 56.

His management revealed in a statement that the producer died of a pulmonary embolism in the early hours of Monday morning.

They wrote: “We are deeply sorry to announce that Andrew Weatherall, the noted DJ and musician passed away in the early hours of this morning, Monday 17th February 2020, at Whipps Cross Hospital, London. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.

"He was being treated in hospital but unfortunately the blood clot reached his heart. His death was swift and peaceful.”

Irvine Welsh: 'One of the most talented persons I've known'

Tributes have poured in for the innovator credited with introducing the acid house genre to the mainstream.

Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess said: "Shocked and saddened to hear that cosmic traveller Andrew Weatherall has left the building. Always a pleasure to meet up with him and share good times. Rest well mate".

Edinburgh author Irvine Welsh also paid tribute, saying: "Absolutely distraught to hear this terrible news. Andrew was a longtime friend, collaborator and one of most talented persons I’ve known. Also one of the nicest. Genius is an overworked term but I’m struggling to think of anything else that defines him."

DJ Gilles Peterson said it was "hard to put into words the influence and impact Andrew Weatherall has had on UK culture".

The Windsor-born DJ also worked closely with Beth Orton and The Twilight Sad, and produced three tracks on Scottish band Primal Scream's 2000 album XTRMNTR.

The Twilight Sad labelled the producer "a genius" in a tribute tweet.

They wrote: "We were honoured for you to be our Anti-Producer on “No One Can Ever Know” and to have your genius remix “Videograms”. A true gent and a legend. Thank you! RIP Andrew Weatherall."

From Screamadelica to Convenanza

Andrew Weatherall first rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 90s for his experimental remixes of popular tracks, from New Order to Björk.

He found fame as the producer of primal Scream's seminal album Screamadelica, but ultimately shunned working with bands, claiming musicians are "quite a painful bunch to be around" in a 2016 interview with The Guardian.

In 2007 despite being active for 20 years, the producer released his first solo EP: The Bullet Catcher's Apprentice.

His first full-length album arrived two years later with A Pox on the Pioneers. The genre-defying album received muted praise, with Iain Moffat of Quietus saying: "new nuances appear on every listen, and, although it's the most song-based work of his career, there's some justice in it showing up on iTunes as "Unclassifiable"".

From 2016 to 2017 he released three more records Convenanza, Consolamentum and Qualia. In 2016 he launched annual festival, also named Convenanza, held at a castle in Carcassonne, France. Tickets for the 2020 festival are sold out.