Jackmaster, Scottish DJ Jack Revill, Dies at 38
Jackmaster, the Scottish DJ and producer Jack Revill who co-founded the Glasgow record label and club night Numbers, has died, his family has confirmed. He was 38.
The news of Jackmaster’s death was posted in a message from his family that was shared on the DJ’s verified Instagram account.
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He died on Saturday, Oct. 12, in Ibiza after suffering a head injury, according to the statement.
“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the untimely passing of Jack Revill, known to many as Jackmaster,” his family wrote. “Jack tragically died in Ibiza on the morning of 12th October, following complications arising from an accidental head injury.”
“His family — Kate, Sean, and Johnny — are utterly heartbroken. While deeply touched by the overwhelming support from friends, colleagues, and fans, the family kindly requests privacy as they navigate the immense grief of this devastating loss,” the statement said.
Their words paid tribute to the eclectic DJ’s creative and professional accomplishments, and his role in the electronic music community: “Jack’s passion for music and his relentless drive to push creative boundaries through his work at the Numbers label and Rubadub Records in Glasgow, including discovering countless innovative artists, made him a beloved and pioneering figure in the electronic music community both in front of and behind the scenes. His talent for blending genres and delivering electrifying DJs sets and productions earned him the respect and admiration of peers and fans across the globe. His legacy will continue to inspire, and his impact on the world of dance music will remain indelible.”
Born in 1986, Revill worked at Glasgow record shop Rubadub and was an aspiring DJ as a teen, and adopted the nickname, and later stage name, Jackmaster in reference to the freestyle dance term from the Chicago house scene in the 1980s.
“I never worked for money,” he said in 2012 interview with Resident Advisor. “It was always just like, you would take a record per hour, so an import from Detroit or Chicago or New York was ￡7.50, which I guess you could say was quite a good wage.”
“I used to love it, even like the smell of the place, I was just obsessed with that shop,” Revill recalled of Rubadub, where he’d get his hands on new promo records and get to borrow them for gigs, access that he noted was “invaluable.” It was there that he built early industry connections and broadened his exposure to every subgenre.
In an interview with Billboard in 2017, Revill credited his 2011 FabricLive.57 mix, which contained foundational Detroit records (Model 500, Inner City, Underground Resistance) and surprises from mainstream pop (Sia, Radiohead, Skepta) as the mix that “catapulted me into being a DJ who has gigs every Friday and every Saturday, and it’s been that way ever since.”
Of the sheer variety of music in his sets, he told Billboard, “It just goes everywhere, then back again. Even I don’t know what’s coming next most of the time. My sets at their most eclectic would include everything I like: house, techno, disco, Italo, dubstep, grime, ’80s pop and everything in between.”
With Jackmaster’s name on the lineup at well-known clubs and festivals, he landed a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix residency in 2014. Among his achievements, in 2016 he was awarded the Sub Club Electronic Music Award at the Scottish Music Awards, and in 2017 he received the Tennents’ Golden Can Award for his contributions to Scottish culture.
Over the years his record label Numbers — which merged his early label Wireblock with Dress 2 Sweat and Stuff — has released dozens of records, with early work from Jessie Ware, Jamie xx and the late Sophie among the label’s discography.
Amid all his successes, in 2018 he was the subject of brief controversy after being accused of sexual harassment at that year’s Love Saves the Day Festival in Bristol, U.K., where he said he was on GHB. In 2019 he spoke with Vice of his experience with GHB and his ongoing remorse over the blackout incident — after which he’d personally met with those identifying as victims, publicly apologized, and taken “an extended period out” to address his substance abuse through therapy and AA. “There’s no handbook for this,” he said of the situation.
But those affected by his conduct at the festival issued a statement supporting his return to music, writing: “He’s taken time out to work on himself and undertaken to never repeat this behaviour towards anyone else in future. He has our staff and the festival’s support in working towards these aims and his own future happiness.”
Post-pandemic he was actively back to gig life and creating mixes, and in 2022 released his Vizor/Early Experiments digital and vinyl set, which was his first full EP.
In an interview with Electronic Groove in March 2024 surrounding his single “Nitro” featuring Kid Enigma, Revill said, “I am building a new studio as a priority, getting back into buying vinyl, and collecting Celtic memorabilia, all healthy addictions for me, except for my bank balance.”
“I’ve been touring worldwide for 15 years. I’m obsessed with DJing. Can’t stop, won’t stop,” Revill told EG when asked about future plans.
Revill’s time on the road in 2024 was often documented by the DJ on Instagram, with a trip to the U.S. being a recent highlight. “Big up everyone who turned up!” he wrote. “Every time I come over to see you guys it seems to get better.”
He last posted two weeks ago about his September gig at the club H? Ibiza, where he said the “vibe was wicked.” Last month he also proudly shared one of his earliest tunes was being featured in an Apple ad.
“You can’t explain it. It’s a rush from the tip of your toes right up to your head, manifested in a great big grin on your face, for me anyway. I try to let it be known when I’m enjoying myself on the decks,” Revill told Billboard in 2018, speaking of what it’s like to feel the buzz from the crowd.
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