A tribute to ReKab: James Baker (1978-2025)

A tribute to a friend, talented producer, DJ and all round top individual – James Baker

After learning of the sudden and untimely passing of our friend, kindred musical spirit and talented recording artist ReKab (James Baker) a few weeks ago. It is with great sadness that we’re writing and publishing this article. We’d like to offer our sincerest condolences to James’ family and friends at this difficult time, our thoughts are very much with them.

An official fundraiser page has been set up in support of his family during this difficult time, to help to ease the financial burden of funeral costs and provide some ongoing support. To find out more:

www.gofundme.com/f/james-baker-rekab-official

It’s been a highly reflective few weeks which have almost felt surreal at times. James was a regular presence within our social circles and wider sphere of music makers – given his passion for all things sounding deep and his output touching many people we know directly.

A producer of UK influenced Techno and Electro hailing from Bridport. We first connected when he reached out with a promo of his 2019 release of “Music Makes It Better” EP on Where We Met. Speaking on and off ever since, we’d met in person a few times when he came to Bristol for gigs.

For those of us that follow the homegrown end of music and have built connections through the We’re Going Deep facebook page over the years. James was a regular contributor to the group, having been an avid record collector for many years, who had evolved into an excellent producer in his own right. Having really grown in stature with his trademark soul-tinged sounds over the last few years, it felt like exciting times were ahead as his latest releases had really started to garner the recognition his music so richly deserved.

The co-owner of Amp-Art Records, he also ran an imprint with his best friend and fellow producer/DJ – Maxim Sullivan.

In Maxim’s words:

“Musically, James was just getting started. He was improving as a producer so much with every release. He’d obviously been a vinyl and Detroit Techno junkie since he was a kid.

He played his first free party at 15 where he stopped the hard techno of the previous DJ, to play the full intro of Vapourspace’s “Gravitational Arch of 10.” He totally annoyed the crowd at first and got some aggro, because people didn’t know what was happening — but it’s a five-and-a-half-minute intro. When it finally kicked in, the place went wild! A pretty ballsy move for a 15-year-old, and that was the start of his DJ career.

He wasn’t a Jeff Mills smash-and-cut style DJ. He always wanted to play stuff that people wouldn’t have heard before and let it play out. He would rarely mix out of a track before its time: a proper selector. That said, he was a bit of a technophobe — he didn’t get a smartphone until the mid-to-late 2010s.

I gave him an old laptop around 2014 with a copy of Reason, and that’s when he started making tunes. There’s a SoundCloud with all his old early demos — simple, minimal, but with a clear understanding of what he wanted to make:

James spent most of his working life in kitchens, not earning huge wages, and everything he earned, anything spare, went to feed his vinyl addiction. We reckon his collection is somewhere around the 20,000 mark. So, when his laptop was giving up the ghost, me and some friends clubbed together to get him a decent PC setup with a soundcard. And that’s when he really kicked on. He was the most prolific producer I’ve ever known. He had a routine: wake up early, make one or two tracks, go to work listening to music all day, then was early to bed, rinse and repeat. He’d normally send me the tracks he’d been working on every morning.

I’d wake up at normal o’clock to messages with a completed tune he’d made, plus two or three links to records he’d found that he thought I’d like. This was a standard weekday. Man, honestly, sometimes I felt bad because he would send so much stuff that I didn’t always take the time to listen to them properly. I’d give anything for a wake-up call with a fresh Rekab track now.

He started making music pretty late on really, in his mid 30s but had been DJing for 20 years prior to that. He really couldn’t believe the company he started to keep on his releases and he was beyond words when he got a Convextion remix of one of his recent tracks.

He was so excited. As far as I know, there’s also Nuron remix he’s done that’s on the way (well, it has been for the last 2 years) – he talked about it a lot but I don’t know if it ever got finished.”

Wil Russell (Fourier Transform)

The sad passing of James has revealed how much he was loved and also how many people he was in touch with socially. It appears he was always either chatting about his love of music, sending tracks he was working on/had just finished, or simply sending to people because he thought they might like to hear them. His nature was always cheery, enthusiastic and willing, a feat which was infectious to those around him and meant many people instantly clicked with him. In his hometown of Bridport, he was well known by everyone and was regarded as someone who brought people together with his choice of music on his regular DJ slots.

I lost count of the amount of times I listened to a new track he sent me and how many times I started a new one because of how it inspired me. He helped build our label Fourier Transform and was almost as much part of its success as those of us running it. I fondly recall how excited he was getting his music signed, he never expected payment and simply said he just wanted people to hear his music. This unassuming and generous nature was typical to his character, and displayed an almost naive unawareness of quite how good he was.

Also he told me about a new project he was planning with Darren Nye and how they had also just clicked. They had been sending each other tracks and remixing each other. Before I could ask to hear this new body of work he offered to send it to me and we leapt at the chance to release it. Unfortunately this was the last project we planned together (despite having discussed another 12″), but it is something we will release to help raise funds for his young son. His son was the other love of his life, photos of him and his son often came with a caption like “Hanging with my best friend”.

Damo B (The Outta Limits)

“James was one of the humblest souls I know out there, he really couldn’t quite understand when other people connected with his music and liked it. I recall him sending me some tracks back in 2012/13 and asking if they were any good, and me almost falling off my chair. I played them on the OLRS show, much to his surprise!

His star was set to soar even further with a slew of new and forthcoming releases. When we finally met after all these years a few weeks ago, it’s like we were brothers. Forever to be remembered in your musical legacy James Baker aka ReKaB aka Bakes, as well as being an ace human. R.I.P.”

Colin Dale (Abstract Dance)

“My deepest condolences to the family and friends of James (Rekab) who crossed over. A lovely soul who was super talented. Rest in peace up there my friend.”

Placid (We’re Going Deep)

“I really wasn’t prepared for this one but I’m really sad to say that James Baker aka Rekab has passed. I’m at a loss for words. My fondest memory was meeting him at Forwards festival for Aphex Twin. His music was just beginning to get noticed for the quality that it is.”

Jamie (Exalt Records)

“As with everyone else – I’m totally shocked and saddened to hear of James Baker’s passing. I was lucky to have been able to release some of his music on Exalt Records. It kinda felt that he was hitting his stride of late. Life is fragile, love the ones you’re with xxx”

James passed away on August 30 2025, at the age of 47.

ReKaB – Azy