Max HeyraudNew Jersey house DJ and producer Cevin Fisher has died aged 63. He passed away on October 29, following a brief battle with cancer, three days after his birthday.
Born Kevin Fisher in East Orange, New Jersey, he began DJing at 17, landing an early residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. A regular in the city’s club circuit, Fisher came up through the same musical landscape shaped by Paradise Garage and The Loft, with Larry Levan and Tony Humphries among his early influences.
Fisher later moved into production and remixing, working on records by Chaka Khan and Quincy Jones. His remix of the latter’s ‘I’ll Be Good To You’ reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
He began releasing his own productions in the early ’90s, with records including ‘House Is A Feeling’ and ‘Hands On Love’ appearing on labels such as Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records.
His 1997 single ‘The Freaks Come Out’ became his signature track, followed by ‘(You Got Me) Burnin’ Up’, which also topped the US dance chart. Other notable releases included ‘Music Saved My Life’ and ‘Keep It Coming’, the latter reaching number three.
Across a career spanning more than four decades, Fisher remained closely connected to the club scene, with his productions and remixes finding audiences well beyond his New Jersey roots.