Environmental Science and The Criminal Minds man died on NYE

Spatts, a veteran producer of hardcore, breakbeat and UK hip-hop, died unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

Milton Keynes-based Spatts – real name Ian Allen – spent more than 30 years making music. He is best known as the main writer for The Criminal Minds, is regarded in underground circles as one of the most prolific songwriters of his generation and was recently celebrated as “a legend of the old school rave scene” in a recent online post by The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett.

Spatts, along with his long term music partner and business manager SDJ Jack, also formed the Skint-signed project Environmental Science, who signed were to signed to the Skint label and during this time worked on projects with The Prodigy, The Shamen, Boo Radleys and even rock monsters Megadeth. Another huge contribution Spatts made was to Milton Keynes breakbeat/rock fusionists Sir-Vere‘s catalogue, who recently signed to Worldsound/Virgin Music Group and boast a growing global audience.

The Criminal Minds recently signed a new three album deal with the esteemed Kniteforce label and last month released two new EPs and a brand new album named Genre Non Specfic as well as the label re-releasing their full back catalogue and several remix EPs, with Blame and Slipmatt among the remixers.

A Facebook message from his longtime writing partner SDJ Zak said: “Ian Spatts Allen is a true true Legend , one of the original and best to ever write and create music, it’s debated widely as to whether ‘Baptised By Dub’ is the greatest rave track EVER !!! He released the first ever UK Hip Hop tracks and the rest is history. There’s so much I say about his achievements but I’d be here forever, but as well as TCM we formed Environmental Science, signed to Skint Records with Fatboy Slim and toured the World.

“So much success and respect throughout the scene, to name one Liam Howlett called me today, we had a long chat and Liam himself said Spatts was a unique and unbelievable talent. Spatts taught me nearly everything I know, and properly to a point where I held my own with the best too.”

He was surrounded by friends and family when he died.

Here’s that ‘Baptised By Dub’ anthem, first released in 1992: