LAMAMIMET

Daniel Wherrett was born on July 8, 1968 in Olympia, Washington, and grew up in nearby Lacey. After studying fashion in Seattle, he discovered electronic dance music and began experimenting with DJing in the late 1980s. He moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and later to San Francisco, where he co‑founded the Funky Tekno Tribe collective that helped define a psychedelic‑infused West Coast club sound.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, DJ Dan released a series of influential mixtapes with Ron D Core, founded the InStereo Recordings label, and recorded several BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes. He performed at major festivals such as Ultra, EDC, Creamfields and Dance Valley, and earned three Billboard Dance Club Songs chart entries, including the 2004 number‑one “That Phone Track.” He also placed three albums on Billboard’s Top Dance Albums chart and remixed artists like Depeche Mode, New Order, Lady Gaga and Janet Jackson.

Regarded as a genre‑defying pioneer, he was repeatedly ranked among the top DJs by DJ Mag and was named America’s Favorite DJ by URB. His work left a lasting imprint on California’s rave culture, influencing a generation of producers and dancers. On March 29, 2026, representatives announced that Wherrett had died at age 57, shortly after missing a scheduled performance at the Dead Ringer club in Nevada.