Sister Bliss, keyboardist for Faithless released a statement on Twitter of his passing. “Maxi Jazz, 1957-2022. We are heartbroken to share that Maxi died peacefully in his sleep last night. Sending love to all of you who shared our musical journey. Look after each other y’hear.”

Faithless released an official statement on Twitter offering their condolences as well. “We are heartbroken to say that Maxi Jazz died peacefully in his sleep last night. He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning to our music. He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and wisdom that was both profound and accessible.”

We are heartbroken to say Maxi Jazz died peacefully in his sleep last night. He was a man who changed our lives in so many ways. He gave proper meaning and a message to our music. He was a lovely human being with time for everyone and wisdom that was both profound and accessible. pic.twitter.com/VcFe7OpTh6

— Faithless (@faithless) December 24, 2022

Prior to Faithless, in 1984, Maxi was the founder of The Soul Food Café System as a DJ. This was after he discovered hip-hop a year prior. The Soul Food Café band was picked up by Tam Tam Records in 1989. Three years later, he was the founder of Namu Records and released the band’s material by recording three EPs and touring to support big artists like Jamiroquai in Amsterdam, Soul II Soul in Barcelona, Galliano in Switzerland and Jason Rebello in Brazil. It was these experiences alone, that inspired him to form a band which ended up being a success.

Maxi Jazz was the person who formed and shaped Faithless to success throughout the 90s-00s.  All thanks to his ever-shining charisma and support towards his bandmates, especially Rollo Armstrong who he met at the studio which began the formation. In Faithless, he was the mastermind of providing one of the most iconic voices in House/Electronic music. Two major hits such as “God Is A DJ” and as well as “Insomnia” was vibrant back in their time and still remain vibrant and nostalgic to this day.

Though vibrant, Faithless songs had a deeper meaning that reflected political approaches. The US senate and the House of Parliament quote lyrics from one of Faithless’ songs. During the lockdown, their 2020 album, All Blessed, focuses on the harsh reality of immigration, identity and how much it lacked in our society.

In 2015, Maxi split from the group to focus on fronting as a guitarist and singer the Maxi Jazz and The E-Type Boys under the Faithless 2.0 banner. In 2016, he left Faithless for the final time.

Faithless
“Insomnia”
1️⃣9️⃣9️⃣6️⃣ #90s pic.twitter.com/XK8kAYJY9n

— The 80’s & 90’s Revisited (@80s90sRevisited) January 6, 2023

The original iteration of All Blessed contains features from GAIKA, Jazzy B, and interestingly from folk veteran Damien Jurado, who has been featuring more prominently in dance music in the last half-decade. The enhanced version features remixes from Claptone, Paul Woolford, Yotto, and many others. It also includes an acoustic version of ‘I Need Someone’, featuring Caleb Femi and Sully Breaks. The new edition is to be released on a triple LP and revised digital edition. Listen to the deluxe edition of All Blessed below:

Released last year, All Blessed was their first release in ten years. Going their separate ways in 2011, they regrouped in 2015 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, only for member Maxi Jazz to leave, forming Maxi Jazz & The E-Type Boys a year later. The absence of Jazz has been felt massively, with Magnetic Mag writing that All Blessed had “a very different feel vocally. There are fewer spoken word segments though those are still present and an important part of the Faithless ethos.” 

On the rerelease, Faithless member Sister Bliss told Mixmag that “even though we have moved into the age of streaming, we feel strongly that vinyl still has a place in the digital era. It’s the analogue world we came from, and especially as we had so many strong dance remixes of the songs on ‘All Blessed’, this felt like the ideal place to present them to our vinyl-loving fans, allowing both the music, and the artwork to shine.”

“There is a real sense of occasion when you open a triple vinyl gatefold sleeve album, with all the sleeve notes and lyrics to pore over time. We hope this brings an extra dimension to the listening experience, and we are very grateful to have the opportunity to make this deluxe version of our album. We hope it has a special place in your collection!”

A return to form, Faithless have dominated dancefloors since the 90s. Their main hit, ‘Insomnia’ is still routinely blended in mixes across the country. In recent times, they have featured on R Plus’ ‘Hold On To Your Heart’, as well as R Plus’ cover of Joy Division’s classic ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’.