On December 23, 2022, Maxwell Alexander Fraser, also known as Maxi Jazz, passed away at the age of 65. Maxi Jazz, whom many know as the frontman of Faithless, shaped one of the trance house anthems of the late nineties with his voice. I can't even count how many times I've played this song and probably will in the future. Even the old remixes from the '90s are still relevant today, and unfortunately, Avicii's remix of "Insomnia" was very disappointing.

During a lengthy studio session for Faithless' first album, Maxi Jazz developed a toothache. Because of the pain, and because neither painkillers nor a dentist were available, he resorted to cannabis to calm himself and then wrote the lyrics to the hit "Insomnia." Anyone familiar with the original album version will also know the line "I only smoke weed when I need to"...

In the winter of 1996, I had the honor of seeing Faithless live at one of their first German concerts, and their stage presence and charisma were simply indescribable. I can still remember it today, as well as Sister Bliss's keyboard performance, where she hammered out the hook of "Insomnia" as if, after being chained to a typewriter for 48 hours, she had to deliver the final, liberating sentence of a doctoral thesis...

What an evening, what a person, and RIP Maxi...