# New Zealand DnB Pioneer Bulletproof Has Died: TF Word

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3. New Zealand DnB Pioneer Bulletproof Has Died

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# New Zealand DnB Pioneer Bulletproof Has Died

The illustrious drum & bass producer who shaped New Zealand into one of the powerhouses of the genre has died having suffered a brain hemorrhage earlier this week.

[Sagar Deshmukh](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md)

30 September 2022  · 3 min read

     English [Español](https://www.ticketfairy.com/es/word/2022/09/30/muere-el-pionero-neozelandes-del-dnb-bulletproof) [Deutsch](https://www.ticketfairy.com/de/word/2022/09/30/neuseelandischer-dnb-pionier-bulletproof-ist-tot)

*The illustrious drum & bass producer who shaped New Zealand into one of the powerhouses of the genre has died having suffered a brain hemorrhage earlier this week.*

Drum & bass lost one of finest pioneers on Wednesday when family members announced the passing of New Zealand DnB producer, Jay Bulletproof, after suffering from a brain hemorrhage on Monday. Coming through the ranks during the famous golden era of drum & bass, Bulletproof, through his unparalleled talent, consolidated his place as of the most important artists of the early neurofunk era.

[Bulletproof](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2022/01/18/tf-spotlight-bulletproof-kiwi-dnbs-finest) took his unique and powerful brand of drum & bass to ground-breaking Imprints such as BC Square One, Renegade Hardware, Moving Shadow, Commercial Suicide, 1210 Recordings, Renegade Recordings, TOV, Red-light Recordings, Industry Recordings, CIA Recordings and Critical Recordings, to name a few.

  [Bulletproof & DJ Optiv - Camouflage](https://www.youtube.com/embed/y42j3Cxpc3I?feature=oembed)

When Bulletproof was producing and DJing at the peak of his career, he inspired numerous drum & bass artists from New Zealand, and paved a way for them to create their own identity. His Cynanide Recordings imprint gave Kiwi producers a platform to release their music, while making some heavyweight collaborations featuring accomplished names like Konflict/Kemal & Rob Data, DJ Optiv(Cause4Concern). Two decades on, New Zealand has produced some of the most monumental acts in drum & bass, like State Of Mind, The Upbeats, Tokyo Prose, and TREi, cementing Jay Bulletproof as being the most important act in pushing the country’s sound forward. Bulletproof also hosted seasons one, two and three of ‘[The History of New Zealand Drum & Bass Podcast](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass),’ a series dedicated to exploring the country’s thriving DnB scene since its [debut](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-001-bulletproof) during September 2021.

> My friend [@jaybulletproof](https://twitter.com/jaybulletproof?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) died last night, after suffering a brain haemorrhage on Monday. Im heartbroken. Jay was a pioneer in the drum n bass community, a proud Dad and a loyal friend. He was also an amazing drone pilot, which is how we became so close over the last decade. (1/) [pic.twitter.com/goT7LKNHM8](https://t.co/goT7LKNHM8)
>
> — Damian Christie (@damianchristie) [September 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/damianchristie/status/1575541145920499712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> Just heard about [@jaybulletproof](https://twitter.com/jaybulletproof?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) brother.. I always miss you that’s what happens when you live on opposite sides of the world but when I heard you’d passed I realised what a kindred soul you were, absolutely gutted can’t believe we won’t get to hang out again. R.I.P Legend ?
>
> — DJ Fresh (@DJFreshUK) [September 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/DJFreshUK/status/1575614155259752449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> So sad to hear about the passing of Jay Bulletproof. I only met Jay once or twice but I know all about the ground work he put in for the growth of DnB in New Zealand & without doubt the scene is as good as it is there now because of his commitment.   
> R.I.P Jay ??
>
> — FUTUREBOUND VIPER (@FutureboundLFC) [September 30, 2022](https://twitter.com/FutureboundLFC/status/1575741610217783296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

His influence wasn’t just restricted to New Zealand; tributes for the great producer has come from every corner of the scene, exclaiming Bulletproof’s influence on their music. His greatness wasn’t just restricted to drum & bass; after exploring the sound for more than a decade, Bulletproof dabbled with dubstep, and like we had all come to expect from his music, he smashed the deeper and meditative end of bass music as well, before taking a break from music production to focus on his broadcasting career.

> RIP Jay Bulletproof. Condolences to family and friends. ??
>
> — LowQui (@LowQui) [September 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/LowQui/status/1575499259260342278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[Ticket Fairy](https://ticketfairy.com/) had the privilege of working with Bulletproof on his ‘The History of New Zealand Drum & Bass Podcast’ where he spoke proudly about the foundational years of the genre in the country, inviting names like  [DBridge](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-009-dbridge), [Presha](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-02-presha), [Tiki Taane](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-003-tiki-taane), [Concord Dawn](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-010-the-story-of-concord-dawn-part-1), [State Of Mind](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-005-state-of-mind), [MC Tali](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-004-mc-tali), [Stamina MC](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-008-stamina-mc), [Camo MC](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-007-camo-mc), [Trei](https://pod.co/the-history-of-new-zealand-drum-and-bass/episode-006-trei) and many, many more.

September 29, 2022 will go down in DnB history as one of its saddest days after losing one of its finest soldiers.

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## Sagar Deshmukh

Drum & Bass head with a tinge of hip shake for Disco. A DJ when I am not glued to my screen!

 [More by Sagar Deshmukh →](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md)

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