Cevin Fisher has died — the man behind “The Freaks Come Out” started out in his father's bar
The New Jersey house producer was 63 years old. His “The Freaks Come Out” and “(You Got Me) Burnin' Up” rang out as anthems from New York to Ibiza.
Cevin Fisher (1963–2026)
American house DJ and producer Cevin Fisher, the man behind the club anthems The Freaks Come Out and (You Got Me) Burnin' Up, has died. He passed away on 29 October — a few days after his 63rd birthday — following a short battle with cancer.
His death was announced on his official Instagram page.
“Beyond his professional achievements, Kevin was known among family and friends for his kindness, infectious sense of humour, and warm personality. He loved making people laugh,” his family said in a statement quoted by DJ Mag. Fisher is survived by his wife and children.
From his father's bar to Club Zanzibar
Fisher started DJing in his father's bar, and at the age of 17 he landed his first residency at the legendary Club Zanzibar in New Jersey — the club that also gave the world Kerri Chandler and Tony Humphries. He later moved to New York, worked as a sound engineer at Arthur Baker's Shakedown studio and with Motown, and remixed Chaka Khan and Quincy Jones.
It was a conversation with his idol, Danny Tenaglia, that persuaded him to make his own music. His breakthrough came in the late 1990s: The Freaks Come Out, released under the alias Big Freak, reached No. 34 on the UK chart in 1998, and (You Got Me) Burnin' Up, featuring vocals by Loleatta Holloway, climbed to No. 14 the following year.
Four decades of house
Fisher released records on Strictly Rhythm, Subversive, Tommy Boy, Toolroom, Nervous and other labels, and worked with David Morales, Prok & Fitch, Jack Back and Seamus Haji. In recent years his releases also came out on Faith, a Defected label. “His records were anthemic from New York, to the WMC and all the way to the Space terrace in Ibiza,” Defected wrote in its farewell.
Fellow artists paid tribute too. Ultra Naté wished his family comfort, Louie Vega called him “so kind, humble and super talented”, and Toolroom founder Mark Knight described him as “one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met”.
This summer Defected closed its Croatian festival for good.
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