My son, Stefan Hoyle, who has died suddenly aged 33, was a Manchester-based musician who was also a DJ under the name Syd Far-I, specialising in jungle/drum’n’bass, but was also known for sets of older Jamaican reggae.
Stefan was born and brought up in Manchester, where I and his mother, Bev Gallier, are both involved in the music scene. I am a musician and Bev works for Factory International/Aviva Studios. Stefan went to primary school in the Longsight and Levershulme areas, where he soaked up the music and culture of his many friends in the Asian, Caribbean and Irish communities, and later to South Chadderton school in the north of the city. This multicultural childhood gave him an appreciation of the lives of others, a worldview that would lead him to befriend many of those who had no hope of help anywhere else.
An intuitive and talented musician, Stefan was equally at home deejaying and making music for the underground free party scene as he was teaching classical guitar in a squat setting. In 2013, Stefan joined my band, Dub Sex, as guitarist, playing large venues and festivals such as Kendal Calling, Strummercamp and Festival No 6 in Portmeirion. In 2016, he performed a 15-minute ambient piece, Soundscape One, at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.
He leaves behind an unfinished solo album of jungle/drum’n’bass, which will be completed by his sister, and frequent collaborator, Ellis.
To support himself, Stefan worked in construction, IT and restaurants. Running alongside his musical pursuits, he was a member of the Loose Space Collective, which repurposes, without official funding, disused landmark buildings in Manchester such as the former Cornerhouse cinema and the abandoned Hulme Hippodrome theatre, as places to provide help, food, entertainment and a sense of connection to people in need. Stefan worked on the projects as a labourer, acted as a spokesperson and designed leaflets for them.
He was a well-known member of Manchester’s alternative community. Plans are under way to raise funds to build a sound system in his name, to be based at the Niamos arts centre in Hulme.
He is survived by Bev, Ellis and me.
