Keith McIvor, known worldwide as JD Twitch, has died at the age of 57 after a short illness. The Scottish DJ and co-founder of the legendary Optimo (Espacio) club night was celebrated for his fearless genre-blending sets that moved from disco to punk to techno, often within the same mix.
Twitch began his career in the early 1990s co-founding Edinburgh's Pure club night, which brought Detroit techno to Scotland. In 1997, he launched Optimo (Espacio) in Glasgow with partner JG Wilkes. The night became famous for its eclectic music policy, mixing avant-pop, funk, EBM, and disco, and for its irreverent flyers that declared: 'You won't like it, sugar.'
His 2004 mix CD 'How to Kill the DJ (Part 2)' was a landmark, blending Nurse with Wound into Blondie and influencing a generation of multigenre DJs. Optimo also helped break bands like The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem, with DFA Records later printing T-shirts reading 'No DFA without Optimo' to raise funds for Twitch's hospice care.
Beyond music, Twitch was a committed political activist. He campaigned against racism and for Scottish independence, and his label released compilations like 'Against Fascism Trax' to fund anti-racist groups. He often donated his DJ fees to food banks.
His final Optimo (Espacio) Sunday in 2010 ended with Dinosaur's 'Kiss Me Again', the Joubert Singers' 'Stand on the Word', and Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit'. In 2017, he closed Sónar By Day with Slayer's 'Reign in Blood', sending the crowd into a frenzy.
