The founder of trance festival Earthcore, Spiro Boursine, has died in police custody, after an incident at a bar in Melbourne on Saturday.
According to The Age, police were called to Antique Bar after calls that a man was assaulting patrons.
Spokesperson for the Victoria Police, Senior Constable Melissa Peach, said that when police arrived at the bar, the man was being restrained by a number of people.
“Police arrested the man and placed him in handcuffs when he lost consciousness,” she said.
“Police attempted to revive the man until Ambulance Victoria arrived and took over. Despite the efforts of emergency service personnel, the man died at the scene.”
While police refused to confirm the identity of the man, close friend Gary Neal did reveal that it was indeed Boursine.
“Spiro created a subculture in Australia that turned in to one of the biggest alternative community followings that I think Australia’s got within the dance scene,” he told The Age.
“I mean, it created dance, it created fashion … it became a lifestyle for many, many people. Without Spiro, we wouldn’t have that.”
“He’s given me some of the most valued times in my life, to be honest, as a young person going to his events and then again working for him – it was my dream working in events and something I was proud of.”
Earthcore is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, with the festival taking place from Thursday, 22nd November – Sunday, 25th November.
The festival is yet to release an official statement.
