R.I.P Laura Gavoor

Detroit's techno scene has lost one of their most passionate and dedicated figures, Laura Gavoor. Laura died last Tuesday from complications of a brain aneurysm and stroke suffered Monday.

A self-described "club kid," Gavoor, 44, was instrumental in shaping the business side of the techno scene in Detroit. She managed pioneer techno artist Derrick May's Transmat label from 1993-96, and began Yin-Sight Management, a management and promotions company she ran from her Farmington Hills home.

The native Detroiter was a tireless booster of what she called the city's "spiritual" sound and her vivacious, driven, and fashion-conscious ways rarely failed to make an impression. "Detroit techno is poetry without vocals," she told The News in a 1998 interview. "(It's) really romantic music."

Laura worked with most of the city's major techno talent over the years, including Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, and was an important liaison between Detroit artists and the international dance music community.
   
Gavoor was also a talented dancer. Penny Godboldo, associate professor and head of the dance department at Marygrove College on Detroit's northwest side was a longtime friend and dance partner. "Not only was she a dance artist and a supporter of the arts in general, but she was really a dance advocate," says Godboldo. "She had a wonderful personality and an incredible spirit. She really connected a lot of performing artists of many kinds, and I'm sure that's what she will be remembered for."

Friend and business partner Steven Sowers says Gavoor's extensive knowledge of dance music earned her the respect of many in the industry. "She was one of the few people who cared about the music, the people who made the music, and the people who listened to it," he says. "It was her life."

Our deepest sympathies go out to Laura's friends and family, she will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.



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