Dynamic Hepnotics Drummer Robbie Souter Passes Away Aged 68

Robbie Souter, the longest-serving drummer of Sydney soul-funk band Dynamic Hepnotics, has passed away of liver failure at the age of 68.

As Noise11 notes, Souter's death was announced yesterday by "Rob's girl", Sandra King, which explained that the veteran musician had been hospitalised for three weeks before passing away at 7.07am on 11 May.

"It was peaceful and I was there with him," she wrote. "He had gone downhill very quickly in the last 2 days.

"Words cannot express how much I am going to miss this Beautiful Man, I know a lot of you will feel the same way..."

The band also mourned the loss in a public statement, announcing Souter's passing "with the deepest regret".

Souter — who also drummed for Mental As Anything from 2005-2012 as well as playing with Slim Dusty's Travelling Country Band — was born on 2 March 1949, joining Dynamic Hepnotics in 1980, the year after they formed, replacing founding skinsman Richard Ruhle. He remained with the band until 1986, at which point he was briefly replaced by new drummer Duncan Archibald, amid a number of other line-up changes, before the band's dissolution later that year.

The band released two albums in the mid-1980s, both of which Souter played on — 1984's Live and 1985's Higher — and a number of singles, including highest-charting hit Soul Kind Of Feeling (1984), which peaked at #5 on the ARIA Singles chart late that year, and other successful songs such as Gotta Be Wrong (Way To Love) and On Our Way Now.

Several artists and industry mainstays have paid tribute to the drummer, including the Country Music Association of Australia, who described Souter as being "remembered universally as a lovely man, kind, funny and humble, not to mention an exceptional drummer", as well as Dynamic Hepnotics frontman Robert Susz, renowned manager Mark Sydow, singer-songwriter Brendan Gallagher, the team at Australian Music History, manager and journalist Stuart Coupe, jazzman Jonathan Zwartz and many more.

Dynamic Hepnotics are in the midst of a revival of sorts following their 31-year hiatus, preparing to release their live album on CD with 12 bonus tracks and an accompanying concert DVD, with three shows this June in Marrickville and Melbourne.