microCastle & Release Promo founder Mitch Alexander has died

Alexander was widely regarded as a pivotal figure in the scene.

microCastle & Release Promo founder Mitch Alexander has passed away. The news was confirmed by friends and colleagues via social media yesterday, June 2nd, 2025. As of this moment, no cause of death has been disclosed, but it was known he has been battling illness for some time now.

Alexander’s Canada-based imprint microCastle was considered an outlet for borderless creation, releasing music on vinyl, cassette, and digital. The selective nature of the platform allowed each artist to operate freely, and amassed a stellar catalog that includes releases by 16 Bit Lolitas, Spooky, Cornucopia, Eagles & Butterflies, Echonomist, Upercent, Santiago Garcia, Marvin & Guy, Luca Bacchetti, Guy J, Henry Saiz, Monkey Safari, Jeremy Olander, and Max Cooper, among other celebrated names.

Apart from his countless contributions to other labels and websites, Mitch also founded Release Promo, one of the first specialized digital outlets for electronic dance music, even before Beatport became an established name.

Read some of the most touching tributes from the electronic dance music scene below.