Wichita musician, composer and sound engineer Michael “Mike” Curtis has died, according to longtime friend, Leif Jonker.
Curtis was well-known in the Wichita music scene in the 1980s and ’90s. He also co-wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack to the seminal Wichita horror film “Darkness,” alongside Jonker.
Music from the film received its official vinyl release just weeks before Curtis’ death on June 30. He was unable to attend local signing events surrounding the release.
Curtis served as engineer/producer of Emerald City Studios and as a crew member for legendary local band Manilla Road, appearing on the group’s 1988 release “Out of the Abyss.” His late wife, Sherry, was also a Manilla Road enthusiast, hosting the band at the KMUW studios for a live 1979 performance, which was released in 2009 as “After Midnight Live.”
He was also a member of the experimental industrial band, Vampire Rodents, in which he performed under the pseudonym Victor Wulf. Curtis appeared on three albums with that outfit before forming the ambient music project Dilate and releasing two LPs under that name via the Cleopatra label.
Lawrence-area archivist Joel Sanderson has posted a collection of music covering Curtis’ work from 1986 to 2000 via the Demolition Kitchen website, titled “Dilate-Epitaph: The Music of Michael Curtis & Victor Wulf,” including some previously unreleased pieces by Victor Wulf.
