The major Dutch dance festivals Awakenings, DGTL, Dominator and Verknipt have removed a number of DJs from the line-up for their events in the spring and summer, after the artists were accused of sexual misconduct online. The accusations were shared on social media last week by a former employee of the company Steer, which is responsible for the management of the artists. These are the French artists Shlømo and Basswell, the French-American Fantasm, the German Carv, and the Belgian artist Odymel. The DJs are among the top of it Hard Technogenre that is very popular at the moment. In addition to their performances, the artists are streamed millions of times on music platforms worldwide.
The allegations range from sending unsolicited ‘dick pics’ to sexual assault. A number of DJs have responded to the accusations. Belgian DJ Odymel, who is accused of sexual assault, writes in a long statement Instagram that he is cooperating with an investigation that he believes has been started. In his statement, he acknowledges that there was an “incident” of unwanted sexual advances, but attributes it to “a form of sleepwalking.” The artist Carv writes writes in a declaration that he sent explicit photos to women, but says that “nothing happened without consent.” It is not clear whether he means that the photos were sent upon request. DJs Shlømo and Fantasm refute the allegations and say they want to take action against the person who accused them online. Fantasm was already coming rather discredited after allegations of sexual misconduct, a number of his performances were also canceled in Belgium and France.
Cancellations
Despite the fact that no reports have yet been filed or a police investigation has been launched, a whole series of international festivals, including the aforementioned Dutch and Belgian Dour Festival, have decided to remove the artists from their line-up. In a statement on Instagram, festival Awakenings writes that the organization cannot “provide a legal opinion”, but that due to the seriousness of allegations it has decided to remove Odymel from the line-up. Awakenings Festival in Hilvarenbeek attracts more than 80,000 visitors every year.
The Amsterdam festival DGTL writes in a statement on social media that the festival has the responsibility to create a “safe, respectful and conscious environment.” Steer, the artists’ management, has announced that it will no longer work with the DJs mentioned. In a statement, the company writes that due to the persistent accusations against the artists, the collaboration has been terminated. Earlier it became known that a number of other artists resigned from Steerbecause they did not want to be associated with the misconduct of the DJs.
‘Metoodj’s’
Online, the messages have caused a lot of stir in the dance scene. Via the Instagram page „metoodjs“, with more than 25,000 followers, victims are called on to share their stories, including other cases of inappropriate behavior in the electronic music world. In a press release to NRC “metoodjs” writes that the collective predates the recent commotion and initially focused on the French music world. The collective is now trying to build an international network. According to the press release, it is an initiative of women from the electronic music world. They say they are working with lawyers and psychologists to assist victims of sexual misconduct.
