Ectogasmics have made a statement on Instagram.
The second German act at the Israeli Trance Festival “Universo Paralello” was represented in the line-up, spoke up on Instagram. Ectogasmics announced in a brief statement that they were safe. They also write in their post: “We pray and remember the lost souls.” Instead of a photo, they posted a black tile.
The DJ duo Ectogasmics consists of the Swede Stefan Andersson and the Berliner Jochen Lemper. They were one of around 30 acts that were part of the festival’s line-up. Their set took place between 2:30 and 4:30 early Saturday morning. After the terrible events became known, their label Pavarti Records announced that Ectogasmics had been able to get to safety. It is still not clear whether they were still on the site at the time of the attack.
The second German act Protonica is also back home – he was actually supposed to play at “Universo Paralello” on Saturday afternoon. Luckily, DJ Piet Kaempfer was still in Tel Aviv. “I was so lucky that I didn’t go there and returned home safely (I was supposed to play there in the afternoon, so I stayed in Tel Aviv. The massacre happened in the morning at sunrise). My thoughts are with all participants and their families and friends.”
Promoter reports heavy bombardment
On Saturday morning (October 7th), the Islamist terrorist militia Hamas attacked the festival, which was taking place near a kibbutz on the border with the Gaza Strip. At least 260 people were killed, and many more people were injured or kidnapped by the attackers. The reports and images of the attack sparked worldwide horror.
The promoter Raz Gaster, who represented various artists at the festival, has also already spoken out. “A complete nightmare. What we saw was a heavy bombardment.” “Around half past six in the morning we heard the first explosions. We left the backstage area and saw that there was heavy shelling going on everywhere. Hundreds of rockets and mortars were flying from everywhere, and there were explosions all around us!”