In February of this year, French DJ Shlømo, whose real name is Shaun Baron-Carvais, was accused of sexual assault and misconduct. He was listed among several hard techno DJs who were accused of misconduct and pulled from partnerships and events, including Verknipt, World Club Dome, and Airbeat On. Baron-Carvais denied the allegations.
On June 5, a formal complaint was filed against Baron-Carvais with the Paris Judicial Court, according to a statement from the group METOODJS, concerning "alleged acts of rape, psychological violence and death threats." Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reported that French lawyer Inès Davau, who represents the alleged victim, confirmed a criminal investigation is underway.
So when a festival called Amsterdam Dance Event, or ADE, announced an event on Oct. 21 at warehouse club Panama featuring Shlømo among the headliners, DJs including Xamuel, Within, and Dimay all announced they were pulling out of ADE due to Shlømo's involvement. Now, ADE, is cutting ties with promoters Komplott and Overgave after they were adamant about keeping Shlømo as a headliner. “The stance adopted by the event's organizers conflicts directly with ADE's values," ADE's statement read, "and is inherently insensitive to our role and mission of nurturing the electronic music scene, nightlife, and its communities."
Because ADE is a decentralized festival, Komplott and Overgave can still choose to proceed with the event at Panama on Oct. 21. However, ADE has revoked its official affiliation with the event, meaning it will no longer take place under the umbrella of the ADE Festival.
Their full statement reads:
Following the public statement issued by promoters Komplott and Overgave surrounding their event at Panama on Wednesday, Oct. 21, ADE has determined that the stance adopted by the event's organizers conflicts directly with ADE's values, and is inherently insensitive to our role and mission of nurturing the electronic music scene, nightlife, and its communities. Although ADE is a decentralized festival and programming decisions remain the responsibility of individual event organizers, we do have control over our mission, and our affiliated partners are expected to align with those standards.
As a result, ADE has revoked all official ADE affiliation from Komplott and Overgave and will not proceed with the event as part of ADE Festival. Under this decision, the organizers remain able to continue hosting the event, but not as part of the ADE umbrella. Whether the event proceeds independently remains the sole decision of the organizers and the host venue.
Although there was a chance that Komplott and Overgave could host the show independently, that seems very unlikely now. Yesterday evening, Sept. 13, the event was cancelled. That event is no longer listed on Panama's website. Now, there's a different lineup featuring Dres Codex, Geisha, Hortense De Beauharnais, Kastilo, Saga Raga, and BHRD.
