In an act of very swift and righteous judgement in this writer’s opinion, Lithuanian producer Ten Walls has been dropped from more than six festivals, including Pitch, Creamfields and Sonar after an excessively homophobic Facebook rant.
The rant, which was the subject from a media frenzy in the electronic world, has since been deleted along with many negative comments towards the producer, but because #theinternet, screen grabs remain and quotes are permanent. “I remember producing music for one Lithuanian musician, who tried to wash my brain that I don’t need to be so conservative and intolerant about them. When I asked him ‘what would you do if you realized that your 16-year-old son’s browny [anus] is ripped by his boyfriend?’ Well he was silent,” was just one part of the extensive rant, in which he also compared homosexuality to child abuse in the Catholic Church.
Even though he has since apologised, saying “I want to apologize for the former post in my account. I am really sorry about its insulting content which does not reflect my true opinion. I hope this misunderstanding will not provoke any more thoughts and opinions. Peace,” the electronic world and beyond have not been as quick to forgive. Fort Romeau has also cancelled his gig with Ten Walls, saying in a Facebook post, “While cancelling one gig is hardly going to change the world, it does stand as a personal rejection of bigotry, fear and intolerance.”
Amsterdam’s PITCH Festival responded with the following post, and various other festivals have done the same.
All in all, this is a pretty despicable act from anyone, especially one who works in a genre and world where Peace, Love, Unity and Respect are the four main pillars on which it was built. I personally hope more festivals and artists follow suit, as this simply cannot be tolerated.
UPDATE: Since this news has broken, Ten Walls has cancelled all upcoming shows with the following Facebook post:
TW’ booking agency have dropped the artist, releasing the following statement: “Coda Music Agency condemns all forms of discrimination based on race, religion or sexual orientation. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and to represent a hugely diverse roster of artists. We no longer represent Ten Walls.”
AND, Phonica Records have cancelled pre-orders for his forthcoming record Sparta: “We wont be stocking this record anymore due to Mario Basanov aka Ten Walls’ homophobic comments over the weekend”, says the store. “If you have pre-ordered it, your pre-order has been cancelled and money refunded.”
It’s not the only time in recent memory that an artist has been pulled from a festival bill due to personal opines; less than two weeks ago, rapper Action Bronson was pulled from Canada’s NXNE on the basis of offensive lyrics. Conversely, Waka Flocka Flame cancelled a gig at a university earlier this year because of a racist fraternity video, and Wilco cancelled a concert in Indiana do to their religious laws.