It was just a little over a year ago that Lithuanian producer Ten Walls, real name Marijus Adomaitis, took to Facebook to share a bizarre and disgusting homophobic rant. Here is part of it again because the Internet should never forget:
“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.”
The post, which also compared homosexuality to child abuse in the Catholic Church, saw the producer dropped from every gig and festival that he was due to play, as well as by his booking agency and record publisher. Though he issued a number of apologies, the dance music community was by no means ready to forgive him. All in all, it was a reaction that is completely of the time, and showed that these opinions do not align with the values that dance and electronic music are all about. However, now it seems Ten Walls has changed his tune- quite a bit.
“New day, new beginning, moving forward, leave it all behind, no way, not going back, letting go I left it all behind, new song that I’m singing, never ever gonna be the same, go on, keep on trying, push me down I’ll rise up again.”
Those are the opening lyrics to Adomaitis’ latest track Shining, with vocals by transgender singer Alex Radford. The song is the only one hosted on the National LGBT Rights Organization of Lithuania’s Soundcloud page. These are the efforts of a man who is obviously trying to make a comeback, to apologise, and to stay relevant. He’s just announced his first tour dates since the incident last June, which he says will include dancers, costume design and a completely new art direction, taking place across Europe and the Middle East. In a statement on the tour’s website, Ten Walls goes into detail that “This is a new stage for me, but at the same time, a natural continuation of my work so far.”
But is this something that we can trust? In Adomaitis’ mind, was what he was posting to Facebook a year ago meant to come with a wave of support and like minded thinking? If in another world, everyone had rallied behind him, and those that support LGBT rights had been the vast minority, then there would have been no realisation in his mind that this was something that he needed to apologise for. Is this a man who has fully realised that what he did and said was wrong, and actually turned a new leaf, or is this a man who knows that this is what he has to do to get back on the scene? Either way, we won’t know properly for some time, but it’s something that anyone buying tickets should keep in their minds – could they be supporting a man who still thinks the same way?
The Equalized Tour, to coincide with the release of a double album in European Autumn, our Spring, kicks off April 15. Though no venues have been announced, check dates below:
TEN WALLS ‘EQUALIZED’ TOUR:
15 APRIL – Tbilisi, GE
16 APRIL – Istanbul, TUR
21 APRIL – Milan, IT
22 APRIL – Antwerp, BE
23 APRIL – Lisbon, PT
29 APRIL – Prague, CZ
30 APRIL – Naples, IT
05 MAY – Abu Dhabi, UAE
06 MAY – Belgrade, SRB
07 MAY – Budapest, HUN