Renowned English DJ and electronic music producer Dave Clarke took to Facebook this week to decry DJs who have decided to perform live amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He also blasted organizers of such parties as “selfish” and explicitly voiced his doubts of any major music festival taking place in Europe through 2021.
Clarke expressed his dismay at “The Scene” and criticized “top flight DJ’s who financially do NOT need the money but are in some FOMO pact” and who he believes were pushed by their managers to DJ in environments that were “far from legal.” He also ripped them for stripping the current dance music zeitgeist of its culture and dishonoring the “legitimate clubs/ events that closed their doors and face hardship” by putting forward “greedy business ethics above all.”
Clarke went on to conclude his salvo by doubting the safe return of live music events. “Of course there are inconsistencies in all of this and it doesn’t feel fair but by doing these gigs give ammunition to authorities to further delay events coming back, and now despite feeling pragmatic that perhaps small events could come back this year I severely doubt if any major festival will happen within the central European block next year either,” he wrote.
Back in March 2020, during the initial outbreak of the virus, Clarke called on those who experienced gig cancellations to “send the fees back to the promoters” because “it enables them to refund the fans and helps everyone survive to get through this very long hardship.”
You can read Clarke’s August 17th, 2020 Facebook post in full below and watch videos from recent shows amid the ongoing pandemic, featuring Nina Kraviz, Dax J, Amelie Lens and more, courtesy of Business Teshno.
