After responding to a graphic allegation of sexual assault, electronic music producer STUCA has been removed from a triad of major music festival lineups.
On the morning of August 16th a woman named Mady Ward published an account on Twitter accusing STUCA, whose real name is Geoff Boss, of engaging in a number of unwanted, traumatic sexual encounters she says eventually led to a suicide attempt.
In the wake of the allegation the organizers of Lost Lands, Bass Canyon, and Paradise Blue have removed STUCA from the lineup of each music festival. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the removals to EDM.com, but declined to comment further.
Ward says that before she met Boss in person, she overtly told him she was seeking a platonic relationship, a scenario he agreed to. However, she claims the DJ forcibly kissed her without consent during their second meeting even though she “continued to emphasize & regularly communicate” that she wanted to remain friends. “I didn’t stop him but didn’t kiss back,” she wrote, adding that she explicitly told him she was uncomfortable.
The next time Ward and Boss met, the former says the latter again kissed her without consent after he “planted his face into mine the second I opened the door to my building” in an encounter that left her perturbed.
Boss ultimately ended up in Ward’s bedroom, she says, where he allegedly attempted to manipulate her into having sex by claiming he was prone to impotency without the promise of monogamy. “When we were in my bedroom, he told me he wanted to fuck me but that he ‘couldn’t get hard unless I agreed to be exclusive with him first, that I won’t talk to other guys or stuff,'” she said.
According to Ward, Boss began to weep after she rebuffed his advances and said she made him “feel unwanted” before suffering a panic attack. She says she calmed him down, but after attempting to explain that she wasn’t ready to have sexual intercourse, he experienced another fit and tried to leave the room. But since Ward believed “it was clearly not safe for him to drive,” she corralled Boss and again attempted to pacify him.
It was at this point, Ward alleges, when the assault took place. She claims that Boss “smothered” and digitally penetrated her.
“But once he calmed down, he climbed on top of me, aggressively trying to make out, hands up my shirt, down in my crotch (briefly sticking his fingers in me), and touching every part of my body,” Ward wrote. “He totally smothered me.”
“I wanted to smack him to get him off of me but I was too terrified to move or do anything at all in that moment. I froze and left my body while continued putting his hands all over me before telling me he couldn’t get hard,” she continued, adding that Boss said she was “too intimidating.” The DJ then purportedly told Ward that he’d been experiencing suicidal thoughts before the onset of a third panic attack, at which point he left the room.
In a statement shared via Twitter August 17th, Boss denied Ward’s claims, which he called “unwarranted and untruthful.”
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“The allegations about unwanted sexual advances are unequivocally untrue and some conversations that are alleged have been twisted or never occurred,” Boss wrote. “Sexual assault is a serious accusation and should never be taken lightly but it is devastating that someone would fabricate this scenario. There was never an occurrence where advances made were not met with consent or mutual interest and engagement and advances were initiated equally between the two of us.”
Ward maintains that she felt “violated” as a result of Boss’ actions, which precipitated ensuing mental health issues as she processed the assault in a “nonlinear” manner while in a state of distress. She ultimately had sex with the music producer, she said, attributing the intercourse to post-traumatic stress disorder she sustained from the assault in her bedroom.
Boss allegedly ended their dalliance soon thereafter, which Ward says angered her after having endured the prior non-consensual encounters. In one heated exchange, she says the DJ invoked cancel culture.
“The last time I spoke to [Boss], I tried to bring up the times he assumed consent to kiss me when he had no reason,” Ward continued. “He didn’t deny anything, told me that he did not care, and said ‘ooh, what are you gonna do? Cancel me?'”
In the aftermath of her explosive post, Ward stated in a follow-up tweet that more women have contacted her with similar accusations of sexual assault by Boss.
“I hope my story helps bring more awareness to sexual assault in the industry,” Ward told EDM.com. “I’d love to see more support options so survivors can have a voice and still be seen and heard, even if they don’t speak out publicly. I strongly believe support groups, open dialogue, educational posts, and more media coverage would be incredibly beneficial and drive positive change in this community.”
Jadū Dala, an independent record label which has released a myriad of STUCA’s songs, has severed ties with him and his musical nom de plume, Elestu. “Jadū Dala does not condone harassment or abuse of any kind,” the imprint tweeted. “We have cut ties with the STUCA/elestu projects. All royalties from STUCA/elestu releases received by Jadū will be donated to RAINN.”
EDM.com has reached out to Boss’ booking agency, UTA, and management, Mind Over, but both organizations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It’s worth noting that a search for STUCA on UTA’s website comes up empty, pointing to the notion that the agency has dropped the artist from its roster.
Dubstep star Excision, the proprietor of Lost Lands, Bass Canyon, and Paradise Blue, has not yet publicly addressed the allegations, but many in the electronic music community have credited him for STUCA’s jettison.
Ward has filed a police report and claimed in a tweet that an open investigation is underway.
Editor’s Note: For professional guidance and support, speak with a sexual assault service provider via The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
