Big names in electronic music, such as Amelie Lens, Sara Landry, Charlotte de Witte, and the duo Joy Hauser, have spoken out on the issue.
The electronic music culture is going through a rough patch. Recently, the techno scene was rocked by a major scandal involving several well-known DJs accused of sexual assault, harassment, and grooming.
Following these allegations, fans and DJs started discussing whether the scene, which is supposed to embody peace and love through the motto PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect), still remains a safe haven for them—especially for women and marginalized groups.
The Trigger of the Allegations: Bradnolimit
The epicenter of the scandal became the French booking agency Steer Management. The accusations were publicly posted on Instagram by their former booking agent under the pseudonym @bradnolimit. On February 18, he shared a post explaining that DJs Shlømo and Nicolas Julian (ÆNJAY) claimed he was fired from Steer Management for "obscene behavior."
To this, Bradnolimit continued on Instagram, saying it was different: “Being called a pervert by two of the most perverted brats I've ever met is really fascinating. Considering I know some of your secrets.”
Bradnolimit launched a wave of accusations via Instagram stories and posts, not just against the mentioned DJs but also against names like CARV, Basswell, Odymel, and Fantasm. Brad shared (and still shares at the time of writing) screenshots of messages describing alleged testimonies from victims on his Instagram.
Shlømo was the main target of Bradnolimit's accusations. According to the posts, Shlømo allegedly had non-consensual sex with multiple women, some of whom were underage.
A clip from an older interview began circulating online, showing Shlømo joking about how his DJ friend had sex with a drunk fan who was, in his words, “completely wasted.”
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Industry’s Quick Reaction
The techno scene reacted quickly to the scandal. Steer Management released two statements confirming their decision to "suspend collaboration with the involved artists," specifically Shlømo, Basswell, and Carv.
According to DJ MAG, several music festivals removed the accused from their line-ups—the Maltese festival Glitch confirmed they removed Belgian DJ Odymel after an internal review of the allegations they learned about.
“We are aware of recent developments and allegations regarding certain artists and take them extremely seriously. We've decided that Basswell, Carv, and Shlømo will no longer perform at our upcoming events,” stated the Dutch Verknipt in a statement.
The Slovak techno festival AFTERDARK also removed CARV from their line-up, issuing a statement that this move expresses their clear stance on the case.
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Responses from the Accused
On February 26, Shlømo released a statement claiming he was the target of a “campaign of defamation and slander based on false information.” According to him, the "evidence" presented is empty, misleading, and altered. He further stated that due to the seriousness of the allegations, he is filing a criminal complaint and that Brad only cares about revenge, not the victims.
As for the other DJs, Odymel admitted to the incident and apologized. He claims he suffers from sexsomnia (a rare disorder where a person engages in sexual acts while asleep without awareness) and did these things unknowingly to a good friend.
Carv admitted to infidelity in marriage and sending intimate photos to other women but denies any criminal behavior and ended his music project.
Fantasm released a video on Instagram claiming Brad decided to talk about these things only after Steer Management fired him and he himself is facing allegations from several women. According to Fantasm, it's all “lies reinforcing ‘cancel culture,’ and I've done nothing wrong.”
Basswell has not commented on the allegations at the time of writing.
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The Scene Says: “We’re Tired”
Other industry artists have spoken out about the case, recognizing a sad change in the scene and calling for deep systemic change. Iconic techno duo Joy Hauser, in their Instagram post, mentioned that dancefloor culture is no longer about unity and good vibes—now it’s about narcissistic personalities, high egos, and social media attention.
Their post received support from names like Sam Paganini, Kasst, Space 92, Alex Stein, and many others.
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The most powerful statement came from Belgian techno icon Amelie Lens. She reminded us that club environments are not always free spaces for women but often battlegrounds where they have to guard their drinks and develop a “silent language” for mutual protection.
She further shared her real traumatic experience with a stalker in a post, adding: “I shouldn't have to relive my trauma just so you'll finally tell your ‘bro’ to stop. Just make them stop. Help us break this cycle, stop automatically protecting your buddies, and ask yourselves why these allegations emerged.”
Her post gained support from Charlotte de Witte, Sara Landry, as well as Slovaks Nifra and Nina Farrina.
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