Let’s Talk About Cancel Culture In The Dance Music Community

Cancel culture is one of the biggest buzzwords of our generation. The idea of cancel culture is something that strikes fear into the hearts of every brand, influencer, or artist that has any form of platform. For those who don’t know, cancel culture is the phenomenon of society withdrawing support of a public figure, brand, or piece of media that has done something that can be considered problematic or offensive. While the idea of not supporting someone that has done something wrong is not new, the degree to which it is sweeping the internet is.

The concept of cancel culture is the epitome of a double-edged sword. With the rise of social media, consumers have been given the power to control the world’s narrative like never before. We get to share our thoughts and stories, hold people accountable for their actions, and promote transparency from these giant entities that used to get the final say on everything. Little voices are given a platform that can reach across the entire world, and that is objectively beautiful.

We have seen this phenomenon truly help our community. One of the most well-known instances of this is with the artist Datsik. Datsik was dropped from Deckstar and Circle Talent Agency after a series of sexual assault allegations came to light. A Facebook thread, reposted by @_princessjay on Twitter, showcased women who shared their stories of how Datsik had sexually assaulted or attacked them when they were with him while he was on tour. Datsik, who had a large platform and following at the time, openly denied all allegations. But, the sheer volume of women speaking their truth and holding him accountable eventually won. Datsik had to cancel the remainder of the tour and step down from his position in the industry. He eventually came out addressing that he was wrong for his actions and apologized for the pain he had caused. But at that point, it was far too little, far too late.

yall i have to delete my original tweet due to a request for privacy, here it is for the 3rd time! pls RT pic.twitter.com/WHnxXI9ptN

— jocelyn (@_princesssjay) March 14, 2018

After Datsik, we saw a rise in women speaking out about the pain that had been caused by major artists in the EDM scene. In a study conducted by the Press Association, 43% of women have faced unwanted sexual behavior at a music festival. While this isn’t exclusively about the behavior of the artists, a shocking amount of the allegations have been. Artists such as Bassnectar, Space Jesus, and Billy Kenny have been at the forefront of the canceling movement for sexual misconduct. The choices that these artists have made are terrible and one of the most infuriating parts is that they will openly deny these claims until they are proven to be true.

This is where the good part of cancel culture comes in. While social media certainly has its downsides, we can all agree that the power it has given people to hold others accountable is incredible. These artists who once held all the power now have to admit to their wrongdoings and change their behavior. This spans past just the realm of sexual assault. Artists have to be careful with the verbal content that they include in their music and share on their platforms. Promoting views that alienate, disrespect, or hurt others has real consequences. Even if an artist has inappropriate views, they can no longer use their platform to glamorize them to their fans.

The easiest way to conceptualize the negative effects of cancel culture is really when it comes to ignorance. In November, during the 2020 election, Jauz posted a tweet that empathized with people who voted to keep President Trump in the office while also calling out people who had voted for Joe Biden for spreading negativity on the internet. While his Tweet was made with the intention to show love for all members of the rave community, regardless of his personal political views, it was not worded in a way that reflected that.