German DJ and Giegling label boss Konstantin has come under fire for statements made in passing to Groove writer Laura Aha. After being quoted as having said that “women are usually worse at DJing than men,” he and other Giegling artists have been removed from the lineup of London’s Sunfall Festival.
In the Groove article in question, Aha wrote that Konstantin expressed the opinion to her after they met on a train. Additionally, she alleged that he argued that female DJs were disproportionately promoted and would need to adopt more masculine qualities to truly compete with their male counterparts.
Aha also included quotes by two Giegling collaborators – Dustin and Frauke – who asserted that Konstantin’s attitudes did not reflect those of the collective as a whole, and that sexism had not posed any issues for the group up to that point.
Konstantin issued a statement apologizing for his remarks, but stressed that they had been in jest. A passage from the email read:
I actually learned to DJ from my friend Sarah and of course I don’t think women are worse DJs than men. I completely regret what was said in that private conversation with the journalist, where she did not appreciate my bad sense of humour and my habit of taking opposite positions to challenge people, even if it sometimes goes way beyond my own opinion.
The organizers of Sunfall apparently didn’t appreciate it, either. Earlier today, the following post was made to the event’s Facebook page:
No other promoters have canceled tour dates with Konstantin or the rest of Giegling as of this writing.
Source: Mixmag
