DJ Nobu halts set & addresses intrusive crowd behaviour during Geneva show

DJ NobuDJ Nobu halted his set at Motel Campo in Geneva on September 5, stopping the music himself for what he described on an Instagram story as “the first time in my entire life as a DJ” that he’d done so.

The Japanese techno veteran, who also played Dutch festival Draaimolen the night before, was mid-set when attendees began displaying intrusive behaviour.

His statement, as shared by Resident Advisor, said attendees had reached into the booth to touch his USB drives, put their arms around him for photos and shone phone lights directly into his face while trying to take selfies.

In response, DJ Nobu decided that it was “no longer a normal situation on the dancefloor”. He pulled the fader down until the music could no longer be heard and addressed the crowd.

The intervention worked; he said that once the crowd was addressed, “the atmosphere became much better”, allowing the night to close out “on a really good note”.

Read this next: Peggy Gou’s headline Boiler Room show shut down over crowd crush fears

In the Instagram story, he also reminded followers that people who disregard the dancefloor and DJ booth “can damage the atmosphere that everyone is there to create together”.

Read this next: 72% of young people have felt unsafe working in the music industry, report reveals

The incident has since fed into a wider conversation about respect and safety around the DJ booth, including venues taking greater responsibility for artist boundaries through measures such as phone bans and dedicated floor staff.

For these measures to be effective, however, they need to be decided and enforced structurally by the venue itself, rather than introduced only in response to incidents.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

Never miss a beat. Subscribe to our Scene Report newsletter or follow us on Instagram.