Multiple hard techno DJs removed from club and festival line-ups amid sexual misconduct allegations

Content Warning: This article includes accounts of sexual assault and may be distressing for some readers.

Multiple high-profile hard techno artists have been removed from upcoming festival and club line-ups amid accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse.

Allegations against artists including French techno DJs Shlømo and Odymel, as well as German DJ CARV, have come to light following a series of posts on Instagram from user bradnolimit, with accusations including instances of rape, sexual harassment, coercion and more.

Numerous festivals and promoters have now removed the artists from their line-ups, including HIVE Festival, Pitch Music & Arts, Face2Face, XXL, Digi Festival, Verknipt, REBELS Mexico, Neolitika, Sea You Festival, and GLITCH Festival.

In his posting, bradnolimit claims he used to work with French talent agency Steer Management, which represented each of the above DJs at the time of his initial allegations, and parted ways with the company in August 2025.

On Thursday (February 19) Steer Management shared a statement promising a "thorough review" of the allegations against Shlømo, Odymel and CARV, with a follow-up statement the next day announcing it has stopped working with the accused DJs ("we have decided to suspend our collaborations with the artists involved").

According to Change Underground, artists on Steer's roster, including William Luck, Onlynumbers, 6ejou, Natte Visstick and Lola Cerise, have announced that they will no longer be working with the management company.

Shlømo has denied the accusations, labelling them "slander" via an Instagram story on Saturday (February 21), while CARV shared a statement on Instagram on Tuesday (February 24) admitting that he had been "unfaithful" to his partner by sending explicit messages and images to several women — but denied any criminal wrongdoing.

Odymel has also shared a statement, writing that he had been informed by a "person he had consensual relations with" of an incident that he claims occurred while he was asleep, and he has no memory of. "This incident is the only one I've ever been accused of. I found out about what happened several days later, when she told me what happened," he wrote.

bradnolimit has since shared accusations against Fantasm and Basswell, with the former responding by sharing a filmed statement via Instagram on February 25 denying the accusations, claiming that bradnolimit had been "kicked out" of Steer Management and has also been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.

Since then, scores of artists within the hard techno scene have issued statements in support of the alleged victims of sexual assault, in what has been dubbed by social media users as "hard techno's #MeToo".

Amelie Lens shared a lengthy statement on February 25, highlighting the misogyny she has faced as a high-profile female DJ, writing: "I once went to the police with hundreds of messages from a person detailing exactly how he would kidnap and r*pe me."

"He took a plane to Antwerp and found me, luckily my team was with me the moment he approached me. I went to the police with every receipt and they barely looked at them," she continues.

"I am not ready to share my personal experiences and I shouldn't have to. 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 the cycle, stop automatically protecting your bros and ask yourself, why are there accusations in the first place? The truth isn't defamation, it is a reckoning."

In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday (February 24), sim0ne applauded "the way the community has come together" amid the allegations, promising to speak to agents and promoters about safety in green rooms.

Sara Landry made a statement February 25 condemning "any and all forms of abuse, assault, and predatory behavior" and saying "my team and I have been focused on taking real, tangible steps to support and uphold the values of this community."

Previously, Hannah Laing shared an open letter via Instagram stories, urging promoters to commit to removing the accused artists from line-ups, to publicly communicate survivor-centred internal procedures for reporting instances of sexual abuse, and to require staff to undertake consent and bystander training.

Manchester-based hard techno promoter XXL also shared a statement via Instagram stories, writing: "While it is not in a position to comment on specific allegations," it has "already removed artists from upcoming shows and will continue to monitor the situation".

VTSS, who was due to play B2B with Odymel at GLITCH Festival in August, wrote via X: "Btw I'm OBVIOUSLY cancelling my B2B with Odymel at Glitch, just waiting to hear from the promoter about a solution." GLITCH later confirmed that it had removed Odymel from its line-up via Instagram.

Chippy Nonstop, blk., Joyhauser, Cera Khin, Ashtrl, and SPFDJ have since shared their support for the victims via social media, demanding responses from promoters and men in the music industry, with SPFDJ sharing a post with the caption: "Think you’re one of ”the good guys”? Prove it."

Campaign group METOODJS is urging victims of sexual assault to submit testimonies via an online form, with hopes to calling on set up with the aim provide a "trusted network to support victims of sexist and sexual violence within electronic music scenes."

In a statement shared with Mixmag, MEETOODJS said they have been contacted "by nearly 100 victims from numerous countries" since launching, with reports concerning "situations that occurred in various contexts related to electronic music: clubs, festivals, collectives, agencies, labels, and professional or private environments."

"Several legal proceedings are currently underway with specialized lawyers. Victims have been connected with psychologists and professionals trained in sexist and sexual violence (SSV)," their statement continues.

Mixmag has contacted representatives of Shlømo, Odymel, CARV, Basswell, and Fantasm for comment.

AFEM sponsor a confidential support service for anyone affected by sexual harassment within the Electronic Music Industry
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Call 0800 030 5182, (Outside the UK: +44 800 030 5182) where trained experts will listen and support

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X