There was only one topic we could tackle this week. The argument boiling over around Boiler Room and the BDS movement is one of the most divisive and emotionally charged intra-scene disputes we’ve seen in a long time.
There’s a lot being said in public and in the comments, with much of it relegated to Instagram Stories with a 24-hour timer. So in the spirit of our mission statement – chronicling underground music culture – we’ve attempted to document what’s been going on, provide some vital additional context, and offer our own thoughts on what’s at stake.
In this episode we look at the relationship between Boiler Room and its owners – the global events company Superstruct and the private equity giant KKR – and their connections to Israeli tech firms and the Palestinian-led boycott movement. We talk about Boiler Room’s recent statement of solidarity with Palestine and the resulting backlash from fans, DJs and former BR employees, as well as Ben UFO’s defence of the platform, which triggered its own, unusually fierce backlash.
Can Boiler Room consider itself part of the boycott on Israel? What’s the right way for DJs, fans and BR employees to show solidarity with Palestine? Why has BR received so much flak compared to the 70-odd other brands and festivals in Superstruct’s portfolio? Can dance music be mobilised into a force for change? And what can Boiler Room – or any of us – practically do in a landscape where private equity firms have their claws in everything?
Housekeeping: we’re going live again! We’ll be teaming up with the good people of Gut Level to present a live No Tags episode and film screening – our two parallel interests, together at last – as part of Sheffield’s Festival of Debate on 9th May.
We’ll be screening Free Party: a Folk History, an independent documentary chronicling the birth of the UK’s free party movement in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, from its inception during the last days of Thatcher through to Castlemorton and the Criminal Justice Act. We’ll follow that with a live No Tags with Grace Sands, Adonis resident and a true free party legend dating back to her time running Nottingham’s DiY Soundsystem.
It takes place at the Showroom Cinema from 8pm, and we’d love to see you there. Come say hi, it should be a lot of fun.
Some other bits: Tom will be DJing at the Tate Modern’s none-more-bougie Corner Bar tomorrow night (4th April), for an early evening session with E.M.M.A. and ELEANOR. It’s free entry with RSVP.
Chal will be speaking to music writer Ian Penman about his classy new book Eric Satie, Three Piece Suite, at the LRB Bookshop on 22nd April. That’s sold out, but if more tickets pop up they’ll be on Eventbrite.
And! KLF fans, pencil in 23rd April for a MuMufied event with Chal in East London…
Finally, we’re down to the last 50-odd copies of the second pressing of our own book! Head to Shopify to snag yours.
If you’re enjoying No Tags, thanks – we really enjoy making it. But we’d love you to help us out by leaving a review on your go-to podcast app, which really does help visibility. We’d also ask you to consider subscribing to our paid tier, which costs £5 a month and helps us continue planning, recording and editing these regular podcasts. It also gives you a discount on our book.
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