A number of hard techno DJs have been dropped from festival and club line-ups after a spike of sexual misconduct allegations.
The French DJs Shlømo and Odymel and the German DJ CARV were among the first artists to be named in a series of Instagram posts earlier this month by user BradNoLimit, labelled as “the Steer Files”.
The accusations include allegations of rape, sexual harassment and coercion, and shortly afterwards, those artists were removed from the line-ups of events including XXL, GLITCH Festival, HIVE Festival, REBELS Mexico, Verknipt, Pitch Music & Arts, See You Festival and Face2Face.
In the posts, BradNoLimit said he used to work with the French talent agency Steer Management, which also represented the aforementioned artists, before leaving the company last August.
Shortly after the posts emerged (February 19), Steer Management issued a statement in which they said they would conduct a “thorough review” of the allegations. The next day, they confirmed that they had “decided to suspend our collaborations with the artists involved”.
“We wish to express our full solidarity with those who have the courage to speak out,” they added. “We believe you, we listen, and we act.”
Further allegations have since emerged, some from BradNoLimit, while dozens of others have come forward with statements of support for the alleged victims, in what has been described as “hard techno’s #MeToo”.
Shlømo has denied all of the allegations against him, describing them as “slander”.
Odymel, meanwhile, issued a statement in which he said he had been told by a “person he had consensual relations with” that there had been an “incident” while he was “in a state of somnambulism”, something he says he has “no memory of”, and said that was “the only one I’ve ever been accused of”.
CARV denied any wrongdoing, but did admit to being “unfaithful” to his partner by sending sexually explicit messages and images to several women.
Some other artists signed to Steer Management have also announced their departure from the organisation, including William Luck, Onlynumbers, 6ejou, Natte Visstick and Lola Cerise.
One other artist that BradNoLimit shared allegations about was Fantasm, who responded by denying the allegations and making his own allegation that BradNoLimit had been “kicked out” of Steer Management and had also been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.
Manchester promoter XXL Techno wrote on Instagram Stories that “while it is not in a position to comment on specific allegations”, it has “removed artists from upcoming shows and will continue to monitor the situation”.
GLITCH Festival said: “We are aware of allegations involving certain artists within the scene, actions which we fully condemn. Following internal review and discussions with relevant parties, Odymel will no longer be performing at GLITCH Festival 2026.”
“While we are not in a position to investigate or determine legal matters, we believe this is the appropriate and responsible decision at this time,” they added.
HIVE Festival said: “Over the weekend, serious and shocking allegations against well-known artists in our scene became public. Even though no conclusive results are available yet, it is our responsibility to take precautionary action and make a clear statement as a festival for our scene.”
“Therefore, we are removing the artists in question from all our lineups until further information becomes available. HIVE is a safe place for everyone, a place of freedom, inclusion and respect.”
