The live streaming channel have long suffered from misogynistic comments whenever a female DJ plays, and now they’ve said enough is enough
Boiler Room have long had problems with people in their chatrooms directing sexist and misogynistic comments towards female DJs, and now it seems that they’ve had enough. The electronic music live streaming channel have said that they’ll be cracking down on offensive and abusive comments, including hiring moderators to clean up the comments section and raise the quality of discussion.
The announcement followed a set from Glaswegian DJ/producer Nightwave, who played a Boiler Room set in Paris last night. Nightwave is a great DJ, and she’s also a woman – and the negative comments seemed to stem entirely from this fact.
.@iamnightwave beautifully merges footwork and ghetto-tech with Glaswegian beats → https://t.co/7qOR70TFbOpic.twitter.com/on3dCtifQF
— BOILER ROOM (@boilerroomtv) June 29, 2016
The issue had been bubbling up for a while. Earlier this week, Swedish club DJ Toxe played a set with Boiler Room that inevitably resulted in a score of sexist comments. DJs including Manchester’s Madam X highlighted the issue on Twitter, pointing out that it had become particularly prevalent since Boiler Room started broadcasting their shows on Facebook Live, inviting anybody with a Facebook account to comment. It had gotten bad enough that Nightwave was already expressing concern about the comments a day before her set.
wow these hideous misogynistic comments on the excellent Toxe Boiler Room set are really making me excited for my BR set tmrw... NAAAT
— Nightwave (@iamnightwave) June 28, 2016
NONE OF THIS IS OK pic.twitter.com/H0aJzrpJRY
— Madam X (@DJmadamX) June 28, 2016
Still, it’s important to remember that these aren’t isolated incidents. Boiler Room has long had a problem with its chatroom – as far back as 2011, electronic music journalist Angus Finlayson was writing on The Quietus that “it’s almost a Boiler Room cliche that members of the chatroom will complain about the distinct lack of kinesis on the dancefloor (also that they will pass comment on any unfortunate young female close enough to pick out).”
Still, it seems that yesterday’s actions were enough for Boiler Room to have finally taken action. After posting a statement on Twitter, they said that they’d begin employing moderators to sort out the problems. “The #1 worst thing about what we do are the trash comments”, they wrote.
hey - we hear you. it'll get better with immediate effect.
— BOILER ROOM (@boilerroomtv) June 29, 2016
apologies pic.twitter.com/QzHsIDpTt2
Speaking to FACT, Boiler Room host and programmer Gabriel Szatan expanded on their earlier statement. “We obviously can’t just shut down any comment when someone is like, ‘They fucked up that mix, that song is shit’ but we can’t allow straight up vile transphobic, misogynistic, racist things to carry on,” he said, “We’re scratching our heads on determining how to monitor it but we know that today is the line in the sand. It [will be] difficult, but that’s not to absolve ourselves. As the biggest live streaming company in the underground that should stand (up) for its liberal values, we know now that it’s our responsibility to lead the field.”
Check out some of their tweets below, as well as some of Nightwave’s wonderful responses to the haters.
@MANARAxx & obviously we're gonna keep booking people irrespective of any racegendersexbelief factor. no retreating to safe white tech house
— BOILER ROOM (@boilerroomtv) June 29, 2016
Quick Q: why do you - yes, you! - feel the burning desire to slag off female DJs on chatrooms?
— BOILER ROOM (@boilerroomtv) June 29, 2016
all the haters were #Brexit and shop at Fat Face and Desigual
— Nightwave (@iamnightwave) June 29, 2016
Nigel Farage hatin on my set coz he hates footwork sorry old deflated dick tadpole
— Nightwave (@iamnightwave) June 29, 2016
Will say a prayer with Moët for all the haters on my next tour💓have fun hoovering your Nan's car
— Nightwave (@iamnightwave) June 29, 2016