The lineup of ElectroniCON 2023 was introduced final week, and John Maus was listed as a headliner alongside pageant co-curator George Clanton and different artists together with Doss, Rxk Nephew, James Ferraro, and others. It takes place August 25-26 at New York Metropolis’s Knockdown Middle, and as of at this time, Maus is now not set to headline. After followers expressed their misgivings about Maus showing on the vaporwave pageant throughout varied social media platforms, Clanton issued an apology and stated Maus agreed to not carry out.
“Because of the response by our ElectroniCON household of performers and followers, we’ve determined to maneuver ahead on this yr’s pageant with out John Maus,” the assertion reads. “I, George Clanton, apologize to everybody who felt unseen by this lineup determination, and the artists who’ve been unduly dragged into controversy. ElectroniCON is outlined by its deal with outsider, underground digital music and inclusive setting. We chosen every of the venues which have hosted ElectroniCON occasions rigorously as areas which have traditionally held an inclusive house for POC and members of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. We are going to by no means enable our singular occasion to show into an unsafe house for our POC and LGBTQ+ followers and artists on the invoice.”
Maus was among the many artists featured on the canceled Grownup Swim collection Million Greenback Excessive Presents: World Peace in 2016, which was created by alt-right troll Sam Hyde. Many artists whose music appeared on the present swiftly made statements distancing themselves from the collection and Hyde’s views. In 2017, Maus gave an interview disavowing Nazism however stopped wanting apologizing for his involvement within the collection. “The blokes I met had been good,” he stated. “They weren’t burning crosses or doing something like that.” He additionally stated he didn’t need any hateful individuals at his exhibits. “Should you would stand by and watch a pig smash the top of a trans particular person as a result of they’re trans, fuck you.”
In at this time’s assertion, Clanton cited Maus’ prior statements as a part of the rationale he felt comfy reserving him for ElectroniCON 2023. “As longtime followers of John Maus’ music, we appeared to his lyrics, crowds drawn throughout latest pageant appearances and his statements denouncing white supremacy, fascism and violence in opposition to LGBTQ+ as proof that his inclusion on our lineup wouldn’t entice a vitriolic crowd at ElectroniCON,” the assertion reads. “We underestimated the division this reserving would sew amongst our neighborhood and didn’t anticipate a poisonous confrontation to probably transfer past the web into our live performance house. John Maus and staff agreed one of the best factor for all is to step away from the present.”
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