The mainstream press take the very polite view that the majority of promoters are very clever – mostly because they hold far too much sway over the dance music scene and they fear their publications being blacklisted if they dare ask too many questions. This view, of course, is largely driven by the dance music press wanting all that lovely advertising revenue whilst not rocking the boat too much.

This blog takes the opppsite view. Since I started Amateur’s House a few months ago, I occasionally get sent stories about promoters – and to say that the majority of them aren’t terribly bright is a massive understatement. There are a few out there who are outstanding at their work, but most of them are rubbish. That’s my view, and I don’t honestly care who gets upset by it.

Having said that, there’s stupid and then there’s another level of stupid entirely. Firmly in the latter category are the organisers at Paris club collective La Toilette. Last weekend, they decide to stage a rave at Vitry, a few miles south of the capital city. The singular brain cell they possess between them must have been having the weekend off, as they decided to have a rave in the middle of the night – next to a refugee camp.

Yes, I kid you not. A refugee camp, where men, women and children would have been trying to get a few hours of sleep in what I would impertinently suggest are not the most comfortable conditions. Honestly, I don’t know which one of these I’m most flabbergasted by – the sheer stupidity or the utter inhumanity. Infact, it caused such a ruckus that the police were called to deal with the matter.

The organisers have decided to double down on their stupidity by claiming they were somehow being supportive of the refugees. After all, what could possibly be a better way of showing your support for refugees by playing loud music when they’re trying to get some sleep in the early hours of the morning? What could be better – apart from quite literally anything?

One of the DJs who was booked has even spoken out about how utterly horrified he was. Nymed turned up to do a 2-hour show and being an immigrant himself, he felt he had no choice but speak out about what happened. You know you’ve messed up when even the DJs you hired are publicly laying into you – yet La Toilette flatly refuses to back down on this laughable defence and apologise.

This just makes the situation – to use a French term – merde…

Hat tip goes to Business Teshno for this story.