On Sunday, I wrote about one person who isn’t talking about Derrick May and the trouble he finds himself in. The fact the two are personal friends appears to have much to do with it. Clarke’s silence remains unbroken at the time of publishing.
Since then, I’ve been contacted by a few people who have noticed a ring of steel has been thrown around May, largely by his own friends. Techno stalwarts are determined to make sure nothing negative is said about their favourite person in the world, even when numerous allegations of sexual assault swirl around Mr May.
Some of the aforementioned stalwarts run their own Facebook groups and so on where their fans can congregate and talk about the matters of the day – so long as that matter doesn’t involve Derrick May, of course. Anything on that subject quickly gets removed, and the person who raised the issue is usually shouted down by a hate mob who the stalwarts do nothing to dissuade.
Why are so many of those in dance music’s higher echelons so willing to remain silent on these matters? Is it because they think it would damage their own position by speaking out? Or is it that they really are a bunch of misogynistic, opportunistic pricks who’ll say and do anything to get ahead in the world?
I’m really starting to wonder.