Most DJs love to swear onstage. Upon arriving in China, they found out they’d lose their freedom if they did.
Over the weekend, several DJs stopped by to perform at EDC Guangdong in China.
These included Zedd, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Infected Mushroom, Kill The Noise, Tiësto, Steve Angello, Joyryde, and others.
The event wrapped up without any major problems.
Now, a new report shows DJs faced a very restrictive condition at the event.
A single word could land you in jail.
At major events, DJs often love to cut loose and swear, often telling fans to “get your f—–g hands up!”
Chinese officials wouldn’t have it – literally.
On Reddit, a user shared an interesting warning performers received.
The leaflet warned in plain English,
“BEWARE.
No swearing or bad language on the microphone during your performance today, or you risk being detained by the local police.
You have been warned!”
Performers hadn’t received word about the restriction prior to the event.
Cray – short for Cheney Ray – explained,
“Apparently songs with swearwords aren’t okay either, hence why rappers aren’t cleared to really perform in China. This tour has really made me appreciate our freedom. It’s truly spooky in other parts of the world.”
Chinese organizers had posted the warning in her green room.
Despite the restriction, the event went off without a hitch.
Kill The Noise – real name Jacob Stanczak – explained he saw local police officers enjoying the EDM festival. They took pictures with fans, smiled, and danced to the music. Several DJs reportedly chose to ignore the rule.
He explained on Twitter,
“The police from what I saw were not really cracking down on swearing there were posted notes but I heard more than one DJ play songs with profanity and they didn’t do anything in fact the police were into the music and taking pics of the crowd etc.”
Featured image by Insomniac Events (YouTube screengrab).
This is a non story. You should be reporring on what the organisers actually achieved. I was at EDC in Zhuhai over the weekend and what the organisers managed to pull off in a highly regulated market was spectacular. The production was WORLD CLASS and the only thing that dampened the crowd was the rain on Sunday. Aside to that, in Asia you have to respect local culture and local rules. If you don’t like it, don’t come. Simple.
You’re right. Culturally repressive dictatorships are just a blast!