DJ Felix Hall has stepped down from his slot on NTS and been removed from club and festival line-ups after being accused of sending death threats and anti-Palestinian hate speech to numerous other DJs.
As Mixmag reports, multiple DJs have spoken out about their alleged abusive experiences with Hall, who is the son of the late Terry Hall of The Specials.
On Tuesday (April 11), New York-based artist Rainstick (real name Anthony Lowe) shared a statement on Instagram in which he accused Hall of sending “completely unprovoked, violent zionist messages, including vile death threats against my family”.
“I learned that he also menaced at least two other people – female musicians of colour – with zionist messages, and that this may be a pattern of anti-Palestinian behaviour,” Lowe continued.
In a statement obtained by Mixmag, Lowe said: “I have never before had a personal issue with Felix Hall. The issue is the bigotry, racism and violence he has displayed (and then tried to hide), and the greater dangers they represent.”
Several other artists have since come forward to detail their experiences with Hall, including North African DJ Marwa Belhaj Youssef. Taking to Instagram, she posted a screenshot of an Israel flag emoji she had received in a message from Hall two days before Lowe’s statement.
Youssef told Mixmag that she’d “never had a conversation with Hall” prior to receiving the message, and was “totally shocked” at him contacting her in such a manner. “He is a danger for this scene which should be a safe space for all of us,” she explained.
Four years later I’m finally speaking up about my experiences with Felix Hall pic.twitter.com/IRgpL4g9Wq
— MACHETE / 777 🔪 OUT NOW (@mariimals) April 11, 2023
Additionally, London-based DJ Manuka Honey shared a statement on Twitter. “Felix Hall’s harmful behaviour is devastating yet unfortunately unsurprising to me,” it began.
“This is a person who lies about/ is purposefully ambiguous about his heritage in order to cosplay as a Latino man, has refused to perform before me on a lineup claiming to be a ‘better dj’, and rescinded booking me after I refused to sleep with him.”
Responding in a statement on Instagram, Hall said he was “truly sorry for any offense [sic] and upset” he had caused.
He went on to say that he’d been “struggling hugely with [his] mental health” recently and was finding it difficult to come to terms with the death of his father, who passed away last December aged 63.
“An unhealthy relationship with alcohol is also unfortunately present, yet I am absolutely determined to both address and change this in every way possible,” Hall continued.
“I am greatly sorry as to how my actions have impacted others, and genuinely would like to make amends. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to talk at any stage.”
The non-apology that was given manages to somehow frame felix as the victim and dangerously weaponizes mental health and grief as reasons behind racist and violent behavior, which is an insult to people who have experienced grief and who suffer from mental health problems. pic.twitter.com/zZJze8ry2L
— Nihal | نهال (@NotNihal) April 10, 2023
Later, Manuka Honey asked in her statement: “How many times will he be excused for his actions on the tune of ‘mental health’ until real accountability comes into play?
“I hope the people close to him who see and recognise his wrongdoings will call him in. It takes a lot for me to post something like this but I have tried in the past to speak to Felix Hall in private and he ridiculed then blocked me”
Elsewhere, Cairo-based DJ and NTS host Nihal said Hall’s apology was “an insult to people who have experienced grief and who suffer from mental health problems”.
“The non-apology that was given manages to somehow frame Felix as the victim and dangerously weaponizes mental health and grief as reasons behind racist and violent behaviour,” she added.
Hall has now departed his regular slot on NTS, which he had occupied since 2016.
In a statement to Mixmag, the station said: “We were made aware of the situation over the weekend and obviously we were shocked and upset.
“Felix has decided to step down from his NTS show, which we agree is the best course of action. NTS doesn’t tolerate any forms of racism or bigotry.”
London’s GALA Festival has removed Hall from the line-up for its 2023 edition, saying it was “saddened to learn of the comments made” by the DJ.
“We have zero tolerance for hatefulness, especially towards oppressed communities,” organisers explained in a statement. “In solidarity with the victims of Hall’s threats, and all the Palestinian people, we are removing Hall from the line-up.”
Hall was also set to play London’s Venue MOT last Sunday (April 9), but he was removed from the line-up and its accompanying artwork.
French label Few Crackles, which released Hall’s ‘Few Crackles Riddims’ mixtape in 2020, has removed the collection from its Bandcamp, and spoke out against the DJ’s actions in a post on Instagram.
“We strongly condemn the violent, racist and zionist slurs: there’s absolutely no excuses for such behaviour,” it read.