Published
Wed, Nov 1, 2023, 14:30
- In a now-deleted Facebook post, Tavares also accused another Dutch label, Viewlexx, of selling Bunker's music without permission.
Bunker Records founder Guy Horstink, AKA Guy Tavares, has been found not guilty of defamation and slander after being taken to court by fellow Dutch label Clone Records.
Clone filed summary proceedings against Horstink in August, demanding damages of up to €50,000 for negative comments he allegedly made about the label in emails and Facebook posts. However, according to Omroep West, the judge ruled against Horstink paying a fine. Reasons such as Horstink no longer working in music and Bunker Records being closed factored into the judge's decision.
Clone's complaint partly centred around a now-deleted post in the private Bunker Records Facebook group. Attributed to Horstink, the post accused Clone of selling Bunker's music digitally without the label's permission.
"It should be known to everyone that all Bunker [and Bunker sub-labels], Acid Planet, Panzerkreuz and Atlantik Wall-related merchandise (...) have essentially NEVER been authorised by Bunker, let alone ever been paid for to Bunker," the post read. "Thus they have to be considered as fully illegal 'bootleg' production and sale, as the Bunker name (including its well-known Panzerkreuz logo) is a fully legally registered TRADEMARK and intellectual property of Bunker."
Before taking legal action, Clone founder Serge Verschuur sent a statement addressing Horstink's comments to the label's mailing list. The statement, which Verschuur also sent to Resident Advisor, dismissed the comments as "false accusations, lies, libel and slander."
Horstink's post also took aim at another label from The Hague, Viewlexx, accusing it of selling Bunker music and merchandise without permission via Bandcamp. "My full discography and back catalogue has simply been given away, again, completely unauthorised, since 2017," the post continued.
According to Horstink, the music was only made available to Viewlexx subscribers paying between €20 and €30 a month, which meant it didn't need to be explicitly mentioned on financial statements.
In comments made to RA, Viewlexx founder Ferenc van der Sluijs, AKA I-F, dismissed the accusations as "Guy's yearly 'I need attention' rants. He mails everybody but me. I never got any notice so will not engage in this and choose to ignore it until he reaches out to me. He knows my number and he knows where I live."
van der Sluijs continued: "He's sitting on a GOLDMINE but chooses to spend his energy complaining about imaginary affairs instead of going to work with what he's got in his hands. We were done with this shit years ago, this is what you get for thanks. We don't owe nobody DICK."
Releases from Bunker and its affiliated labels have since been removed from Viewlexx's Bandcamp page. In their place is a message saying that Viewlexx has been "severely backstabbed" by "now ex-associates of Bunker and Acid Planet Records."
Other Dutch artists have also shared their views on the dispute. Speaking to RA, Drvg Cvltvre said the situation has had a negative impact on the wider scene. "As someone who's known and worked with both Guy and Ferenc since 1995, this fight is really demotivating for all of us operating in this already small niche of music," he said.
Ruud Lekx, AKA Rude 66, went more public in a Facebook post. "One thing that does leave a bad taste in my mouth is the very fact of Guy Tavares being taken to court by people from the very music scene he created," he wrote. "Guy is the patient zero, the genesis, the originator of that whole West Coast scene that we all are still part of today. Without him, none of us would be where we are now, and none of you would have ever heard of us."
He added: "In my view, no matter what that person has then said or done, taking him to court would simply not be an option. Ever. I have worked and played with Guy since high school and there is simply no one like him."
Since the early '90s, Bunker, Clone, Viewlexx and their many sub-labels have been pillars of the Netherlands' electronic music scene. They've overseen a slew of revered releases from the likes of Legowelt, Intergalactic Gary and Alden Tyrell.
We'll report more on this story as it unfolds.
Photo: Stephan C. Kaffa