Published
Tue, Jan 16, 2024, 11:30
- In a statement, the French-Lebanese DJ also accused the Berlin club of lying to the other artists about why last Friday's Ritmo Fatale showcase was pulled.
French-Lebanese DJ Arabian Panther has accused Berghain of cancelling a performance due to his support of Palestine.
In a statement shared via Instagram last Friday, January 12th, Arabian Panther said the Berlin club pulled the Italorama Bar X Ritmo Fatale takeover "due to my global communication on my networks" following October 7th. Berghain announced the event—which also featured Marie Davidson, David Vunk, Audrey Danza and Kendal—on December 7th via its website, Resident Advisor and other platforms. (RA has approached Berghain for comment.)
According to the statement, Berghain's head booker, Tim Rosenberger, contacted Ritmo Fatale's label manager, Kendal, on December 14th to tell him that Arabian Panther couldn't play. Kendal—who has corroborated Arabian Panther's account in full to RA—allegedly explained that the Palestinian cause was very dear to the artist, who always performs wearing a black keffiyeh.
In a recent email exchange with RA, Kendal said he asked Rosenberger during this first phone conversation if there was a specific post or posts that had caused the change of heart. He allegedly replied, "no, it's global."
"Berghain thoroughly checked, confirmed and formalised my booking five months ago with my agent," Arabian Panther wrote in the statement. "They never [got] back with concern until a week after the public announcement."
On December 15th, Rosenberger allegedly told Kendal in a second phone conversation that because Berghain couldn't be seen to cancel a pro-Palestinian artist, it would have to pull the whole event. The reason given to the other artists and their agents would be "unforeseen construction work" in Panorama Bar—despite the club being open on the Saturday and Sunday as normal. According to the statement, Rosenberger suggested to Kendal that he not disclose the real reason to Arabian Panther. But Kendal said he felt complicit and urged the club to tell all the artists the truth.
On December 20th, Berghain allegedly removed the event from RA and other websites and informed the other agents about the construction work. At this point, Arabian Panther said, Kendal told him the whole situation and suggested to Rosenberger that he speak with the artist directly. Kendal also postponed the party via Ritmo Fatale's Instagram "due to reasons beyond our control."
In Arabian Panther's statement, he said he then repeatedly approached Berghain to discuss the issue directly. He said the club never engaged with him on the topic nor answered his questions. On January 9th, Berghain emailed his agent to say that all Fridays in 2024 were now booked or optioned.
"I believe that, given the context since October 7th, they faced some pressure from customers or potential threats from above, possibly from government officials or internally," Arabian Panther told RA via email. "However, the way they handled the entire situation, instructing Kendal to lie and not responding to my proposal for talks, is a disgrace."
He added: "Perhaps they made this decision to 'protect' (I'm the one in danger with them, not the other way around) a portion of their audience that they favour at the expense of Arabs and Palestinians present in the club, for whom it would have been a powerful symbol for me to play in this place."
Kendal also shared a brief statement with RA via email. "I'm shocked and disappointed in how they managed the whole situation," he wrote. "It's truly sad that Berghain closed the club for political reasons and lied about renovation work to avoid the bad buzz of cancelling alone a pro-Palestinian Arab artist. By not assuming the true reasons to the artists, they put pressure on my shoulders to disclose or not the truth."
He continued: "They ignored any attempt at constructive dialogue with Arabian Panther, which could have potentially prevented this. I express full support to Arabian Panther for speaking the truth. It wasn't easy, and we stand by him."
Earlier today, Lyon label Brothers From Different Mothers (BFDM) announced that it was cancelling this Thursday's showcase in Berghain's Säule space due to "the current events in Germany, as well as the censorship faced by Arabian Panther."
Berghain, a famously tight-lipped institution, has yet to comment publicly on the Arabian Panther situation. Since October 7th, the club has hosted many artists who support Palestine, including MARRØN, Sedef Adasï and Juliana Huxtable, who posted ahead of last year's PAN showcase in support of Palestine.
Berghain is also currently involved in a developing situation with local festival CTM and the nascent Strike Germany movement, which launched last week in opposition to the Berlin Senate's new anti-discrimination clause. The clause will require recipients of public funding to make a commitment against antisemitism, according to the IHRA definition. Over the weekend, Jyoty and Manuka Honey cancelled their appearances at CTM's opening event at Berghain. Scratcha DVA and Kampire have since pulled out of the festival in solidarity, too.
Read Arabian Panther's statement. We'll report more on this story as it unfolds.
Photo: Mykyta Smolianyi (Berghain)