Russian DJ removed from ADE line-up following threatening message to Ukrainian artist

Russian DJ Alexander Komarov has been removed from the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) line-up after a threatening message he sent to a Ukrainian DJ circulated online.

Dutch news publication Algemeen Dagblad reported last week (October 15) that Komarov had been pulled from the bill of a label showcase party scheduled for Friday, October 23.

Controversy around Komarov’s performance arose online when a message he sent to Ukrainian artist Bonkrashkov wishing death upon him and Ukraine was shared on Reddit .

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Komarov confirmed to Algemeen Dagblad that he “did indeed” send that message, which read: "I hope that you, filthy Nazi, perish in your death, and your entire so-called country with you. You have screwed up everything that can be screwed up, you bastards."

Komarov told the Dutch publication that, while he was "planning to attend this event and meet artists I work with and keep in touch with," he will no longer perform at ADE this weekend.

He was due to perform at Amsterdam’s Bacan as part of an Interplay Records event, a record label founded by fellow Russian DJ Alexander Popov.

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Komarov’s name no longer appears on the official ADE website , with a spokesperson for the festival telling Algemeen Dagblad that, although "line-ups can change right up until the last moment, Komarov is definitely no longer on it."

Before his removal from the line-up, Honorary Consul of Ukraine, Karel Burger Dirven, requested that he no longer perform in a public message to ADE Managing Director Jan-Willem van de Ven on LinkedIn.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," he wrote. "This Russian DJ should be barred immediately by the Amsterdam Dance Event."

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