FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Did Diplo Lie About Teaming Up With DanceSafe?

The Mad Decent boss responds to angry ravers about the ban on kandi.

After two Mad Decent Block Party-goers died after attending a recent installment of the event series, Diplo's team rolled out a long list of newly-banned items for future parties. They included things such as masks, pacifiers, eyedroppers, stuffed animals, open packs of cigarettes, and kandi jewelry. The anti-kandi measures ended up being the most controversial, so Diplo responded to disgruntled ravers yesterday in a mostly-coherent post on Twitlonger. "I would trade 100 thousand angry ravers to have 100% safe and happy street parties," he wrote. "This is just a simple set of rules to make things safer."

Advertisement

In addition to the simple set of rules, Diplo explained that the Mad Decent Block Party crew set up free water stations at the remaining events and "teamed up w[ith] DanceSafe," a nonprofit organization that focuses on harm reduction efforts at live music events through education about various party drugs and other substances and services like pill-testing kits and peer counseling.

However, DanceSafe says otherwise. The organization responded to Diplo's tweets with a refutation: "Unfortunately, when we showed up onsite in Philadelphia [at the Mad Decent Block Party there], we were informed by your management that we were NOT allowed to distribute our literature on drugs and alcohol," they wrote. So what gives?

Read Diplo's statement followed by Dancesafe's rebuttal in full below.

"So… I never wear Kandi and I understand it's not drug related culture inherently .. We just had serious issues with kids hiding it .. and there was a definite relationship between safety and security and made it so we had to ban certain items. We have teamed up w dancesafe .. Cooperated w police and medics to really handle the last three parties and We have set up free water stations at all the mdbp .. All I care about is people coming to enjoy music and have a safe and good time.. Everything else is secondary .. I would trade 100 thousand angry ravers to have 100% safe and happy street parties when we started it on philly 6 years ago — Diplo (@diplo) August 14th, 2014

Advertisement

So it's all good if your into whatever your into we just implement these rules for you.. Not against you … This is just a simple set of rules we are using to make things safer… I'm sorry of they affect you or keep you from coming..All over the world kids and woman getting killed right now over beliefs, this is silly to get angry over .. If it bothers you just don't attend I'm down for anything positive but this doesn't affect our parties too much … Im not the promoter, I actually had nothing to do with the rules being implemented but i do agree with my team.. And cause of who I am.. I'm the de facto speaker.. I have thick skin so u guys that consider yourself plur can attack me all you want it doesn't bother me.. I'm just here for the music."

"@diplo Unfortunately, when we showed up onsite in Philadelphia we were informed by your management that we were NOT allowed distribute our literature on drugs and alcohol. We promote health and safety through honest drug education and peer leadership. The design of our literature has been successful and effective for 15+ years. For sake of not compromising our mission, we have not and are not onsite providing outreach in any other cities on the Mad Decent Block Party Tour. Perhaps you can advocate to your management directly for the dissemination of our literature?"

@diplo Your management told us we weren't allowed to hand out literature on drugs and alcohol. We haven't been onsite! Can you advocate?

— DanceSafe (@DanceSafe)

August 14, 2014

Get up to date on what's going on:
Fingers Point Wildly as Two Deaths Reported at VELD Music Festival
The Mad Decent Block Party Resulted In Two Suspected MDMA Overdoses
"Come to Life," Electric Zoo's Anti-Drug PSA Has Leaked