WORSHIP Address Backlash in Follow-Up Interview: “Get Bent You Old Junglist Haters”

…And you thought WORSHIP’s first interview was polarizing.

Last week, the roster of drum and bass artists belonging to WORSHIP found themselves in the middle of a social media firestorm resulting from a joint EDM.com interview. Previously, the backlash could have been attributed to the writer’s positioning of their quotes — but a follow-up interview published today, April 1 will alienate any remaining junglists they had yet to offend.

The first interview credited WORSHIP artists Dimension, Sub Focus, Culture Shock, and 1991 for “leading the genre’s stateside surge” and “redefining the genre for a new generation of fans.” Some US junglists, as fans of jungle and drum and bass often call themselves, argue that these relatively commercial-leaning acts don’t represent the genre as a whole. Others defend the artists’ direct quotes themselves and instead take issue with how the article was written.

It will be much harder to justify the incendiary Q&A published on fledgling music blog EDM Jamsteez (whose link now leads to a 404 error page). In it, the four artists not only defend their drum and bass credentials but also level criticism at the diehard fans who have called them into question.

“Listen here, you insufferable troglodyte bedroom DJs,” said Sub Focus (real name Nicolaas Douwma), whose flirtation with dubstep has previously landed him in the crosshairs of drum and bass purists. “I’m too busy saving this genre to deal with your little feelers getting hurt. It’s not my fault you insist on playing music that can’t pack a broom closet let alone a 4,000 capacity venue.”

Dimension (real name Robert Etheridge), who previously said that WORSHIP’s goal was to “help bring the genre back into vogue by encouraging a fresh, young inclusive community of fans into the genre,” has now clarified that this doesn’t mean including the longtime fans who took issue with his quote. “Let me be clear. We want none of you cringey, opinionated old heads grossing up the vibe at any of our shows,” he said. “Get bent you old junglist haters.“

EDM Identity has reached out to WORSHIP for comment and received a blank email with a subject line that simply read “eat it.”

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