Boiler Room has announced its chatroom will close forever given Facebook’s live function has effectively rendered it obsolete. The chatroom has been a contentious subject in the electronic community for some time now: it became notorious for the sexist comments some viewers would direct at female DJs playing over livestream.
In June, the vitriol aimed at Nightwave and Toxe — two female artists who played within days of each other — made headlines across major music sites. Nightwave’s Paris set was met with comments like, “she must be giving someone some good head.” Boiler Room host and programmer Gabriel Szatan described the abuse directed at Toxe, a teenage producer and member of the Staycore collective, as “verging on revenge porn.”
In the days following the women’s sets, the platform vowed to crack down on all “misogyny/transphobia/racism” on its site. While trolls are unfortunately inevitable, its efforts did produce a slightly more comfortable space.
Now the chat function has disappeared entirely, which is surely a relief to some. “RIP BR chatroom, 2010 – 16. You were awful but we loved you (sorta)” read the platform’s Twitter. Gabriel told FACT the move is “more of a function switch on the website than a way to eradicate our community.” He explains that on “Facebook we have mods now for every show and what blew up with Nightwave has thankfully really abated.”
Viewers are still able to comment on Boiler Room streams on Facebook, but the section will — hopefully — be a little easier to moderate. It’s not going to stop female DJs from copping abuse, but it might slow the flood down to a more manageable trickle. Why not celebrate by revisiting the incredible Toxe set that kinda set this whole conversation in motion.
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Text Isabelle Hellyer
Image via Boiler Room