A top techno DJ says he is a sexsomniac who was fast asleep when he allegedly attempted to have sex with a female friend in an incident he has no memory of.
Disgraced DJ Odymel, whose real name is Antoine Lauffer, issued a lengthy statement on social media after being named among several artists accused of sexual misconduct in messages circulating online on 23rd February.
Lauffer, who was born in Switzerland and lives in Brussels, Belgium, is popular with young Belgian fans and has performed at major festivals including Tomorrowland and Pukkelpop.
DJ Odymel poses in undated photo. He was accused of sexual abuse. Note: Picture is a screenshot from video. (@odymel__/CEN)
Breaking his silence, he said he wanted to address accusations by a woman with whom he had occasionally had consensual sexual relations - and who alleged he had attacked her.
Lauffer stated that he suffers from somnambulism, also known as sleepwalking, and said he has no memory of the alleged events.
He wrote that he only learned what had happened days later and described the experience as "difficult to understand and accept" because he could not recall it.
Lauffer said: "One night, I fell asleep next to her after we'd been intimate. She later told me that I first started performing sexual acts on myself in my sleep. Then I tried to initiate sexual intercourse with her again, even though she refused."
He said she admitted to him that his behaviour appeared similar to sleepwalking and that he had stopped immediately when she verbally instructed him to stop.
DJ Odymel poses in undated photo. He was accused of sexual abuse. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@odymel__/CEN)
He claimed the incident was consistent with a sexual episode linked to sleepwalking, commonly referred to as sexsomnia, and reiterated that he has no recollection of what occurred.
He said he has been in therapy since the incident.
He added that he is voluntarily cooperating with a preliminary investigation, including medical examinations, and that two hearings have already taken place as police investigate the allegations.
The claims emerged as several prominent techno DJs were removed from festival line-ups after screenshots and text messages alleging sexual misconduct were shared online.
The allegations, dubbed the “techno-files”, were posted on Instagram by an account claiming to be a former employee of Paris-based management and booking agency STEER.
DJ Odymel poses in undated photo. He was accused of sexual abuse. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@odymel__/CEN)
STEER said it would suspend collaboration with artists concerned when allegations multiply and involve members of its roster.
Other artists named in the posts have rejected the accusations, while German DJ CARV acknowledged sending intimate images but said there was no non-consensual behaviour or criminal wrongdoing.
(Aloysius Fernandes /CEN)