​Drum ’n' bass producer DJ Sly convicted of sexual assault and rape

Warning: This article contains sensitive content with references to rape and sexual assault

43-year-old drum ’n’ bass musician DJ Sly has been convicted of sexual assault and rape by Essex Police.

The DJ and producer, real name Paul Gellen, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in December 2019 before raping her in March 2020.

The police report also noted that both cases followed a similar pattern where the woman had woken up with the musician after a night out with no memory of what had happened.

Gellen was found guilty last week on Thursday, May 5, after standing in front of the court at Chelmsford Crown Court. Gellen was originally arrested after the second incident but pleaded not guilty. He will be sentenced on June 8.

"Paul Gellen is a sexual predator who saw the victim's vulnerabilities as an opportunity," said detective constable Liv Howells on the case.

"On both occasions, she was not in a position to give consent and Gellen took advantage of this for his own sexual gratification. The absence of someone saying 'no' is not the same as them saying yes."

The DJ’s discography dates back to 2006 with releases landing on labels such as Low Down Deep, and his own record label launched with Swifta, Levelz.

A Ghanaian DJ who was also named DJ Sly has now changed his name to DJ Sly King, noting it is necessary after he was mistaken for another DJ Sly.

Drum ’n’ bass DJs have now spoken out on the conviction. On Twitter, Sam Binga said: “So DJ Sly been convicted of rape? Disgusting.

“But rape is the brutal tip of a whole iceberg of shitty behaviour women have to deal with in dance music, from being belittled and sexualised, to groped and spiked. We gotta do better.”

Sweetpea noted: "Too many known rapists and abusers still out there getting gigs. There is a whole larger problem and conversation with how women are treated in the industry..

"Be disgusted and horrified by DJ Sly but also check your own crew, some of you continue to work with and alongside rapists".

Workforce, who was one half of SpectraSoul before the duo parted ways, said: "Are we going to continue to pretend that we don't have a problem with safe spaces for women in d&b (& clubland more broadly), when we've still got headline DJ's being convicted of rape and sexual assault? I've had a look to see if anyone's said anything publicly - nothing."

If you’ve been affected by sexual assault or rape in the music industry, you can contact Association For Electronic Music’s helpline. Click here to find out more or call 0800 030 5182.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter