Big Carl "overcome with absolute disbelief and disgust"



DJ Carl Cox's Global Arena was pulled from the Gatecrasher Summer System just hours before Saturday's festival leaving the DJ "overcome with absolute disbelief and disgust" at his treatment. Cox claims he spent five months working on the arena as well as investing heavily in light and sound systems.



Cox says: "This had been our sole project for the last few months. I had a passion in creating something genuinely different for the festival, to give something back to the punters, something that would justify the 45 price ticket alone.



"The story actually goes back further than this. Last year I played the festival and swore never to again as the sound was terrible, no one could see the DJ box and I got a load of emails from kids saying it was the worst they had ever seen me play. After that I refused ever to play again at Gatecrasher, but the organisers courted me with my own tent, and promised we would work together to create an arena I was happy with."



Cox went on: "After meetings all week we finally thought we'd sorted it [on Friday June 21]. I awoke [Saturday June 22] expecting my dream - the Carl Cox Global Arena - to come true after months planning. I then got a call at midday callously saying 'with a gun to their heads a decision had been made to keep the Chemical Generation Arena and diminish the Global Arena."



Cox was offered the slot after the Chemical Brothers but refused it. He said: "Their unprofessionalism is disgusting, but this is not going to deter us. The Global Arena is alive, despite the best efforts of Gatecrasher. This is just a chink in our armour."