Music

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon in trouble over his second job as DJ D-Sol


Not all DJs can scratch the decks full time – many have to make ends meet with a day job. Just like DJ D-Sol, who works in banking and moonlights behind the wheels of steel. But he’s not a cashier at Halifax, he’s the head of Goldman Sachs, a bank with almost $1trn (£771bn) in assets and 38,000 employees.

David Solomon, as he’s known when behind the desk rather than the decks, has landed himself in hot water with New York authorities. Last Saturday he rocked out at a not so socially distanced gig for well-heeled types in the Hamptons, headlined by Grammy award-winners The Chainsmokers.

Large groups of young people stand close to one another, many without wearing any face covering, at the Safe & Sound concert (Photo: AP)

Videos posted online of the “Safe and Sound” drive-in party – for which attendees splashed out between $225 and $25,000 for a parking space – appear to show people gathered in close proximity around the stage, so strong was the lure of D-Sol.

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has been left asking what d-hell happened?

‘Disrespectful to fellow New Yorkers’

“[The] concert that happened in the town of Southampton was just a gross violation of not only the public health rules, it was a gross violation of common sense,” Mr Cuomo said at his daily briefing, calling it “disrespectful to fellow New Yorkers”.

New York’s Department of Health is now investigating local officials’ oversight of the event and how security workers and event organisers enforced rules during the drive-in concert.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was not impressed (Photo: Getty)

Goldman Sachs is defending its top man, one of the world’s pre-eminent investment bankers, for his hour long DJ set.

Bank spokesman Jake Siewart said Mr Solomon “performed early and left before the show ended”. Mr Siewart explained: “The vast majority of the audience appeared to follow the rules, but he’s troubled that some violated them and put themselves and others at risk.”

Too cringe to be cool?

D-Sol is not new to the decks. In December he dropped his single, Feel Alive, and just days after the controversial drive-in DJ set he released a new single, Someone Like You, a classic of the club banger genre.

Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs David Solomon (Photo: AP)

Many might cringe – even despair – at the sight of a 58-year-old bald banker, paid $15m a year for his day job, rocking it out in Long Island in his spare time.

Still, all profits from his musical side hustle go to charity – last Saturday’s gig raised thousands for No Kid Hungry, a charity that aims to end childhood hunger in the US.

So who are we to judge the rich and powerful, or even the not-very-rich-and-quite boring, when they want to let off steam?

After all, a day earlier Goldman Sachs had paid a $3.9bn fine to settle criminal charges in Malaysia after the firm misled investors raising $6.5bn for a development fund. Anyone would need a change of scenery after a bill like that.

Men and their hobbies

And Mr Solomon isn’t the only highly successful man of a certain age to fancy himself as a bit of a Fatboy Slim.

Elon Musk has tried his hands at DJing (Photo: Reuters)

Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and multibillionaire, released his dancefloor anthem Don’t Doubt Ur Vibe on Soundcloud at the end of January. The Guardian said the best thing about his song was that if you leave it playing, a song about erectile dysfunction automatically plays next.

Mr Musk’s previous attempt at music stardom was an auto-tuned rap about Harambe (ha-rom-bay); a gorilla shot dead in 2016 after a child entered his cage which became a viral meme online. “We love you Harambe,” Mr Musk rapped, “Sipping on some Bombay.” It wasn’t a hit.

Not every member of the global super-rich tries to be cool in their spare time. Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest person, with a fortune of £138bn, says “the sexiest thing I do” is wash the dishes after hosting a dinner party.

Sounds a lot more useful than a DJ set by the head of an investment bank.



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