Since becoming a fan of electronic music, I have been struck by the lack of female DJs and producers on the scene. The last seven gigs I attended were all headlined by men, and where a female musician was present (which is just twice), she has only played a short set in a minor room early on in the night.
This lack of women in the world of DJing is well represented by statistics found on TheDJList (http://thedjlist.com/about/statistics/): an online company promoting and raising awareness of the electronic dance industry, and the world’s largest DJ directory. Their website reveals that just 24% of its 894,696 members are female (as of April 2017), which may be a result of weaker interest but, in my opinion, more likely of less exposure to electronic music and less confidence to just have a go. While initiatives such as female:pressure (http://www.femalepressure.net), an international online database for female, transgender, and non-binary electronic musicians, work to redress this imbalance, my personal experience as of late suggests that women are still significantly under-represented on the DJ scene.
Yet powerful and inspirational female DJs are certainly out there and (I hope) on the rise. In my own attempt to get more women interested in the electronic music scene and supporting other women, I have comprised a short list of just a few people to be very excited about…
1) The Black Madonna
Defined as ‘[a]n increasingly respected DJ, known for uplifting sets that balance established anthems with idiosyncratic selections’ by Resident Advisor (https://www.residentadvisor.net), Marea Stamper was voted Mixmag’s DJ of the year in 2016. Clearly an advocate of equality, she encapsulates her personal philosophy in ‘Dance music needs riot grrrls. Dance music needs Patti Smith […] Dance music needs salt in its wounds. Dance music needs women over the age of 40. Dance needs breastfeeding DJs trying to get their kids to sleep before they have to play […] Dance music needs poor people and people who don’t have the right shoes to get into the club […] Dance music does not need more of the status quo.’
Top tracks (all available on Spotify):
He Is the Voice I Hear
We Still Believe
Alright This Morning
2) Nina Kraviz
With a doctorate in dental medicine and former job of fixing cosmonauts’ teeth, Nina’s biography on Resident Advisor simply reads ‘famous russian dentist’. However, there is much more to this woman than her former career, as she started out playing regular nights at the Propaganda Club in Moscow but now owns her own record label. Furthermore, she provoked a deep debate on feminism and gender politics after a video profile on her career as a DJ, entitled ‘Between the Beats: Nina Kraviz’, caused an uproar among viewers upon featuring a clip of her in the bath. She responded to the criticism with ‘sometimes I just wanna scream into the Universe’, attacking the idea that female DJs cannot be taken seriously if they are pretty and feminine, that the video focused on her as a female and not on her music, and maintaining her right to do whatever she wants. She claims ‘Sexism and all similar bullshit must die. And the first step to it is to let artists be who they are regardless of their gender, skin color, sexual orientation etc.. People clichés are for those who have less crafty brains.’ Go Nina.
Top tracks:
Ghetto Kraviz
Pain In The Ass
Let’s Do It
3) Lauren Lo Sung
Liverpudlian Lauren Lo Sung received her first pair of beginner decks at the age of 11 and had launched her own LOLiFE club night by 18. Now she holds a residency at Birmingham’s TRMNL and explains ‘I love being busy, especially when it’s anything to do with music […] I see it all as more of a hobby than work, and I believe that if you’re truly passionate about something, you will be driven to work harder and be more motivated to push yourself as far as you can go.’
Top tracks:
On my Mind
Keep The Groove
How Far
4) Helena Hauff
German DJ and record producer Helena Hauff is described as a ‘must-see’ by Mixmag. They argue ‘Her high-octane, rugged and always blistering mix of industrial electro and jagged, spanky techno results in sheer euphoria. It’s no-nonsense electronic music that requires you to leave all your inhibitions at the door and let loose.’ Hauff studied physics and systematic music science so is well accustomed with the theory and mathematical elements of music, but switched to the practical side as she explains ‘I realised that I just don’t like universities. And I actually want to destroy society, and that studying and becoming something that actually works for society isn’t really good. So I thought I’d become a DJ. And that doesn’t make any sense, but that’s basically it [laughs]. I was a bit lazy as well, and I thought getting up very late and DJing and drinking and hanging out is maybe a little bit more fun than sitting in a laboratory.’
Top tracks:
Spur
L’Homme Mort
Piece of Pleasure
5) Lena Willikens
Based in Cologne, Lena Willikens has held a residency at Düsseldorf’s Salon Des Amateurs for over five years now. She boasts the simultaneous titles of DJ, radio broadcaster, and producer, also dabbling in film which proves her multitalented nature. When asked to describe her sound, she replied ‘When I listen to music I never analyse it – that’s the reason why I can’t talk about music. What I like the most when I produce or DJ is the moment when my brain stops working and I don’t think anymore. I really wish I could transport this feeling to the crowd and I wish that their brains would also stop working while they dance.’
Top tracks:
Howlin Lupus
Mari Ori
Asphalt Kobold
All these women are powerful and inspirational figures, succeeding in a field where females are the minority and often misjudged based on their gender. Yet though this disparity is discouraging, it is certainly not a significant obstacle. It may even be an opportunity. The electronic music scene is open to everyone, and I would urge more women to try their hand at DJing if interested. To feel properly inspired and empowered, watch the live sets of the artists mentioned above (links included below), then get yourself along to one of their gigs. You won’t be disappointed.
The Black Madonna – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJlz0KDidqY
Nina Kraviz – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hayHPgpHiY
Lauren Lo Sung – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6z6Kz227FA
Helena Hauff – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln2NkXRGGOQ
Lena Willikens – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ADQg-0Qwk&t=2140s
Photo sources:
(cover photo) https://mantissamix.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/mixes-to-dig-dekmantel-podc…
https://soundcloud.com/theblackmadonna
http://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2013/04/nina-kraviz-the-mistress-of-her-own…
http://www.djmag.ph/music/get-know-lauren-lo-sung/
https://www.djbroadcast.net/article/127091/record-shopping-with-helena-h…
http://jaegeroslo.no/communicating-a-feeling-in-praise-of-lena-willikens/