The heart of electronic music has always been fun, rebellion, and pushing the narrative, but too often the women and people of color shaping its sound are pushed to the margins of the community. Women have been foundational to the electronic music scene since its inception, despite continuously being overlooked in favor of male producers and DJs. Behind every track is the craft of production, mixing, and mastering, and for many of these women, that work is primarily their own. This list spotlights seven of my favorite independent women who are their own producers, mixers, and songwriters, all the while making the electronic music scene louder, brighter, and better.
Photosensitivity Warning: Some of the clips featured in this article contain flashing lights. Please proceed with caution.
1. PinkPantheress
PinkPantheress is a girl who needs no introduction. If you’re anything like me, you’ve definitely had “Stateside (with Zara Larsson)” on repeat lately. Nevertheless, I want to highlight her genius when it comes to her musical identity. Since the mega viral success of “Pain” and “Break it Off” in 2021, PinkPantheress has brought UK garage and drum ‘n’ bass music to the forefront of the music scene. She is known for the frequent DIY, bedroom pop quality of songs, where she often samples EDM tracks from the 90s and 2000s. She expressed to The Hollywood Reporter that she wants to be taken more seriously in the music industry, saying, “people are less willing to listen to electronic music that is made by a Black woman. That’s just a fact.” As a longtime fan of hers, it makes me thrilled to see Pink get her flowers for her production work. After the 2025 release of her most recent mixtape, Fancy That?, and the star-studded remix project, Fancy Some More?, PinkPantheress was named the British Producer of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards Ceremony.
2. Oklou
Oklou has quickly become one of my favorite artists to come up in the past year. In my opinion, no one else is making electronic music that sounds similar to her signature, subdued, dreamy, and atmospheric soundscapes. She released her self-produced debut album Choke Enough early last year to widespread critical acclaim, even landing consistent high rankings on year-end lists. Choke Enough was ranked in the top 10 of The Atlantic, BBC, Pitchfork, and Dazed’s 2025 year-end album lists and in the top 50 of many others. The album includes features from other electronic artists, Underscores and Bladee, with the deluxe version including the single “Viscus” with FKA Twigs. Oklou also recently performed as an opener for alt-pop legend Lorde’s 2025 Ultrasound World Tour, her biggest opportunity to date. In an interview with The Pop Manifesto, Oklou describes the production process for Choke Enough: “The thing that is pretty common to all the tracks is the quest for the perfect loop. I know some sound like they were made from a sample, but it’s actually never the case… I actually need a connection to the harmonic and melodic elements, more than the vocals and the words.” I recommend you also check out her spacey “Girl Like Me” remix off of PinkPantheress’ Fancy Some More? mixtape. I really hope these two continue to collab!
3. Shygirl
Shygirl is a veteran of the experimental music scene, cementing her place among collaborators and electronic music legends SOPHIE, Arca, and FKA Twigs. Shygirl more recently captured the attention of U.S. audiences when she opened for Charli xcx and Troye Sivan on the 2024 SWEAT Tour (still sad I didn’t go, y’all). In her own projects, Shygirl is known for effortlessly mixing experimental club, industrial hip-hop, EDM, house, hyperpop, and more. Her most recent series of projects, Club Shy and Club Shy Room 2, were born as a homage to East London’s vibrant nightlife scene. Both of these projects were later remixed for an even bouncier club flair. In an interview with Mixmag about Club Shy, she expressed, “I remember back in my early days of DJing, I went to Bang Face festival and ended up on stage with the Vengaboys… That era of electronic music was fun and not pretentious in any way. I love those cliché moments, about longing for someone, in club music. They’re clichés because they have so much life and truth in them.” Shygirl never disappoints when you’re looking for club beats and diva energy to pregame or party to.
4. Ninajirachi
Ninajirachi is easily one of the most promising DJs on the rise right now. With the Summer 2025 release of her first full-length album, I Love My Computer, she has quickly skyrocketed onto the global mainstage. On this project, Nina delivers big, festival-ready EDM beats coupled with nostalgic yet heartfelt lyrics about unfettered internet access. I Love My Computer is a fitting name for the album, considering Ninajirachi recently told NME, “it’s all computer music. In every interview, people ask ‘What gear do you use?’ And I’m like, nothing. I just use my laptop.” She was nominated for many awards at Australian music award shows last year, including her winning Breakthrough Producer of the Year at the MPEG Awards early this year. Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Ninajirachi live in February on her I Love My Computer U.S. tour. Throughout the show, she commanded the energy of the crowd from behind her DJ deck. I 100% recommend that you go to one of her shows if you get a chance! My favorite song she performed was “iPod Touch,” an upbeat electropop single about discovering new music on your janky, middle school iPod Touch covered with a Pikachu phone case. Without a doubt, Ninajirachi is leading a new wave of EDM for the girls, the gays, and the chronically online, and I’m ready for it.
5. Underscores
Underscores is a quickly up-and-coming figure in electronic music despite having three albums under her belt already. At age 13, Underscores started releasing self-produced dubstep tracks on SoundCloud. Now 25, she recently released her third full-length album, U. U is more stripped back from her previous albums Fishmonger and Wallsocket, yet it’s still incredibly catchy and danceable, incorporating EDM, dubstep, and hyperpop genres into its tracklist. She compared the production of U with her previous projects in an interview with NME: “I’m a very maximalist producer, and it’s a mechanism of mine when I don’t know what to do: I’ll just overproduce it. With this album, I wanted to create patches and sounds that I could play and be expressive with on my MIDI keyboard.” Underscores is certainly reinventing her sound and image with this new record. She is moving away from the maximalist production style, similar to her collaborators Jane Remover and 100 gecs, and towards a straightforward yet charismatic electronic pop sound.
6. Sudan Archives
Sudan Archives is always innovating and moving at her own pace. The BPM, her third full-length album released in fall 2025, is her first deep dive into a loud, punchy, club-inspired EDM sound. Inspired by her parents from Michigan and Illinois, respectively, she created the sound of the project around Detroit and Chicago club music, also incorporating Jersey club. Sudan Archives also used a MIDI violin in her production of the project, an instrument that can be plugged into a synth to create some of the sounds used in The BPM. The production of this project was certainly an experiment for Sudan Archives, obtaining the assistance of her close friends, sister, and cousin. With their help, she creates a dance-ready powerhouse of a record that “explores themes of mental illness, self-love, technology, romance and heartbreak,” according to Sudan Archives in a press release for the album. Sudan Archives is one of the most uniquely talented storytellers and artists making electronic music right now.
7. Neggy Gemmy
Neggy Gemmy, formerly known as Negative Gemini, is a producer and singer who I believe deserves much more hype around her name. As someone who is obsessed with anything dreamy and ethereal, Neggy Gemmy instantly stood out to me as an artist. In June 2025, she released the most recent album, She Comes from Nowhere. She builds dreamlike soundscapes that complement her breathy vocals. The project creates a 90s-inspired sound while combining genres such as electronic pop, dream pop, psychedelic, and even dipping into trip-hop. Neggy Gemmy described the process of creating the album to LADYGUNN: “I have a bunch that was ripped from old sample CDs from the 90s. So I like to start by getting my hands on old weird stuff. Then I like to click through old drum samples or presets on synthesizers, or samples, until I find something I like… I usually just keep adding layers to a song instrumentally, and if it goes somewhere, I will add lyrics.” This project is certainly a treat to listen to all the way through, and made me wish I had discovered her sooner.
8. The Deep
In the oftentimes rigid South Korean music scene, The Deep is trailblazing her own aesthetic. The Deep is one of the most unique figures in South Korean music, employing a swaggy, Y2K party girl look and a sound to match. Her latest project, KPOP B!TCH, is her first full-length album released after years of primarily releasing singles and EPs. Despite the title, KPOP B!TCH is the antithesis of everything you know about the K-Pop industry. In an interview with Dazed, The Deep explains, “K-pop is very polished, it’s perfectionism in a way, and I’m very DIY. I design a lot of my stuff, come up with all of my creative directions, do a lot of mixing, and edit and shoot my videos.” This project draws inspiration from bubblegum bass artists such as Hannah Diamond and nostalgic electropop stars like Kesha. The Deep even collaborates with the up-and-coming EDM DJ duo Frost Children on the title track. KPOP B!TCH is an entirely unapologetic project that evokes images of light-up dancefloors in the club, sparkly pink flip phones, and backwards snapback hats in neon colors. If you’re a fan of rhinestones, cheetah print, Y2K style, and the hyperpop sound like me, The Deep may be right up your alley.