SHREYA BOSE
Girls grabbing the console
Women in EDM
There ’ s plenty of material discussing how women have it harder within the light-and-shadow domes of EDM . For the longest time , it was hard to come by a female DJ , and while we might be seeing a welcome change in terms of girls handling the turntable , it is still not the norm . Latent misogyny is still annoyingly prevalent , as testified to by many of the most established women in the scene . In July , The Chicago Tribune ran an article entitled “ EDM is a big , lucrative world , but not for women DJs ” which mentioned “ only 9 percent of music on EDM labels is produced by females ”. This statistical disparity could be attributed to a lower level of interest among women when it comes to gearing up for electronic , but it ’ s a theory that comes with far too many holes .
Women have been spinning in the scene for a long time . Delia Derbyshire ( 1937 – 2001 ) was one of the greatest synthesisers of her time , and adapted a piece by Ron Grainer into the theme music for Doctor Who . Yes , THAT Doctor Who . Annie Nightingale , the first presenter on BBC Radio 1 DJs regularly and is called the “ Queen of Breaks ” because of her role in bringing breakbeats to the masses through her radio career . DJ Storm is the first lady of the British drum and bass label Metalheadz , which in 1996 the first volume of the Platinum Breakz series of compilations which went on to be constructed , by both critics and listeners alike , as generating a sound unique to a young , multiracial Britain .
On the other hand , women still have to deal with things akin to what female singer , songwriter and producer Grimes said once , “ I don ’ t think there are few female producers because women aren ’ t interested . It ’ s difficult for women to get in . It ’ s a pretty hostile environment .” Or what Australian female duo NERVO mentioned in an article on FLAVORWIRE : “ DJing is definitely male dominated . I think in a way it works for us , but sometimes it works against us . I don ’ t think our generation will see the day when there will be more female DJs than male DJs “. Pakistani-American duo Krewella told a Magazine : “ The electronic music industry can be daunting for women .” And the following happened to Annie Mac who won the Best Female award at the 2009 Drum & Bass Awards and whose compilation series has included dance music artists that ended up being hugely influential : “ I did an interview for a reputable dance music magazine in which the journalist asked me what it was like to be a mum and a DJ . Then he asked me what it was like to be pregnant and a DJ . Then he asked me about an outfit I wore to the Brits and asked me how I DJ in a dress and heels ? Finally he asked me for two music recommendations for 2015 . I recommended a female artist and a female DJ , so he asked was this me doing the ‘ supporting women ’ thing ? As far as I know ‘ DJ ’ is a genderless word . Yet I ’ ve been asked questions like this in every interview I ’ ve ever done .” ( as told by Annie Mac to FLAVORWIRE ). India ’ s first female DJ told www . radioandmusic . com in 2012 : “ Even after ten years of DJing , a male DJ ' s mistake is always overlooked but if a female DJ makes the same mistake , people talk . They are waiting for you to make a mistake . Lots of people told me to just flash my smile , body and everybody would look at it and not bother about your music . So it took a long time to make my mark and tell people that I am here to stay .” Given that these are women who are widely popular and earned numerous accolades , one has to stretch the imagination to wonder what it is that female amateurs and novices go through .
The causes behind this phenomenon aren ’ t really all that different from the cause behind
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