Girl power: celebrating female DJs [Magazine Editorial]

To put it bluntly: the electronic dance world is a male dominated industry just like most other sections of the music world, and industries in general. If you look at any festival line-up poster, chances are you will see more male DJ names than female DJ names and the difference in these numbers is huge. It’s not that every DJ on the line-up doesn’t deserve their spot – which they definitely do – it’s more to do with the fact that female talent is lacking at these events in a big way, and there’s a lot of people that don’t focus on female talent as much. There are many female artists that have paved the way for many young talents in the electronic world, and we want to highlight the talents
of some of those artists and celebrate girl power.

By far, the electronic dance music scene is super inclusive of all genders, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still shine an extra light on the female talents that we’re all lucky to have in our scene and be surrounded by. There’s definitely been an increase of female talent appearing more and more on line-ups, but we still have a way to go before we gain total equality between males and females. Things such as the Australian Women in Music Awards are taking incredible steps forward to bridge the massive gap between genders in the music scene as a whole, and they not only focus on the music itself but also journalism, graphic design, photography and a lot more.
Something that we need to see more of, change is happening but it needs to happen a lot faster.

It’s a fact that a lot of females in the industry have felt the need to prove themselves and push harder to be taken more seriously, and it’s an experience that quite a few have shared. Manumission co-founder and creative director Claire McKay spoke to Egg (a London-based club) and said this: “There is no doubt that this is a male-oriented industry. As a woman, you will need to prove your worth, stand your ground and bring something to the table that is uniquely you. Do not be afraid of your femininity, the balance it brings is a necessity. Be strong, mentally and physically, but embrace your creativity, draw from your emotions and your experiences – good & bad.”.

Image Credit: Rukes.com