| The party flyer that first made me think about women's place in the rave scene featured a dominatrix, clad in leather and shackled in chains. It was two years ago, and the flyer was advertising Phryl's Discipline party, in New York City. The party was to have something I had never seen before: a section reserved for female djs - in this case, Misstress Barbara, Space Girl and The Punisher. |
| I first became involved in the rave scene because I liked its emphasis on respect for all. Here, finally, was a scene that not only tolerated, but rewarded, diversity. People we allowed to be different. You could wear furry pants - or no pants - and still you would be accepted and treated equally by all. Eventually, though, I noticed a flaw in the rave scene's ideology of unity and respect. |
| The Phryl flyer, with its picture of a woman in chains, was a classic example of the flaw. The way it portrayed woman made me so angry. In my four years in the party scene I have seen too many flyers that negatively portray women's place in the scene. Why do I always see and hear degrading messages for women? Flyer after flyer featuring pictures of pretty cracked-out girls. Booty tracks talking about slapping around bitches. Some people seem not to realize that women are capable of doing great things - like promoting events and DJing. |
| Why are they so few female DJs? Take a look at any rave flyer, or watch the lineups at any regular club night. Although the electronic music scene attracts roughly equal numbers of men and women, male DJs outnumber female DJs almost 40 to one. Why? Does a culture that preaches peace, love, unity and respect discriminate again women? Is the rave community immersed in patriarchy, just like the rest of society? |
| When I interview male djs I often go with them to parties after the interviews. Sometimes I get the strange sensation that people think I'm a dj ho. People always seem to be coming up to me and asking if I am some out-of-town Djs girlfriend. Aren't there any other positions, besides DJ ho for women in the scene? Why do so many people assume because I'm a young woman and know some djs that I'm dating them? |
| Some women do successfully hold many different positions in the dance music community. The women of techno do it all - they DJ, produce, promote, write. They hold health-related hard-reduction positions. The book other djs. Women increasingly are filling positions in the dance music industry, but we're still greatly outnumbered by men. |
| I'm in my last year at a downtown Torontohighschool, and as part of a school co-op project I have worked for the past 6 months on a 'zine called the Women of Techno Project. My objective? I wanted answers. I wanted to learn about some of the talented females in our scene. - Not only their careers, but also how they got started, and what inspired them. And I wanted to find out what they thought of the striking gender gap behind the decks. Many key industry players who are female took the time to answer my questions and to tell me about their careers. (the complete list is below). |
| Dj Terra, Nancy Kyd, Lauren Flax, Dj Emily, Nneka @ Allworld Entertainment, Beverly May @ Xlr8r and Transendance, Joy @ Champion Sound Management, Dj Colette, Monika Kruse, Misstress Barbara, Lady D, Sharon Kavanaugh @ Much Music - Electric Circus, Dj Magda, Sandy Watters, The Punisher, Dj Maus, DJ Elektra, Kim Stanford, and Laura Renaldo @ JeLo Multimedia. |
| Many of the women I interviewed about their careers had interesting introductions to the music industry that they still remember, even after years in the business. |
| For some their beginning was dramatic, "I stumbled upon a scene in Detroit that was so alive with a positive energy that it was a very exciting experience for me," says the Punisher, a Detroit-based DJ remembering her first introduction to techno music. "I was learning more about myself, opening up and realizing what I wanted to do with my life. It was a very important time of growth in my life." |
| "I was 17 the first time I heard house music," says Dj Emily, a great house dj from New York City. "It was at the Tunnel here in NYC, which was also my first club experience. I think it was You Used to Hold Me, in between Eric B. and Rakim and New Order." The first time that Detroit?s Magda spun was at a loft party. She says, "I was supposed to play in the small room at 10 PM, but I ended up getting moved to the main room at the 1 AM. I was so nervous that I had to do a couple whiskey shots to calm down and still proceeded to completely wreck the first three mixes" |
| Many of the Djs I interviewed have been involved in other areas of the DJ industry besides spinning records. Still, all of them remember how they first started. Kim Stanford has been involved with the Toronto Raver Info Project, IDance, and the Party People Project, and she was chair of the Toronto Dance Safety Committee. She says, "There were a couple of guys who were experimenting with taking a health booth out to raves, and I volunteered to help them out." Coming from a small town in BC, Kim remembers going to Native ceremonies, so the idea of dancing all night into an altered state of consciousness made perfect sense. |
| Booking agent and partner in Allworld Entertainment based in Toronto, NnekaGryffyn first became involved in the Toronto dance music industry when she was attending university. She was a full-time student and worked weekends doing coat check at the long-running and influential Toronto nightclub, Industry. |
| "I was able to gain experience booking talent into the club, or preparing contracts, etc." Nneka remembers. "At the time Jennstar was doing guest list there and it seemed like a fun job. You could meet a lot of interesting people and still party while working." Eventually Nneka became guest list girl, which entailed dealing with patrons on the guest list, coordinating VIPs at the door and making sure that they were ushered in right away. She says, "During my last year or two at industry, before it closed in August 2000, I began working as a booking agent as an assistant. I worked hard to learn the ins and outs of the music industry I enjoyed, as I still do, working with both DJs and Producers." |
| Sharon Kavanaugh, the producer for Much Music's Electric Circus dance show had to work her way to one of the top positions in the nation's music television station. "I was in high school in the late '70's and early '80's. I grew up with disco music and was a roller rink regular! I always loved dance music but never thought I'd work in the business in any way. In the '80's my passion turned to house music. I was actually a field camera person and production assistant on various shows, when Electric Circus started. I offered to shoot their field stories for them. Since I loved the music so much I would often bring them records for the background music. Eventually as the producer became more involved with other things, I became associate producer. When the producer eventually left to pursue a video directing career I thankfully became producer." |
| Women in the dance music industry are a diverse group, so it didn't surprise me that they had very different things to say about gender issues. Many wish they could change the media and its portrayal of female djs. They often resent being singled out as female djs. I asked them about their personal experiences with the press, and what they think of the current media coverage on female djs. |
| "I think you should get media exposure only when you've done something like albums, records, events, whatever - not only because you are a woman!" Says Misstress Barbara, the Montreal techno DJ. "That is why we don't see many women in media, because most of them don?t do anything else than DJing, and now-a-days, DJing is not enough to become exposed worldwide. You need more, you need to produce music!" |
| Other women I interviewed thought that women are represented in the media but not accurately. Dj Magda, The Punisher, DJ Terra, Dj Maus, Nancy Kyd, and Beverly May all agree that there is some degree of sexism behind the media coverage that female djs get. They feel that female Djs get media coverage for the wrong reasons - because of their appearance, and because female djs are a novely. "My experience has been that people are truly fascinated with the idea that a girl can actually spin records," says Dj Magda. |
| Women in the industry are tired of being referred to as female artists, and would rather be considered as artists. As for the lack of coverage on female djs, the Punisher says, "If men in the scene seem to be represented by the media more than women, it is simply because the industry is over-saturated with men. If the magazine is good, then the focus will be on what's important - good music." |
| Dj Maus suggested one way to stop the female dj from being a novelty - people should stop paying attention to gender. "If we want society to stop focusing on our gender then we have to stop focusing on it! Let's just talk about the artist, no the female dj, let's talk about the music, not female music. Music has to gender anyway." |
| DJ Maus is not the only woman with a constructive and optimistic approach to the problem. Former TRIP head, Sandy Watters believes, "The rave and techno communities have bent some gender rules, but it's still predominantly guys running the show. Right now though, we have more women getting into gear, production and the art of Djing. To get support and respect in this scene we all have to show people we deserve it and I think there are so many women in communities that are doing awesome things and getting credit for it." |
| Although some of these women are respected individuals in the industry, many would rather not discuss gender politics. Still gender barriers continue to exist for women in the industry - not only in media, but in practice too. |
| Dj Terra believes that much remains to be done to fix the media coverage of female DJs, "I think it's unfortunate that a female DJ's image is so often used to appeal to male consumers." She says, "This practice of using sex to sell is obviously common in all areas of marketing and media, but it does undermine what women in the industry are trying to accomplish." Still Terra believes that the issue is slowly getting better, and that more women are becoming involved in the scene. |
| "You know I really get irritated every time I read articles that bill female djs and artists as divas or queens", says dj Emily. "I really think that the press is the biggest culprit for perpetuating gender politics" |
| Most of the women I interviewed wanted to read an article about a female djs just doing her thing. The message? All of the women want to hear about someone who is talented and controversial, not just another Britney Spears. |
| "A woman's look shouldn't have anything to do with how one gets booked" says Lauren Flax, a jungle DJ and producer from Detroit. "I've seen a few very famous Djs who can't match a beat for the life of them, but because they are hot, they have quite the draw. I don't know many guy DJs who get booked for wearing a money suit and a cowboy hat and waitress outfit, and be booked because someone thinks I?m hot. I can at least make them laugh while they boogie, yunno?" |
| "There are things that other male promoters, even my ex-partners, have done that I could never do as a woman and get away with", says Beverly May, formerly of Toronto and now a writer in New York City, discussing the extra challenges and double standards women in the industry must deal with. "A lot, if not most, male Djs and male club promoters/owners see women and sexual favours as perks of the job and the industry. I can't tell you how many djs, and promoters involved in the scene are regulars at the Brass Rail for example. For example the Toronto CD compilations Tits and Ass, kind of summarizes this mentality. As a woman you have to fight that kind of mentality. It's party of the industry and that's a fact." |
| But obviously, the opinions of the women of techno go unheard in media and the men within their communities. I asked Kim Stanford whether women in Toronto get sufficient support and respect. "Nope", she says immediately. "Flat out. Of course it's not one hundred percent the case, but I see how women in the visible and powerful positions get undermined in this scene, by men and women both. I've been to some pretty interesting meetings myself, with male promoters sitting around a table, not letting me speak, joking about porn with the intent of making me uncomfortable (only it doesn't work, I'm not actually against porn!)" |
| After hearing the opinions of the women of techno, I believe that sexism does exist in the electronic music community. Over the past year I have come to believe that the personal is political. All of the Djs and industry women I interviewed have shared not only information about their careers and goals for the future in this male-dominated industry, but also their personal reality as women within it, and the way they react politically to sexism in our culture. |
| We need to change things. The media should place more emphasis on the careers of female djs - not only on their looks or the fact that they are female! Men within the scene and the Dj music industry need to know: women are gaining more, and more important positions in our scene. Men cannot blindly be sexist, or put degrading images on their flyers or cd covers, because women will not be into it - and that should be a big concern when over 50 per cent of your market might not be happy! |
| Beverly May believes there is rampant sexism in the electronic music scene. "Women are simply not respected on the same level in terms of culture, art, or business - and yes, certain women can try and transverse those boundaries and can excel, but just like any other discriminated group, women do have more hurdles to jump. The club bunny role most often relegated to women is very difficult to deal with." |
| She's right - so let's get rid of it! - |
 |
 |
 |
| 1999: What I learned from the Women of Techno Project |
| Originally printed in Neksis Magazine, and my 'zine. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |