"Walk into every set with the confidence of a straight white male": The women breaking gender barriers in the underground DJ industry
What can we do to accelerate change in a music industry that’s lacking in gender diversity?
Gender imbalance in the music industry has improved over the last decade, with women heavily influencing the scene. Over 30% of female artists landed a spot in Billboard’s Top 100 Artists in 2023. At a time of greater diversity for marginalised genders, we’re seeing higher-ranked female artists, successful fair-pay pledges and more diverse line-ups.
The DJ industry, however, is still male-dominated, and the increase in female, transgender, and non-binary people in the underground scene specifically is lacking.
The number of female DJs in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs has decreased from 15 in 2022 to just 12 in 2023. Results from the world's biggest poll in the DJ industry, ranked by 1.3 million readers, represent the struggles faced by marginalised genders in the scene.
Even though Peggy Gou is celebrated at No.9, as the first female in the Top 10, there has only been a 1% increase of marginalised genders in the public vote since 2020.
The fundamental issue is that marginalised genders are struggling to break into the mainstream, making it even harder for underground DJs. Findings from the most recent August 2022 JAGUAR report have proven this, 5% of dance music in the UK charts has exclusively women and non-binary people as primary artists.
“Ultimately, music is healing. It brings people together, makes you feel things and contemplate stuff, uplifts your mood, and allows you to stomp out your anger at a rave till 5 am. To exclude half of the population from being able to do or facilitate that is crazy.”
The establishment of grassroots organisations and representative gender collectives have given gender minorities a louder voice in the industry. Marginalised genders are breaking barriers in the underground by pledging for fair pay, diverse line-ups, and safer clubbing environments.
Still, the tokenistic diversity initiatives introduced by institutions and promoters aren't enough to provide gender minorities trying to break into the underground industry with better opportunities.
European domination of the industry by white-male DJs harmed gender representation in the industry and the clubbing scene.
Both House and Techno DJs, originating from marginalised groups in Detroit and Chicago, fell victim to the European influence over the industry. Stereo-typical dominated line-ups subsequently mirrored its crowds which made gender minorities feel less welcome around the music they curated.
“I’m 43, in the 90s women DJs weren’t a thing, it was something not really on our radar.”
An industry which began as a safe space for marginalised groups to express themselves, became something extra they were excluded from.
MellyD was inspired to create the Sheffield-based community ‘G.Spot’ to provide a beginner DJ platform for marginalised genders, allow others to experience playing at all-female events and show love for women DJs.
Speaking on the creation of G.Spot, “I don’t want to exclude anybody, but I want girls to know that they can come along and go and see some women DJs because it doesn’t happen very often and it's a totally different feel”.
Holly 1-10 founded the DJ community Selextorhood in January 2019 to change male-heavy line-ups in Birmingham. Selextorhood’s first open decks received immense support with sell-outs on Skiddle and from promoters as it grew, in her pledge for better representation in the underground scene. It can be difficult to differentiate, however, whether promoters are booking these groups because of their talent or it’s just another tokenistic diversity initiative.
Speaking on the response to Selextorhood Holly 1-10 explains, “I think it's important that we are not tokenised and we want to make sure you are booking us for the right reason. It was hard finding the balance- tokenism is working in our favour for the time being and is helping us complete our mission so we thought let's roll with it but also be aware of how it feels”.
Liverpool's originating female group, Girls Don’t Sync, has inspired underground female collectives like 'GirlsLuv2Groove' to grow across the UK. Student DJs, Kirat and Millie, set up the Exeter-based collective ‘GL2G’ in February 2023 to celebrate female and non-binary DJs in the South West and have received support from promoters lacking inclusive line-ups.
‘‘I was going to say I could count on one hand the girl DJs I see on a line-up, most of the time it is merely one."
Having collectives urging for more diverse line-ups and providing support means marginalised genders recognise there’s a door into the underground industry and feel welcome to attend events.
Resident DJs from marginalised genders, also rely on grassroots organisations such as community radios to gain publicity in the underground industry. Both ‘Voices’ in London and ‘Mondo’ in Sheffield aim to address the underrepresentation of marginalised communities in the scene.
Jess Hands, Resident DJ for both stations faces extra prejudice being a trans-women and explains that “Sadly sometimes you have to be doing well to break down barriers”.
“The community radios are the ones that are driving diversity because a lot of the bigger stations are still predominantly male-led. Voices have been really good at giving everybody opportunity and space.”
Community stations like Voices and Mondo providing sets for marginalised genders, allow their music to be brought to the forefront of the underground scene and subsequently get recognised by promoters.
Mainstream and underground DJs from marginalised genders additionally experience sexual harassment and prejudice at events.
“I’ve had it before when I’ve been asked if I’m some DJ’s girlfriend- no I’m the DJ myself that's why I’m stood back here.”
Safety at underground events is already a predominant issue surrounding club culture, women feel they have to take extra precautions when both playing and attending male-dominated events.
“There are a lot of extra anxieties for women, trans women, and queer people, of men and they don’t even have to say much. Sometimes it's just their presence it is quite off-putting and intimidating at times.”
According to the 2022 JAGUAR report in a recent MIDiA study, ‘two-thirds of female creators identified sexual harassment or objectification as a key challenge’ in the DJ industry.
Added anxieties of travelling to and from a venue at night, ensuring drinks aren’t spiked and the fear of being sexually harassed, prove why trying to break into the industry can also be off-putting for gender minorities.
“This must be devastating for any young woman wanting to do this. When you get comments like it's a shame you don’t have your tits out because you’re really good at mixing I’m like imagine if you had said that to somebody who is 20 years old.”
This problem arises from sexism, the female image and the male gaze. The way wider society still views women reflects how they’re treated in the underground industry.
“Mixtress gave me a piece of advice and said walk into every set with the confidence a straight white male has- it works.”
MellyD
MellyD
GirlsLuv2Groove
GirlsLuv2Groove
MellyD
MellyD
UoS DJ Society
UoS DJ Society
“I think we should also not have in the past given guys a hard time. They have a tough time in the society that has been constructed for them and how they’re perceived, we have got a lot of work to do, but we are going in the right direction in the UK.”
To tackle the lack of gender diversity in the underground DJ industry, promoters need to make line-ups more diverse and artists' liaisons need to collaborate with collectives to create safer spaces.
“Pay needs to be transparent, artist liaisons and promoters need to work closer with people who are pushing diversity and just open their minds.”
Concerning tokenistic line-ups, Sheffield-based DJ, Kirsty Tonner said, “You don’t want to be the token girl, to be the token girl. You want to be put on line-ups and get your gigs through actually being a good DJ”.
“There’s work to be done around how women feel playing at gigs. We have to think of things completely different to men.”
Women, trans-women and non-binary people need to land higher-up working roles in the industry as promoters and artist liaisons. Listeners need to support diverse DJs by voting for more marginalised genders influencing the mainstream industry and raising awareness of issues with line-ups and safe spaces in the underground industry.
Change can only be accelerated once more voices are heard. It’s in our power to initiate positive change for gender minorities in the underground.
