Although with a visible underground or bubbling-under-the-surface niche,
women remain out of the top ranks of EDM – unless Nervo or Krewella’s two
singers get another interview about just how hard it is being a woman in the
dance music world.
Occasionally, a major magazine or blog throws a bone with a “Sexiest Women in
EDM” list, but when Paris Hilton, these days, poses in a bikini behind her
pre-programmed equipment, an article like that is more insulting than helpful.
Rather than draw attention to a producer’s skills, it reduces her to another
“Hot or Not” category.
It’s no secret that, especially at the top festivals, women producers barely
have a presence. That’s part of the reason HARD’s Gary Richards decided to plan
a multiple-day festival in New York and
Los Angeles focused solely on female DJs and producers. With a major promoter realizing this, it shows there’s a glimmer of hope, and
in some senses that EDM is becoming a bit better – but still not an even playing
field yet – for women.
Getting Better
Richards’ decision may be the platform female producers and DJs need for
better exposure. “Why not have more women involved and have a spotlight shine on
them?” he explained. “I look at my artist page on people who’ve played HARD, and
it’s kind of dude-driven. I’d like to balance that out more. It’s important to
showcase more female talent in this space.”
On the other hand, we’ve still got to see what Richards comes up with – it could
very well end up being a great idea conceptually that goes bust in execution.
After all, even when you’ve got DJs like Nicole Moudaber making regular
appearances at Pacha NYC, CASSY doing sets over in Brooklyn, and others like
JES, Ellen Alien, Maya Jane Coles, and Nina Kravitz getting exposure, at least
90 percent of a major club’s lineup ends up being male DJs.
In a New York Times piece, Shawn Schwartz of record store Halcyon
explained he tried a similar concept in 2010, but found
he only had a small pool of talent to book. There could be a chance a similar
HARD event meets the same fate. Interviews and reputable lists like Resident Advisors’ round up now give a
nod to Coles, Moudaber, and Kravitz, and added to this, web series Turn the Tables shows what female DJs have to do in a
male-dominated field to get gigs and get ahead.
Still a Long Way to Go
Web series, interviews, and club nights aside, the past year showed just how
far female DJs and producers have to go to experience just a fraction of success
that someone like Calvin Harris, now the highest-paid DJ, receives.
It’s hard to forget Spinnin’ Records’ major PR misstep: that picture on Twitter with a CDJ looking like a
stove top. Even when backlash quickly ensued, however, Spinnin’ didn’t
apologize; rather, the top EDM label pulled out a classic gas-lighting trick:
we’re “just joking” and you’re overreacting. But, did Spinnin’ forget it has
Nervo on its roster?
But while Spinnin’ went with a clearly behind-the-times approach, articles
drawing attention to female DJs appear progressive – while actually being a
bunch of regressive garbage. The controversial XLR8R.com article involved
interviews with prominent dance music producers but then quickly degenerated
into the run-of-the-mill “girls can’t do math or science” argument. Or, in the
case of EDM, this has become along the lines of, “Because women are less
interested in machines (i.e.: all the gear and software needed for producing),
they turn to singing and pop song structures.”
So, you might think, with more women supposedly taking the vocalist route,
wouldn’t their pay be on par with what the producer receives? These days, unless
you’re a pop star collaborating with a top EDM producer, you’ll still be
shortchanged. In an expose focusing on lower-level dance music singers, The
Guardian pointed out that pay and recognition are rare – or might not
happen at all. Or, as C&C Music Factory and house group Black Box did to
singer Martha Wash in the early ‘90s, a vocalist appears on the recording but
isn’t credited, doesn’t appear in videos or performances, and ends up seeing
only a very small amount from her work.
Just like moving up in the workplace, mentorship becomes crucial for turning
into a major star. After all, Guetta’s collaborations helped make Afrojack and
Nicky Romero into semi-household names. And, if you’re a female DJ looking for
exposure, you’ve got few role models and mentors to help pull you up. That’s not
to say it can’t happen, however; after Carl Cox endorsed Moudaber in 2009, her
profile significantly rose, but unlike Afrojack moving up to the
festival-headliner status that Guetta has, her career is still limited to techno
stages and clubs.
Even then, as the Village Voice pointed out in a recent blog post,
women like Moudaber, Coles, and Kravitz contend with the notion that they only found this modicum of success for
simply being women. Or, on a more mainstream level, accusations of ghost
producing frequently get leveled at Nervo. But, while their act, really, ends up
being two hot blond girls behind a DJ booth, songwriting’s part of their
background. So, with Calvin Harris making money off a songwriting contract, and
thus boosting his musical credibility, why aren’t Nervo’s achievements given
similar weight in the same mainstream sphere?
There’s really no answer to the conundrum of “Why aren’t more women in EDM?”,
and remarks like Spinnin’ Records’ tweet and various “Hottest Female DJ” lists
don’t seem to give it any resolution – or convince women that DJing and
production are something they can do. Still, though, if a HARD event proves to a
success, there’s a chance – still a small one for now – that female producers
and DJs may just get that platform that eventually leads to better gigs and
similar recognition.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten