Why are there so few female Djs and producers?

nick · Post by **nick** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 12:42 pm

I was talking with a friend about this last night. Why are there so few female DJs and producers? If you go to a lot of nights, there is a fairly equal split between men and women. Maybe some of the harder stuff attracts more men (like last Wednesday's Therapy sessions at Herbal), but its not like Dubstep/Dub/Drum and Bass is totally unliked by the chicks.

Also, there is a pretty much 50:50 split of musicalility between men and women. Even so, chicks seem a lot less inclined to spend the time producing a load of really crap tunes whilst they are learning - I only know one girl who's even tried to produce, and loads of my friends produce and DJ.

DJing is the same - my girlfriend will barely even touch my decks! I've tried to encourage her to have a go, but its like she's scared of it. Admittedly she's not very musical, but a lack of apparent musical talent doesn't stop a lot of the guys that I know from having a crack at it.

So what is it? Is it that ladies are intimidated by DJing and producing, which is seen as being totally male dominated? If so, what can we do about it - should we do anything about it? It seems strange that something like producing, that you can do sat at home, without ever having to talk to anyone, should attract a more mixed following. Are chicks just too bussy doing other stuff? Maybe some of them are, but that is a massive generalisation.

What I'm getting at, is that something strange is going on. Can anyone shed any light on the situation? Are there any girls out there?

Nick

8bitwonder · Post by **8bitwonder** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 12:50 pm

i know a few dub girl dj's-

but i only know of two producers

at dances tho theres always bare girls!

be nice to have a girl on the scene

paulie · Post by **paulie** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:53 pm

Maybe women just know they're not very good at music so they don't try.

superego · Post by **superego** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:28 pm

because dealing with all the loser groupies and stalkers suck

boomnoise · Post by **boomnoise** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:33 pm

Paulie wrote:Maybe women just know they're not very good at music so they don't try.

oi oi Mr Polemical!

deepsix · Post by **deepsix** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:35 pm

It'd be an interesting socialogical study.

But I think Paul's right.

jk

Really, there's very few women DJs and producers in general in any underground music movement. I can count them on one hand and maybe one foot for most genres of "electronica" (if you disallow for singer/songwriters/vocalists/MCs - and even there, there's more male MCs than female MCs).

intoccabile · Post by **intoccabile** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 11:45 pm

Most women I know will choose financial security ( they will not consider working less to find time to produce or dj, etc. ) over a time and money consuming hobby - which could possibly become a vocation.

collision · Post by **collision** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 5:19 am

Paulie wrote:Maybe women just know they're not very good at music so they don't try.

that is silly, sir. something so broad as music? how could anyone say that?
it is bewildering, the ignorance of this statement.
as a female producer, i highly resent that...
though i would be nowhere quick without my tech.

kozee · Post by **kozee** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:02 pm

BOY O BOY..........

mmmmmmmmmm yea I actually know ALOT of Femme DJ's out here in the states, not really sure about UK femme dj's but I've seen a few on myspace.

I know i've said this b4 in another fourm BUT i'll say again.... I love music more than anything in life, it's my number one priority, I dj because I want to make others feel how I feel about it, the feeling I get from dj and preforming is AMAZING and no one will ever stop me or distract me fom my path in life.

and the reason I say that is becos I don't think alot of men really understand how intimidating it can be to be a femme dj in sch a male dominated industury!!!!!! First alot of men(who are my friends) have told me "well it should be easy cos your attractive" and that's bs, sorry but i don't think looks will cut it... at alll. And also another problem I've been having is I've been metting alot of managers and promoters that ALL HAVE MOTIVES about booking or wanting to manage me.... Sorry but men do not have to sleep with ppl to get large do they? it realllllllly hurts my feelings alot!
And with production I have worked on a couple tunes (and I got mad ideas for tunes all the time ) but i don't wanna spread myself thin atm so i just concentrate on djing....

OMG, that was alot of info but I think u need to know some of the hurrdles women need to jump to be involved in the industry, ju no?

subeena · Post by **subeena** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 6:38 pm

well, i'm not far enough with my music, but being a girl i personally think that there's often this clichèe of "it's a many thing", so many girls just leave it to the boyfriends...there are girls doing some nice stuff tho, and also many guys enjoying it, i noticed it on the few things i made too -like sets or tracks-...i don't want to be feminist or so, but i still think it has a lot to do with the concept of the girl a big part of the population has.

subeena · Post by **subeena** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 8:31 pm

ps... and phrases like "Maybe women just know they're not very good at music so they don't try." are a statement of it...many women don't try or stay home without pushing their work because of people making them feel that way. it's not the main reason, not even an excuse but it surely gives its contribution

misskatiemo · Post by **misskatiemo** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:01 pm

kozee wrote:BOY O BOY..........

mmmmmmmmmm yea I actually know ALOT of Femme DJ's out here in the states, not really sure about UK femme dj's but I've seen a few on myspace.

I know i've said this b4 in another fourm BUT i'll say again.... I love music more than anything in life, it's my number one priority, I dj because I want to make others feel how I feel about it, the feeling I get from dj and preforming is AMAZING and no one will ever stop me or distract me fom my path in life.

and the reason I say that is becos I don't think alot of men really understand how intimidating it can be to be a femme dj in sch a male dominated industury!!!!!! First alot of men(who are my friends) have told me "well it should be easy cos your attractive" and that's bs, sorry but i don't think looks will cut it... at alll. And also another problem I've been having is I've been metting alot of managers and promoters that ALL HAVE MOTIVES about booking or wanting to manage me.... Sorry but men do not have to sleep with ppl to get large do they? it realllllllly hurts my feelings alot!
And with production I have worked on a couple tunes (and I got mad ideas for tunes all the time ) but i don't wanna spread myself thin atm so i just concentrate on djing....

OMG, that was alot of info but I think u need to know some of the hurrdles women need to jump to be involved in the industry, ju no?

Kozee girl I fucking feel you - I played dnb out for a bit in NC, but fuck getting booked because they want a girl, not becuase i'm talented - or having to fucking prove myself more than any guy would ever have to becuase I'm a girl - I've heard this sentiment from a lot of girls who play (but don't play out) that they're just sick of having to either a) prove that they're NOT getting booked becuase theyr'e a girl but they're actually good or b) deal with comments like "shes good, for a girl" all the time.

srsly - we love the music just as much as any man and are just as talented as any man, I think focusing on the male/female aspect of it puts a lot of girls off to DJ'ing or producing. I want to be booked becuase i'm GOOD, not becuase of my gender. As long as that happens, i'm fucking cool with it.

8bitwonder · Post by **8bitwonder** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:10 pm

innit katie!

subeena · Post by **subeena** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:13 pm

...ive also heard many times "shes good, for a girl" on the one side it really really makes me nervous but on the other side i started to think it's not really worth wasting time and nerves on getting angry (its hard tho, mostly when you want people to understand you really believe and like what you're doing)...it's like this, many times when you're a girl you have to do the double of what a man needs to do to get the same -or close- "results". but when it works, then it's great...

misskatiemo · Post by **misskatiemo** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 10:50 pm

subeena wrote:...ive also heard many times "shes good, for a girl" on the one side it really really makes me nervous but on the other side i started to think it's not really worth wasting time and nerves on getting angry (its hard tho, mostly when you want people to understand you really believe and like what you're doing)...it's like this, many times when you're a girl you have to do the double of what a man needs to do to get the same -or close- "results". but when it works, then it's great...

I can see where its pointless to be angry but also how its hard not to, I just think it's stupid that gender has to be involved at all, no matter how I react to it (hell, call me an idealist).

subeena · Post by **subeena** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:32 am

yea misskatiemo i see, i know what you mean with this gender thing...but i also noticed that in many cases, and i'm sad to say it being a girl, it depends on some of the girls. with this i don't want to judge, say who is better and who is worse, but i think there's many girls who (for many different reasons) don't care about developing any skill and being considered for that, so they just give many men the chance to keep having a certain kind of attitude...

i thought that in "underground" music scenes, it would be a bit different tho..however as i said, people are luckily different, and i also met a few guys who appreciate having girls doing stuff -not just to try to pick them up.

back to the female-producers topic, i tried to show some friends of mine a few softwares, and some of them got really into it...i still think that until a "female-scene" grows, girls who feel ready with their music and push it, would probabily motivate many other ones to start producing / or playing.

luke.envoy · Post by **luke.envoy** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:51 am

http://www.myspace.com/tonian1

reality check and minor atoms r dirt, bigup tonian

marsyas · Post by **marsyas** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 2:58 am

pretty sure NOYEAHNO is female....some big beats there.

if i am wrong i appologize...about being female, big beats still.

8bitwonder · Post by **8bitwonder** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:26 am

yes luke big tunes on there!

spaceboy · Post by **spaceboy** » Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:39 am

i think more men should wear skirts when they dj

Why are there so few female Djs and producers?

Why are there so few female Djs and producers?

Who is online