Is DJing Still a Boys club?
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Although gender equality in DJing has come far in the last decade, it is still not easy for women in this industry. We can see from festival and club line-ups alone that dance music is a heavily male-dominated industry. But what do the female producers think?
Mystikle Blue, a UK-based female producer most famous for DJing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, says that her experience as a female DJ has been “a roller coaster ride”. Mystikle explained that there are many barriers she faces as a woman in EDM, such as objectification, sexualisation, as well as dealing with the fact that she is often not taken as seriously as her male counterparts. This sentiment was echoed by fellow female DJ Jan Holloway, who has been spinning decks since 2006. She said: “Common issues for me include men in DJ groups I was organising expecting the peak time slots regardless of their skill, men giving me advice on how to play, and even sometimes fiddling with the mixer as I am playing.” However, in recent years, most of these issues have reduced. Jan also revealed that she has previously been sexually assaulted whilst playing. Unfortunately, this is not a shocking discovery.
Former Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac raised awareness for this issue, arguing that the music industry—and dance music in particular—is a “boys club”.
“There’s a tidal wave of sexual abuse cases in the music industry. The system is rigged against women.”
In terms of trying to fix this problem, the 45-year-old producer said that there needs to be more women in charge of promoting, festival line-ups, and record labels, as they will not only help to protect these vulnerable women but will also help them thrive.
Mystikle Blue said that there are so many things that need to change to solve this diversity issue. She said: “There need to be safe places for women to learn their skills.” Sam Divine, the host of legendary label Defected’s radio show, wants to create a better space for women in the DJing scene. Divine told The Standard: “There’s a lot of female DJs bubbling, but we live in a man’s world, and that’s probably never going to change.”
Divine further explained that she wants to go back to her roots, putting on all-female line-ups.
“Girls deserve the credit—they’re wicked DJs; they’re hungry for it.”
In the last five months, awareness of these issues has continued to grow, with more high-profile festivals featuring all-female or gender-balanced line-ups. However, there is still a long way to go before true equality is achieved in this space.
