When It Comes to Electronic Dance Music, Where My Girls At?

In Woody Allen, media & movie goers again confront ambiguity SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016 37 CANNES: Indian Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai arrives on for the screening of the film “Ma Loute (Slack Bay)”at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on Friday. — AFP When it comes to electronic dance music, where my girls at? avid Guetta, Diplo, Avicii and Calvin Harris are hold- issue last month, featuring 25 male DJs on its cover and zero ing fast as the kings of the clubs, with women still a women. The British-based magazine’s 2015 Top 100 list of Drarity among popular electronic dance DJ-producers. DJs only included three female acts, with NERVO in the high- This weekend’s Electric Daisy Carnival in New York City - est position at No. 24 (the female duo Krewella was at 81 and the annual ultra-popular electronic dance music extravagan- Miss K8 at 94). za - features six women among the 80-plus performers. And “My guess is maybe there’s the thought that it’s more lest you think that number seems low: “I think that sounds challenging for women so less women go for it because like a higher than normal number,” said Miriam Nervo, one- maybe they’re intimidated by it,” said Pasquale Rotella, the half of the Australian EDM duo NERVO, which includes her CEO of Insomniac, which produces EDC festivals around the sister Olivia. world. “And I would hate for that to be the case. If that is, I’d Other festivals have featured one or two women, while love to help change that.” some don’t have any at all. But outside of DJ’ing, women In 2007, Tatiana Alvarez was so over being ignored that make up other parts of the dance music world. They appear she transformed and became DJ Musikillz, a male performer. as vocalists on most of the thumping tracks that have been She wore facial hair and loose clothing, hid her breasts and spun over and over for decades and they also work as song- booked more gigs as a man. Warner Bros. is turning her story writers as well as managers of top talent, such as Caroline into a movie. “There were prejudices toward women, defi- Prothero (Guetta), Amy Thomson (Swedish House Mafia) or nitely back then. It was a different industry, it was a different Stephanie LaFera (Kaskade). time,” said the Los Angeles-performer, who disguised herself Nervo, who also has had success as a songwriter with her as a man for a year. “It was definitely ‘cause I was a girl, ‘cause sister for acts like Kesha, Kylie Minogue and even co-penned I was a sexy girl.” Guetta’s breakout pop anthem, 2009’s “When Love Takes Writer and former Beatport editor Katie Bain said there Over,” said though on paper the EDM world looks like a boys’ may be a lack of female DJs because “women historically club, that’s not the case. “Our experience has really been so have not been as involved in STEM and computer engineer- positive from the boys,” Nervo said. ing and all of that stuff that one needs to know how to do in Other women have echoed her statement, including order to make electronic music. Women haven’t been as Nicole Moudaber, who is performing and hosting her own prevalent in those areas.” stage dubbed “MoodZONE” at Citi Field for EDC New York. “I Bain, who will moderate a panel at the EDMbiz never even thought about it; it never really crossed my Conference & Expo next month called “Beyond the Boys’ mind. I do what I do and I live in my own club in my own Club: What’s Next for Women in Dance Music,” said that as world, and I never had obstacles as such -never,” said the the topic of female DJs “has gotten more attention, I feel that performer, who was born in Nigeria to Lebanese parents. “It’s women are getting booked more.” really something that I haven’t experienced to be honest. At Moudaber encourages other women to grab the bulls by the end of the day the music that you make has no gender, the horns - like she’s done in her six-year career as a DJ and no color.” producer. “If women want to take to that path, it’s out there Nervo and Moudaber said they haven’t faced uphill bat- and it’s available. It’s down to the women to choose if they tles in EDM because they are women, unlike in other fields. want to or not. It’s not easy job and it’s not cut out for every- But the lack of women DJs has been a part of the EDM con- body,” she said. — AP versation for the last year. It reached a new height when DJ Magazine - the definitive source for news and info on DJs, NEW YORK: Australian EDM duo Miriam Nervo, left, and Olivia Nervo arrive at the 2013 MTV Video Music dance music and its culture - released its 25th anniversary Awards.—AP.

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