Resistance or Reiteration? Rethinking Gender in DJ Cultures

Abstract

Many practices of contemporary DJ-driven electronic dance music derive from 1970s club scenes in the United States, which were welcoming spaces for people who otherwise encountered prejudice for their gender identities and sexual orientations. Through their prominence in dance music literature, these scenes, along with British rave culture, have come to represent a broader conception of a global 'alternative dance music culture' that incorporates various communitarian ideologies-including non-discriminatory and nonpatriarchal gender relations. In this paper I offer a critique of such celebratory interpretations. First, I suggest that these scenes, often framed as formative of dance music cultures worldwide, are exceptional rather than typical, and that their politics have been projected onto other scenes. Second, I highlight how troubling gender discrimination is present even in 'alternative' settings where participants are more conscious of political and social issues, including gender. I illustrate these points through interviews in a number of countries with women DJs who describe numerous instances of gender-related prejudice, and through interviews with men, who articulate some of these prejudices. The interviews reveal a series of dimensions of the gendering of DJ-oriented dance cultures, and how they are suffused with problematic attitudes towards gender. My research therefore challenges the celebratory interpretations of many DJ music scenes.

Raver dan Hipster: Ekspresi Sub-Budaya Remaja di Kuala Lumpur (Rave and Hipster: A Sub-Culture Expression of Youths in Kuala Lumpur)

“…Deejay mengawal aliran muzik, mencetuskan kresendo iaitu paras dinamik yang semakin kuat dan memuncak, menimbulkan reaksi emosi dan aksi khalayak pendengar, menciptakan tenaga dan menyatukan semua penari menjadi satu komuniti melalui satu-satu muzik tertentu. Meskipun wujud kekaburan sumber bunyi tersebut, penari-penarinya berasa seronok kerana seolah-olah dapat 'mengalami' bunyi yang diproduksi secara elektronik (Gadir, 2016). Bahkan, kebanyakan lagu berunsurkan rave mempunyai sedikit atau tidak ada nyanyian vokal.…”

Tracking Gendered Streams

“…Here, the rock/ pop binary is arguably the most well-cited: scholars have problematized the ways in which pop is typically attributed feminine characteristics and a mainstream, commercial orientation, whereas rock music is seen as masculine, authentic and of higher value-thus reproducing the marginalization of women in rock (Railton 2001). Similarly, gender relations are played out and naturalized in relation to other genres, manifested for example in the the co-construction of white masculinity and indie rock (Bannister 2006), the devaluation of women and gay rappers (Jeffries 2011;Berggren 2013), and male dominance in DJ culture (Gadir 2016). Typically, such studies point to the interconnectedness of gender, race, class and sexuality in relation to different music styles.…”

“…For instance, it has been noted how recording studios, tour buses and guitar shops are constructed as masculine contexts (Bayton 2013;Leonard 2007) and how technological mastery is strongly associated with male expertise (Gavanas & Reitsamer 2013). As a consequence, female musicians are often designated as exceptions, thus normalizing the male performer (Leonard 2007;Gadir 2016).…”

Introduction to Women and Electronic Dance Music Culture

“…FutureMusic, a music technology production magazine, repeatedly has had women's body parts co-joined with gear and models in bikinis holding equipment on their covers. Concurrently, academic work began to focus more directly on women engaged with EDMC practices such as DJing and producing (Farrugia 2004;Farrugia & Swiss 2008;Rodgers 2010;Farrugia 2012;Olszanowski 2012;Rodgers 2010;Gadir 2016). Of concern have been the potential challenges that women may experience in music scenes and communities because of their sex and gender where the taken-for-granted notion is that knowledgeable men produce the culture/industry that less informed women may participate in.…”