If their position in the blatantly male-dominated electronic music game has long been the matter of heated discussion, the problematic status of women in the industry is certainly nowhere near being case-closed and International Women’s Day is – although it should be a 24/7 ethos and strive – the moment to celebrate how much of a driving force women are.
Since electronic music is a thing, female artists have been at the core of it – and even more than just taking part, women have often been at the frontline, pushing back the limits of production and DJing as we’ve known them: from Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire to Eliane Radigue and Pauline Oliveros onto beloved contemporary figures like Helena Hauff, Lena Willikens, The Black Madonna, Sassy J, Beatrice Dillon, Violet, Nina Kraviz, Avalon Emerson, the whole Discwoman collective… the list is long.
On this special day for women all around the world – who will perhaps have, for some of them, the chance to experience a glimpse of the respect and recognition they often are deprived of on a daily basis, we thought it would be fair to highlight the feminine characters we’ve felt much lucky to feature in a way or another on Inverted Audio. Here’s a little retrospective.
Film: Sassy J
For the second edition of Dekmantel x Grolsch ‘Selectors’ 2016 film series we headed to Switzerland to hang out with Bern-based DJ and selector Sassy J with the aim of finding out more about her local surroundings, early years’ learning in a music-loving family and discover what makes her tick today.
Feature: Helena Hauff
Whilst we were at Sónar Festival 2015 we were fortunate enough to catch up with German DJ and producer Helena Hauff ahead of her performance later that evening at SónarCar. In the interview we discuss how Helena initially got into DJing and experimenting with music.
Visual: Matilda Skelton Mace
If you attended our audio-visual raves at Bussey Building with White Material’s co-founder ‘Young Male’ and L.I.E.S. Records affiliate 45 ACP, then you would have seen Matilda Skelton Mace’s anamorphic visuals in full effect.
The visuals are in fact light sculptures, hand crafted by London based visual artist Matilda Skelton Mace. We caught up with Matilda to discuss the evolution of her light sculptures and how she will be fitting them into the venue to connect the audience with the music, to create an all encompassing magnetic audiovisual experience.
Mix: Violet
If you were wondering how the Portuguese electronic music scene is going, look no further. Lisbon-based producer Violet, real name Inês Coutinho, is actively promoting Portuguese music through her transmission platform Rádio Quântica, which she co-founded alongside boyfriend and partner in crime Photonz.
In order to better understand Violet’s multi-faceted persona, we caught up to get further insight into her subtle craft, as she recorded a captivating mix that melds acid beats, swinging house and rugged techno, fully embodying her stamina behind the decks.
Mix: Olivia
Whether it be taking her cues from future shock, science fiction or distinct sounds from Detroit or the Dutch, Krakow-based Olivia makes a statement each time she steps up to the decks -whether it be in an abandoned power plant in Toronto or throwing down heaters in New York, she does it her way; time and time again.
Radio: Chloe Frieda
Last October Antepop invited London-based deejay and label owner Chloe Frieda down to the Balamii Radio studio in Peckham to share insight into her experimental record label Alien Jams.
Mix: Ursula
Ahead of our rave in Peckham back in November 2015 at Bussey Building with White Material’s co-founder Young Male, we published this mix from London-based DJ Ursula. Her full-throttle mix features music from Abdulla Rashim, Radial, Stenny, Kwartz, Paul Boex, Perc, Surgeon, Dax-J and many more.
Film: Rebecca Salvadori
Sticking to what we love to do, we commissioned London based visual artist Rebecca Salvadori to create a stunning video artwork to promote Inverted Audio’s audio visual rave on 5th February 2016 with Paris based producer and L.I.E.S. Records affiliate 45 ACP.
Rebecca Salvadori is no stranger to the realms of electronic music and visual art. Last year she produced alongside visual artist Sofia Mattioli a silent moving image film named ‘Continuum‘, enlisting Jamie xx, Four Tet, Koreless and Spanish experimentalist John Talabot to each write an original score inspired by each contiguous two-minute visual excursion.
Feature: Nancy Noise
With just a few days to go till the drop of Nancy Noise’s eagerly awaited debut solo EP on Beyond Paradise – the newborn sister label to Craig Christon’s Passport to Paradise, we caught up with Craig and Nancy to give you further insight in their exciting collaboration and how they laid out some exciting plans for the future.
Feature: Jenifa Mayanja
Operating out of Connecticut, on the northeastern side of the USA, Uganda-born Jenifa Mayanja has long remained in the shadow of her husband – deep house don and Underground Quality honcho DJ Jus-Ed, before blooming on an international level thanks to full-on dedication to her craft both as a DJ and producer and outstanding perseverance.
In our feature Mayanja shares her new effort ‘Orbit 02‘ on Bass Cadet Records, a lush example of Jenifa’s wide-lens approach, exploring a sound palette that ranges from Latin-inflected grooves to sleek synthetic tides onto African polyrhythms with equal aplomb. Fetch some coffee, put on your reading glasses and press play.
Feature: Anastasia Kristensen
Anastasia Kristensen is a burgeoning producer who is based in Copenhagen that has a keen sense of what’s going down in her city; no stranger to being surrounded by good music, Kristensen has been hard at work building up her own profile, with her most recent endeavours being a remix on BLD Tape Recordings and a track on Nous Disques’s upcoming compilation.
However, even while she’s busy cracking away at tracks, we at Inverted Audio needed a voice that was prevalent within the city of Copenhagen that could get us to ingratiate ourselves into the sonic culture that’s taking notice within the city. Kristensen took some time to give us a few artists to look out for, as well as some examples, down below.
Feature: Beatrice Dillon
A rather discreet figure in the industry, Beatrice Dillon has been shaping an impressive body of work over the years. Since gracing the grooves of Will Bankhead’s TTT with the mesmeric ‘Folkways II‘, a partially mixed journey in the archives of the Smithsonian Folkways collection, the London-born and based artist keeps pushing boundaries – be it by herself, through collaborative efforts along the likes of Rupert Clervaux and Karen Gwyer, or as a remixer for Helm’s benchmark ‘Olympic Mess‘ on Bill Kouligas’ PAN.
After her performance at the first iteration of the Cairo edition of Masafat Festival on 20th September 2016, we took the chance to find out more about what makes Beatrice tick, her creative process and composition methods.
Feature: Jane Fitz
We caught up with London based DJ and producer Jane Fitz to discuss her experience in running parties, most notably Peg and Night Moves. Jane also discusses her new role at Kristina Records and selects 10 tracks in this YouTube playlist.
Anastasia KristensenBeatrice DillonChloe FriedaHelena HauffJane FitzJenifa MayanjaMatilda Skelton MaceNancy NoiseOliviaRebecca SalvadoriSassy JUrsulaVioletElectronic