Drum and Bass think-tank

Heck yes!

Got my issues sorted out with blogger. Sometimes I think I have too many accounts in too many places, I can't keep track of them all.

Double shifting at reception today.. It's awfully quiet. I'm trying to think of things to do today to keep myself occupied.

This weekend was incredibly satisfying. I hosted a drum and bass session at my place. I invited over some of the contacts I've made in recent months, so we could network and really get creative.

It went of amazingly. Everyone got a chance to bang out some tunes, and we had some decent promoter talks.

Of course, my favorite topic was on the table.. Girl DJs.

When you get that many girls together who love drum and bass, and that are starting to make moves in the scene, you know it's gonna come up. The discussion was heated, as usual.

An interesting perspective was brought to my attention--from one of the girls.
She believes that we're given unfair advantages over male DJs that are at the same or even better skill level as us. She thinks the fact that we're a girl, that we're different and interesting, means we get gigs more often, and with less work. She also suggested that when we DO have a bad night, we tend to get a lot more support BECAUSE we're girls. That old "Aww well, she's a GIRL, it's good that she's even up there in the first place!"

I think she's got a valid point, but that just makes it our responsibility to ensure that we're not taking advantage of these bonuses.. Instead, we should always have our artistic integrity at the forefront of our moves in the scene.

Yes, we can get booked more frequently. Yes, we can get booked at big clubs that we're not ready for. But we should say no, if we truly feel we're not ready, or if we're not entirely certain that we'll preform to the best of our ability.

It's all about making sure you've got the talent to back you up. Any time you go out there, and just take a gig because you're a girl, you're reinforcing that stereotype.. that girls only get gigs because they're girls. That we're no more than a novelty. On a scene that relies so heavily on credibility, if you're gonna talk the talk, you better walk the walk... or in our case, nail that double drop.

Another issue I took with this girl's point of view, was that we shouldn't apologise for making connections and taking advantage of them. I know plenty of guys that are terrific DJs, but they're not out there hustling half as hard as the girls I know. We're chatting up other DJs, promoters, and everyone else that will listen. I think we take this attitude because we're a lot more used to fighting for our spots than most of the guys are. They still assume that their talent will speak for them; for us ladies, however, we've always had to prove that we deserve a place in this scene.


Anyway, it was great to have such a diverse group of djs and drum and bass enthusiasts. I think my favorite part was when Kaela got up to mix for the first time at a house party; Kaela just bought her first decks about 4 months ago, and man does that girl know her drum and bass!

Good things are in store for this scene. When people care so much, and are fully aware of their actions and their effects, it can only be a benefit to the scene. :)