Friday, November 13th, Discwoman takes over Le Bain and brings back our fav', Umfang and Volvox. Do the girls fight enough for their right to party? We asked Frankie of Discwoman.
LE BAIN: I was reading the Forbes’ feature about Discwoman, and when you look at the numbers, it’s a bit scary to realize how masculine the mainstream US dance music scene has become. At a time when women seem to rule pop music, what's wrong with the DJ scene?
DISCWOMAN: We get asked this a lot and actually answer differently every time because there are a multitude of reasons. A simplified way of looking at it, especially in comparison to pop music, is that women have been conditioned from early ages to not be interested in technology, so there’s a preconception that women don’t have an interest in technology, in this case turntables, drum machines, etc.
Christine Tran, Emma Olson, and Frankie Hutchinson of Discwoman (photo by Aurora Halal)
There’s a preconception that women don’t have an interest in technology...
Which has become real because of the conditioning?
We've worked with women DJs and producers who trump any bullshit ideas that women have a lack of interest—that’s just not true. There may be fear of ambition, due to lack of support for women artists in the field, but that’s different than a lack of interest.
Do you think women in general should be more involved?
This isn’t a matter of women being more involved, but rather the industry being more inviting to women.
Demian Licht Indomitus - one female talent to watch from Mexico City
There is definitely a need for new talent in the mainstream dance music scene. In what ways do you think women can bring that to the scene and maybe save it?
Well, its not really a question of what women can do, but rather what the industry can do—the industry is mostly controlled by men. Change can of course happen from the bottom, which is what Discwoman is trying to encourage. But it needs to be met with help from the top—the big promoters have an impact on change.
Could you pick 3 ‘female-identified’ talents that you see coming in 2016?
There are so many (laughs). To pick a few: Via App, who plays live hardware is not be missed. Her vinyl release is about to come out on 1080p. Tygapaw from Brooklyn runs her own party, Fake Accent, that’s killing it. She plays energizing DJ sets and trippy fun live sets. Demian Licht from Mexico City—just learned about this one—produces harrowing techno, unreal.
Tygapaw Wounded
And your favorite tracks produced by women for fall 2015?
The release from Detroit legend, K-Hand will be out on Nina Kraviz’s label Trip, which I’m super stoked about. K-Hand is a legend in the Detroit scene and an inspiration to big names like Kraviz. Also, very important to know about. Xosar’s track Hades Gates—kind of old but I jump at any opportunity to talk about this track because it fucking rules. Paula Temple’s Prodigy remix Roadblox: some darkness to take us through the next few months of darkness—love Paula.
Friday, November 13th, Le Bain presents Discwoman featuring Umfang, Volvox and Olive T. Doors 10pm. The Standard, High Line.
Header photo: Discwoman by Aurora Halal
