Just a little bit better

By Pascal Steinwachs, Anouk Flesch, Misch Pautsch Switch to German for original article

Although there are more and more women at the turntables, the DJ scene is still dominated by men, which is true not only for electronic music but for the entire music industry. We looked for ourselves and dived into the nightlife.

Female DJs and music producers like Peggy Gou, Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witte and Nina Kravitz can't complain about a lack of success right now, but they are exceptions, and compared to their male colleagues, they are still less visible. Women are still underrepresented at the turntables and on the decks, while the posters of the famous clubs and the big festivals still announce mainly men as headliners.

More than just turning the knobs

Women behind the DJ booth not only have to deal with discrimination and sexism more often than their male counterparts, but also with stereotypes. There are supposed to be people who first think of female DJs as figures like Paris Hilton: a bit of jumping around, a bit of turning the knobs, smiling nicely and looking good, and that's it – as if these button-turners didn't also exist among men …

Women – and unfortunately this is still not only true for the music landscape in 2022 – if they want to get recognition, they still have to prove themselves more than men, they have to be "a bit better", as Miss Sappho alias Mandy Boehm pointed out. We talked to her just before her recent performance at Gudde Wëllen.

You want more? Get access now.

  • One-year subscription

    €185.00
    /year

  • Monthly subscription

    €18.50
    /month

  • Zukunftsabo for subscribers under the age of 26

    €120.00
    /year

Already have an account?

Log in