Where did EDM come from? How did it get so popular? And most importantly… where are the female DJs at?
Electric Dance Music, known as EDM, took over during the summer of 1988 in Europe. Commonly referred to as the “Summer of Love” due to the use of acid and habit of dancing all night in warehouses, begun the movement of EDM! House music thrived on the island of Ibiza, Spain. The “Anything goes” attitude of Ibiza turned the country into the true beating heart of House music. The owner of a farmhouse turned night club, Antiono Eschotado, dreamt of a place where people could party until after the sun-rises. He created of the first raves. This is where the term “house” music comes from, referring to his “farmhouse”.
Produced by the Roland TB-303 which created loud repetitive beats, EDM encouraged dance, movement, and happiness. A majority of these raves took place at Wayne Anthony’s warehouse parties called “Genesis” in East London. The ravers experience euphoric feelings of love and the need to dance all night! House music spread to Detriot, New York, and Newark, affecting each city differently. Everywhere developed their own personal style, sounds, and scene. These different styles turned into all the different types of EDM we know today!
Daft Punk performing “Spin” at Coachella in 2006 is referred to the “tipping point” for EDM in America. Soon after festivals emerged in every state, and DJs from all over. Electric music started hitting the top charts and more people started listening. David Guetta began to gain popularity. Skrillix introduced a harsher sound referred to as “Dubstep”.
In the 1990’s raves started to arise in legitimate EDM concerts and festivals featuring a large number of artists. Ultra Music Festival, one of the largest in the US, brought 165,000 attendees. Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, and Coachella still remain the largest music festivals featuring artists such as Calvin Harris, Avichii, and Zedd.
Despite the popularity of EDM music amongst both men and women, EDM DJs remain 90 percent male. Only a few women break through the glass ceiling and preform at these festivals. Not only are the numbers significantly low but the top women DJs still experience sexism. Women face the problem of not being taken seriously and many refer to the idea that men expect them to show up dressed in Bras like the performers on stage, instead of a serious artist. Jack Novak, a women DJ from Chicago, keeps her stage name masculine in order to mask the fact that she’s a women. “I hate that it’s female DJ. I don’t want to be singled out as a woman. I want to be rewarded on my own merit.” Jack Novak says, wanting her music to speak for itself. Hopefully 2017 beings more women DJs to the scene! K.Flay, Oliver Heldens, Vanic, and Zeds Dead are my favorite DJs.
Who’s your favorite DJ and do you think the number of female DJs will increase?