Aum

 

Q. From your perspective, how have things changed for womxn in the drumandbass community in recent years? What would be your hopes going forward?

A. As a female who works and performs in the wider industry of music I feel there have been a lot of changes in the further afield parts of the industry. The Drum and Bass community is doing a lot to adapt to these changes with female communities being made, some promoters making conscious decisions to include more females on their line ups as we are out there you just have to look for us! 

There is still definitely a lot to be done, I am a female who doesn’t believe in all female lineups as that’s too far the other way but nor do I believe in tokenism, putting two female DJ’s on to your 20 artist line up isn’t equality.

There are lots of opportunities being made for women in the industry from production workshops to work experiences within the industry itself. Hospital has made a conscious effort to do this as well as other labels, promoters and companies. These opportunities need to be created, developed and available to women for us to more forward into the future of music and Drum and Bass.

My hopes going forward would be more women coming forward as producers, singers, songwriters, promoters etc. Learning music and about the industry is a luxury we now have in school, colleges and universities that other generations did not have access to. So take advantage, learn something new. Music is challenging but the reward once a project is completed is well worth it.

Q. 2020 has been a tough year for a lot of us, has it affected your creative output in any way? Is there something that you learned or rediscovered about yourself during this time? 

A. I’ve learned my work is my life more than I ever knew and I have been totally lost without it, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find out who I am beneath the hours of work I’ve piled myself under for years. My creative outlet has been DJing, fortunately I brought myself a shiny new set up last Christmas that I’ve rinsed with live streams and jamming out on my ones. During the lockdown I spent a lot of time launching and promoting my music collective Chakra Sounds, with a daily mix series from lots of the Sun and Bass artists and lots of other genres too. I also did an online event for Chakra Sounds to raise money for Minds Charity for better mental health! 

I spent time getting back into producing and singing during the lockdown as it’s something I loved and had so much energy for when I was younger. Music has definitely gotten me through this year and I have no idea what I would have done without it and the community around it. 

Q. And now some total fantasy here… If by some magic, a miracle happened tonight while you were sleeping and when you wake in the morning the world is in a much better and happier place. What would that look like for you? 

A. It would be extremely sunny and there would be no war or famine. The Conservatives wouldn’t be in-charge of the UK, they’d be no Brexit, COVID-19 would have gone. Festivals and events are up and running, I’m at the front of the crowd at Sun & Bass with my friends and a cocktail… life is good.

 

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