Girl DJs Speak Out

by Taryn

If you've paid attention to the rave scene at all, you've probably noticed there's a lack of girls in the spinning business. Even in the mainstream, most people can't name a female equivalent to Fatboy Slim or Moby. Some people might argue that it's not an issue of numbers so much as it is a lack of visibility, but, from the outside at least, deejaying seems to be an all-boys club. So when we heard about an all-girl DJ night being held at Piranha--Craftygal was there.

You may wonder how a person even gets involved in deejaying. Buddafly, also known as Erika Less, has been playing gigs for about two years and says her interest arose from attending her first rave. "I loved the music, the vibe, and the whole idea of it. I found it amazing that the people were so friendly--it was like being a part of a community. I started going out to parties a lot more…and finally decided it was time to give something back." Like many other DJs starting out, she learned how to spin vinyl by playing with a friend's turntables. She says that watching other DJs is also important and making tapes of yourself can help you get to know your records and what sounds good.

DJ Buddafly spins--and soars!

Fun Fact: Buddafly's DJ name comes from her love of butterflies; she has two butterfly tattoos and feels that butterflies are symbolic of her nature--free, floating, and independent.

For people interested in deejaying, CalorieB (AKA Bridget Buscemi) recommends using the Internet to get information on the types of equipment available. Then, once you're ready, you can make your own demos and spread the word that you'd like to play gigs. In a town with a smaller scene like Rochester's, the promoters of events and club nights will eventually come to you, but it's up to you to make the contacts and get your music out there.

It's interesting to note that both Buddafly and CalorieB use vinyl instead of CDs, although there is a contingent of people who do use CDs. There's a constant debate in the DJ community over which is better, and some email lists even forbid the discussion because people feel so strongly about it and there can be no real resolution--each person must decide for themselves. Buddafly uses vinyl because she feels it takes more talent to mix records than CDs, and that it's more fun to watch a DJ spin records. CalorieB loves vinyl because she likes to be physically involved with the music: "I can slow it down with one tweak of the spindle, or speed it up with a quick brush forward." Besides that, she says vinyl is the basis for all rave DJs; however, "there are other times when other elements are brought in; for example, a computer or a CD, or keyboards, or even live instruments." At the all-girl DJ night at Piranha, for example, DJ Annalyze had flutist, Dé-tail, play during her set.

DJ CalorieB takes over the tables.

Fun Fact: CalorieB defines her DJ name this way: "B = Bridget and Calorie = units of energy." Need more be said?

It seems a lot of the attraction to deejaying is the challenge of putting different sounds together and building a whole new thing. This might explain why there are so many genres and subgenres of music within the scene, too. There's techno, trance, drum and bass, jungle, house, and the list goes on. CalorieB considers herself a "junglist." She describes jungle as "craziness of all styles--hard stuff, jazzy stuff, vocal stuff, jump up stuff, all of it." Now don't be discouraged if you're not familiar with all the terms you'll encounter when delving in to the music. The genres change and expand so much, even Buddafly admits that it's difficult to keep up, even for people immersed in the scene. When pressed, she categorizes herself somewhere in the trance and techo genres, but dabbles in many others.

The preparation that goes into playing a set also varies widely. Buddafly structures her set based on what time she's playing and incorporates records that build up to keep people moving on the dance floor, while CalorieB's philosophy is "take a breath and dive in." She prefers the challenge of grabbing records that match her mood and just winging it. Both gals would agree, though, that it's the quality of the set that counts--and possibly even more so because they're female.

Web sites like Pink Noises, Sister DJs, and Female Pressure do help women in the industry to get more visibility, but it may take a while for women to gain the recognition they deserve. Buddafly sees more and more women on fliers every day and says the numbers seem to be growing, but the general consensus is that female DJs are still treated like novelties. Therefore, people tend to be more critical when a girl is playing. So for girls starting out, CalorieB warns, "sometimes being a female helps wedge your foot in there, but…you'd better be able to back it up with some skills; otherwise you wind up being good--for a girl." Then she adds, "I don't care if I'm a girl; I just want to be good." Ah, spoken like a crafty gal!

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