Breathing new life into Ōtautahi’s DJ scene
If there is one thing that most people can connect on, music and a good boogie on the dancefloor might take the cake. There is nothing better than chucking on a mean as fit, throwing back a couple of bevvys and hitting up the town to go and shake those hips to some groovy tunes on a Friday or Saturday night. With the vast array of music out, it can be easy to get lost amongst all the different styles. But an area of music that seems be skyrocketing in popularity, especially in the New Zealand scene, is our vast and diverse DJ scene.
Colourful lights, costumes, remixes, and heavy beats are all things that are heavily associated with the DJ scene. For many, spinning the decks have become a place to be entirely themselves, to play music that feels comfortable to them and pay homage to one’s own culture. However, between the music and the mayhem, there might be something more sinister that lies underneath. Acceptance, support and stereotyping within the industry has provided a challenge for DJs within our marginalised communities, leaving us to ask, is this boogie fest as jovial as we once believed it to be?
When it comes to spontaneity, Alice Thompson is no stranger to just jumping in the deep end. The first year UC uni student’s gigging journey began with deciding to randomly sign up for a DJ database one night after a few bevvys. She recalls the night “yeah, I just decided, what the heck!” Thompson signed up with the stage name “DJ Slice,” inspired by AutoCorrect’s miraculous ability to convert the name “Alice” into “Slice.” Before she knew it, she managed to secure a successful first gig at the popular Christchurch nightclub, Hide, where she said she “was literally getting paid to have fun.”
DJ Slice gets the crowd roaring in Christchurch’s DJ haven, Hide.
Thompson says that her desire to get on the decks stemmed from her brother, Will Thompson, who has quickly become a well-known DJ in Otautahi, part of the group the Convex Collect and under the stage name DJ Fleet.
Although Thompson comments that her DJ experience has been hugely positive, she does question the treatment and stigma around queer and female DJs; both of which are communities Thompson identifies with and advocates for. There are databases that aim to hero marginalised musicians, which Alice recognises to be “…amazing because they provide a platform, but also problematic because they sometimes feel like light tokenism.”
Often, DJ line-ups include a selection of people from specific communities to “appear” diverse. Alice simultaneously recognises this to be both a good thing for the exposure, but also wonders about the superficiality of these types of databases. She mentions how queer DJs are starting to participate in the mainstream space, which is inherently engraining queer culture into mainstream media and normalising the culture within wider society.
Thompson speaks on Beyonce’s recent collaboration with Black trans musician, DJ honey Dijon, which she mentions to be a “assisting queer music to get the exposure and normalisation it deserves.” These kinds of collaborations are what the DJ space needs to ensure that artists that are part of these communities can reach the mainstream music space.
When it comes to being a female in the DJ space, Thompson comments about the struggles of appealing to the crowd, commenting that “DJs are meant to provide an experience, and how you look, what you wear and how you act, that is all part of that experience.”
Thompson recalls a conversation she had with her Mum regarding an upcoming gig where her mother suggested her to dress “a bit androgynous.” Thompson comments that the hard thing is that DJing can feel as if it requires you to lean into being really traditionally masculine or really traditionally feminine; “If you are going to lean into that classic sexy feminine DJ stereotype, you have to really do it, if you are going to lean into the big baggy clothes and traditionally masculine way of presenting, you have to fully lean into that.”
Traditionally, success has been for those who easily fit into those very extreme categories. Thompson says that it is difficult for those who are fluid, or who wander in the “in-betweens” to feel that they are valued within the DJ space. DJ Slice is set to next perform at UC’s annual Tea Party, held on the Haere-roa lawn on the 21st of October. Make sure ya grab some mates, pregame like never before, and rock up to watch some of your fave DnB tunes get absolutely sliced and diced on the decks!
The Djing industry has a legacy of being a largely male-dominated space, with names such as Calvin Harris and David Guetta reaching global fame. Previous UC student, Corban Tupou, is a bit of a regular on the DJ scene, both an active listener and a keen performer.
Earlier in 2023, Tupou and his mate Dan Stewart, organised and carried out the TWOMINDS music festival right here in Ōtautahi. The festival was created as a celebration of diversity, music, and art, with a lineup of artists that were over 50% non-male, 40% queer and 22% people of colour, spread amongst three stages. The goal of the festival was to provide a platform for these more marginalised artists to feel celebrated and valued. Tupou makes commentary that “whether its music or not, everybody should be able to look up to someone and see a little bit of yourself in someone else.” This sort of representation is key to ensuring that other young budding DJs feel that their uniqueness will also be celebrated when they themselves get up to spin the decks.
DJ Half Queen spinning’ the decks at the 2023 TWOMINDS Festival in Christchurch. Photo Credit: TWOMINDS festival
During our conversation, Tupou was quick to attribute a lot of his knowledge about the disparities faced by certain communities in djing to Becca Barclay, the founder of DJ database “Sugar and Spice.” The goal of the database is to provide a platform for female and non-binary DJs in New Zealand but is based in Christchurch. Tupou comments that within festivals and concerts, “If you are only putting a certain type of person up on that stage, or if you are employing a certain type of person for that job then, that doesn’t tend to inspire someone who doesn’t feel represented in that space.” The goal of Sugar and Spice is to balance out the inequities faced within the space and create room for artists who might sometimes feel as though they do not fit the “ideal” stereotype of what a DJ is expected to be.
In terms of Tupou’s own experience of DJing as a Māori and Pasifika DJ, he recalls a lot of his experience to be a lot be positive than maybe could be expected. Christchurch’s history of racism has made it difficult for our Māori and Pasifika communities to feel accepted and supported within Christchurch, whether we are talking about music or not. However, Tupou comments on the acceptance and open-mindedness that exists within the music sphere, “creative people are openminded people.” This already positive and inclusive environment that exists intimately between artists and other musicians gives hope for the future of other DJs within the space, providing a blueprint for the next generation of diverse and marginalised DJs to thrive and create positive change.
The sun begins to set at the 2023 TWOMINDS festival after a day of endless bangers and dance moves.
The DJ space is an area that acts a reflection of the progress made within society when it comes to inclusivity and celebrating diversity. With the space constantly adapting, shifting, changing, and re-inventing itself, it is interesting to watch the stereotypes within the industry being actively rejected and new and diverse artists take to the stage. So, what can we do to keep this chain of positive change going?
Actively try to listen to more diverse artists on Spotify; the more listeners that diverse and marginalised artists have, the more of an audience these artists have, which creates more opportunities to perform at large scale events and, therefore enable these artists to become mainstream!
Tell others about events that involve marginalised artists; bring ya mates along to festivals like TWOMINDS, oftentimes, the money made is used to continue funding these artists in their musical careers. Lastly, next time when you are out on the town, make sure to give a bit of extra love to our more marginalised and diverse DJ’s. Spread the love, get ya boogie on and get those feet tapping!