Meet the artists behind the first EQ50 mentorship.
The past two years have been big for gender parity in drum & bass. Like much of the music industry, the genre’s history is steeped in gender inequality, and until recently it seemed that D&B was behind other genres in the journey towards a level playing field. That is changing, though. According to DJ Mag, at least 190 festivals have now committed to having 50/50 gender split lineups by 2022, and top DJs have begun to call for change. Now, with the future of festivals and live shows left in limbo, EQ50 have picked the perfect time to bring gender balance to the field of music distribution.
Certain figures in the field make up a key driving force for gender parity – particularly the team behind EQ50. Run by DJ Flight, Mantra, Sweetpea, MC Chickaboo, Alley Cat and Jenna G, EQ50’s brand new mentorship programme has matched six womxn producers with five leading record labels, where they will spend the next twelve months being coached in all areas of the industry from A&R to production and networking. The programme is impressively detailed, clever in its delegation of responsibility, and a source of real hope for many of the womxn watching.
EQ50 recognise an acute need for programmes like theirs. As DJ Flight says, “the interest in applications and high quality of the producers that applied goes to show just how much amazing talent is out there.”
While the initial appeal of the programme lies in the fact that it is run by womxn, for womxn, its merit reaches far beyond that. For a start, it won’t just benefit the six womxn in this article. The power of having visible womxn as role models and idols in the industry is huge, and many others will undoubtedly gain confidence from seeing their counterparts succeed. Even more than that, EQ50 has also reached out to men in the industry in positions of power, and asked them to extend a lifeline to the new generation.
The truth is that womxn can’t do this on their own, and neither should they have to. We need the support of men to break into the scene, and that’s something that should be celebrated and pursued with the excitement and urgency that it deserves.
The hope is that the programme will have a knock-on effect across the industry, showing label owners, promoters and other authority figures alike how easy and worthwhile it is to actively diversify – to make room. Critical, V Recordings, Shogun, RAM and Function are leading by example, and if every label owner follows in their footsteps then we can expect an exciting new dimension to drum & bass.
The dimension starts here. Late last month, the names of the producers selected for the 2020 mentorship programme were released. We thought we’d check in on them all. Get acquainted…