Features
20 women who shaped the history of dance music
Women have been powering dance music since day one
Heather Heart
In 1990 Heather Heart co-founded the first all-techno record store, Groove Records in New York, with Frankie Bones and Adam X. The Brooklyn badass also started the Under One Sky zine, which became a key publication for techno heads across the US, and became an icon at Storm Rave, the seminal NYC party founded by Bones. She's a driving force for the foundational moments of the American rave scene. TBM
Miss Djax
The Acid Queen herself created the Djax-Up-Beats label in 1989. This powerhouse imprint quickly became a rocket launcher, delivering American techno to a global audience. The impact that this label and her career had on the international techno scene cannot be overstated. TBM
Kemistry & Storm
These co-founders of the seminal Metalheadz, along with Goldie, were two of the first female label bosses to release a dance album with international distribution – Goldie's 'Timeless'. Their breakthrough onto the international scene as DJs was a bright light in a male dominated industry. Tragically, Kemistry was killed in a road accident after a show in 1999. Click here for our tribute to her. TBM
DJ Minx
A resident of Detroit's historic Motor club, Minx has been a stalwart defender of Detroit dance culture for decades. From the airwaves of WGPR to the inaugural Detroit Electronic Music Festival in May of 2000, Minx continues to lead with her Women On Wax label. TBM
Peaches
The Canadian artist's seminal electroclash album 'The Teaches Of Peaches' was the gateway drug to both dance music and a liberated sexuality for a legion of uptight, white indie kids in the early 2000s. LB
Missy Elliott
Elliott is a rapper and performer, but her impact as songwriter, arranger and producer make her importance incalculable. Her enduring partnership with childhood friend Timbaland not only introduced Aaliyah, it helped to establish an era-defining, revolutionary sound joining r'n'b and electronic music, inspiring a generation of producers across all genres. LB
Ellen Allien
The producer, vocalist and DJ was an early '90s resident at places like Tresor and E-Werk, making her old-skool Berlin. Add to that her label BPitch Control, which was crucial for mid-2000s minimal techno, launching the likes of Ben Klock, Modeselektor and Paul Kalkbrenner. LB
Sarah Lockhart
If dubstep is a mafia, then Lockhart is a don. Station manager of Rinse FM, the former pirate radio turned licensed community station, and co-founder of both the club night FWD>> and the record label Tempa, Lockhart—a former major label A&R—is one of the main players in London dance music. LB
Jordana LeSesne aka 1.8.7.
A trailblazing trans woman in the hyper-masculine world of jungle/drum 'n' bass, Jordana survived a hate crime at an Ohio dance event, going on to thrive as a producer, DJ and advocate for transgender people. She is currently scoring the Free Cece documentary from Laverne Cox and working on a new album and return to touring later this year. TBM
Superjane
At a time when visibility for women in house music was incredibly low, this fab-four supergroup (comprised of DJ Heather, DJ Colette, DJ Lady D and Dayhota) held a successful Smart Bar (Chicago) residency and inspired a whole generation of women, including yours truly. TBM
Nina Kraviz
There's no denying the effect of Kraviz's 2013 Resident Advisor video profile – where she is interviewed while presumably naked in a bubble bath. Whether unwitting or calculated, the techno artist prompted a much-needed discussion of feminism in a severely male-dominated and often sexist genre. But let's not just focus on that: with a deep knowledge of dance music, gigs across the globe and a record label that pioneers new talent, she's one of the foremost female DJs in the game. LB
Venus X
The outspoken New York DJ and party promoter is a sign of the times. Her GHE20G0TH1K events were a safe place for queer people of color, honoring the ballroom house legacy and mixing it all up with unlikely club sounds from all over in true post-inernet fashion. LB
