[acid-jazz] "Hey Ms. DJ" LATimes article

From: Mort, Jessica (jmort@amgen.com)
Date: Fri Sep 06 2002 - 21:52:26 CEST

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    Maybe I'm just feeling a bit feisty today...

    I'm all fired up from this article in the Calendar section of the LATimes
    published yesterday entitled, "Hey, Ms. DJ", written by a *Mr* Steve Baltin
    . http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-wk-cover5sep05.story
    The article interviews DJ Rap and DJ Colette predominately. It starts off
    promising- DJing used to be a man's world, but these women are mixing it up.
    Female DJs are becoming established with growing popularity. Men sometimes
    look stagnant on stage with the occasional fist pumping (I can't shake Luke
    Slater out of my head) whereas women use their bodies and the crowd feeds in
    their energy. These women have proved their skills behind the decks and
    their not some little cute girl playing with electronics. Some women have
    relied on their sex appeal resulting in a backlash of incredibility to
    others.

    Ironically enough, in an article that is (supposed to) promoting women DJs,
    Rap and Colette explain that they are fed up with all the focus on gender.
    "There are a ton of women DJs now; Get over it" Rap says. True, true; but
    I'm still stoked to hear great music and solid mixing from a woman DJ just
    like I'm impressed with a guy that can shake his bootay.

    All the sudden, there's an emphasis on how Colette has, oh my god, OTHER
    INTERESTS (gasp). Art, photography, reading, and.......BABY FEVER. I'm not
    reading this article because I want to know the 27 year old DJ Colette has
    baby fever. But the article gets worse. Baltin states that promotors are
    booking women because because they have a "built-in" audience. Men want to
    watch attractive women, and women want to be supportive. But then "reverse
    sexism takes effect" and the female DJ feel it diminishes them. And,
    instead of wrapping up the article with something intelligent, Baltin vomits
    up (as if this is why he took the article) a NY DJ Penelope Tuesdae who goes
    topless during her sets. Baltin comments, "She is not the only one, though
    she is the best known. Though she even ADMITS in an interview with Orlando
    Weekly, "I have to back it up with skills"". So Penelope Tuesdae backs her
    rack with her admitted secondary skill. OK then, she's justified. I don't
    know whose more annoying, the author or this topless "DJ".

    Jessica



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