Massive thanks to Madame Electrifie (AKA Little Jo), who took some time to answer some questions after the Beat-Herder festival. Giving important advice to up-and-coming artists and male promoters, this is a must-read for anyone in the music industry.
Fusing the best vintage beats with the best of the modern age; Madame Electrifie takes classic grooves and threads through everything from hip hop and funk, to house, disco, bass and breaks to create a raucous dancefloor-focused party.
Where / how did your career in music start?
I’ve been a professional DJ for over 22 years now which is scary! I got my first set of decks when I was 20. DJ culture always called to me though even before that. I was buying tape packs as a little nerdy 14 year old girl, after school, in our local record shop and getting some funny looks from the actual cool kids at the time. I think what turned it into a career quite early for me was that I started promoting my own club nights quite early on, so I was always able to book myself as the warm up and this definitely was key to me becoming part of the scene. Since then I went on to study music and media, working as a music journalist and for many years, before finally getting stuck into production and releasing my own music. It’s only really been the last few years I have been putting out music I am happy with, I’m an audio nerd and a perfectionist so it took a long time for me to get to a place I was really happy with my sound.
What were the decisions you made, things that you did that got you to where you are now?
I think the thing that’s got me to where I am now is just not being afraid to get stuck in, and in every corner of the industry. I’ve always had a ‘portfolio’ career in the music sector: artist, promoter, stage manager, festival booker, journalist, lecturer, speaker, the list goes on! I think this is so important particularly in today’s landscape. Learning all the different facets of the industry and making yourself useful is so important, along with being happy to start at the bottom and work your way up. Having that kind of work ethic has meant I’ve now got an amazing network around me, and I often say I’m probably better known by the people backstage than I am by the audiences half the time! Doing my degree as a mature student also helped, but I had a music career before then too so it’s definitely not the be all and end all.
What does grassroots music look like in the dance music industry?
The dance music industry has always been leading the way in terms of grass-roots and underground culture. There’s always been a DIY attitude, from sampling culture to free-parties. But the landscape is different now, there’s almost these 2 parallels; the grassroots underground scene, and then this huge behemoth manufactured culture with these huge overpriced acts and ‘instagram DJ’ culture. I find that whole thing weird, dance music isn’t about holding your phone in the air at some pre recorded set. It’s about love, connection, sharing and sometimes rebellion. For the music to stay true we need to keep the origins of the culture intact, but from what I can see there is still a strong grassroots scene. People are still forming collectives and throwing parties, and the next generation are starting to pick up the mantle.
Are there barriers for women and minority represented genders in the dance music industry? If so, what are they?
It’s been amazing to see how much the scene has changed in the last 5-10 years when it comes to women and minority represented genders in dance music. When I first started 22 years ago there were so few of us, and I mean really, you could count them on one hand. I always used to dress down when I first started playing out, I was so aware of the male gaze, of being judged for being pretty. But then after about 10 years I created the Madame Electifie persona (I was little jo before that) and that all got spun round, she was a feistier, less ‘give a fuck’ version of me, and thats actually just who I am now when it comes to what I do. I’ve earnt my stripes now, I’m like the matriarch of the festival circuit 😆.
The fact that there is dialogue now, that women are speaking out about the injustices they have faced, that we call out discrimination rather than making ourselves small for it, like I did back then, is so important. It’s also incredible to see how women are coming together in collectives and supporting each other, rather than being pitted against each other. Having a tribe is key. But we need more and it needs to be ongoing, not just tokenism. You can’t just book a woman once or have this chat once and pat yourself on the back, it needs to be everyday, every event. The scene can always do better.
I think one of the biggest things is also to democratise access to technology, to make sure access to a DJ kit and computers or instruments is there for young girls really early on. These shouldn’t be seen as boys toys, as breaking that barrier before it even can form will be game changing in future generations.
And lastly, and god male promoters please pay attention, we need safe spaces backstage! We need a toilet, and a mirror. The amount of gigs I have played that don’t create a safe space for you is insane. Several major stages still dont put in proper toilets backstage. What if that female act is menstruating, or breast feeding, or in a catsuit and doesn’t want to flash her boobs when she pees! It’s a basic thing guys!
Who are your female and nonbinary inspirations from music?
Oh my days the list of my female inspirations in music could be an article in itself. I was a 90’s teenger so we had this huge flux of female role models, from girl power to people like Missy Elliot. Missy changed the game! But women who are particularly rocking my world at the moment include Lau.ra, Nia Archives, Jamz Supernova, DJ Emma, Mini Da Minx & Kathika.