Girl Power

Inspired by the likes of Maya Jane Coles and DJ Pearl an increasing number of women are calling the shots in the profession of DJing all over the country. In Chennai it’s DJ Iris, Senchu and Rabeqqa who have carved a niche for themselves in what has been a male domain. They believe that the city finally has enough nightclubs though they wish there were more standalone bars. They had a lot to say about how their families still have issues with the fact that they are DJs and how women DJs are hired and paid more for their looks than for the music they play. All three girls for some reason are currently freelancing and not restricted to playing at any specific club and choose to keep low profile. Finding them was not very easy. While this conservative city has warmed up to the idea of having female DJs some segments of the society are yet to get used to the idea and give these girls a tough time which is possibly the reason why we have so few of them behind the console. There is still a majority of the crowd that comes in at most of the clubs looking for Bollywood or Kollywood music, get drunk and sometimes and get too involved in the music (local Tamil songs) and misbehave they complain. Having a high profile crowd means being more comfortable and these girls believe that Library Blu at the Leela Palace, Q Bar at Hilton Hotel, Dublin at Park Sheraton, Blend at Taj Mount Road, Flying elephant at Park Hyatt and 10 Downing Street are some of the most secure clubs in the city. They say that a very high profile and decent crowd is guaranteed at these places. Private parties are not always secure they say and it’s difficult not to agree. They are very selective when it comes to playing at private parties they say and it is mostly for friends or friends of friends that they restrict themselves to play for. The location also matters they say. DJ Manny, DJ Mazhar, DJ Kave and DJ Brown Brothwick are the names that come up when asked about male counterparts who have been truly supportive and genuinely respect them for the music they play. Men still have an advantage over women in the profession they say because they can travel alone and travel to wherever they want to and play. They all agree that it’s important to be accompanied by either a group of girl pals or a male friend every time you go out to play. The best thing about the job is that you get to play music that everyone is passionate about. You get to do something that you really enjoy and that makes you really happy. When compared to other professions this is a lot of fun and you get paid well too. So what’s not to like about the profession they say.