Nearly half of
EDM listeners are women, yet the mainstream EDM world is tragically male-dominated — which is especially inexcusable given all the female talent out there. If your EDM playlist is a sausage fest, consider adding these amazing women artists to it. And look out for their sets over the coming year, because they’re only getting bigger.
1. Anna Lunoe
Hailing from Australia, Lunoe has recently risen to fame around the world, opening for Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, and MIA and performing at Coachella and Lollapalooza. This summer, the DJ, singer, songwriter, and producer became the first female artist on the main stage at
EDC Vegas. She's also a host for the international Apple Music radio station Beats 1, curating two hours of dance music every week for the show
HYPERHOUSE. “Stomper” featuring Chris Lake is a masterpiece that’ll take you on a journey through a thousand different worlds in three and a half minutes, and the funkier "I Met You" featuring Flume will put a beam on your face. She's spending March
touring Australia with Diplo.
2. Alison Wonderland
Also an Australian DJ featured in EDC Vegas, not to mention a cellist, Alison Wonderland makes music videos that’ll suck you down the Youtube rabbit hole. She collaborated with The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne for her single “U Don't Know,” whose dramatic video features
Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Her video for the upbeat and highly danceable “I Want U” features nuns thrashing about and levitating. She’s
got shows booked in Australia, the Bay Area, and Mexico for 2017.
3. Maya Jane Coles
If you’ve gone clubbing over the past five years, there’s no way you haven’t heard Coles’ house hit “What You Say.” In fact, you’ve probably heard it regardless, since it’s
sampled in Nicki Minaj’s "Truffle Butter.” She experiments with a variety of styles on other tracks, like the slow, vocal-heavy “Never Walk Away” and “Burning Bright,” which is reminiscent of an old Madonna hit, and the haunting “Everything” shows off her vocal talent. The U.K.-based DJ and producer will be kicking off the New Year with
a show in New York and then
make her way to London and Manchester.
4. Jessica Audiffred
Mexican bass and trap artist
Jessica Audiffred also hosts a radio show and owns
a label. She’s
played at EDC Mexico and LIC Mexico and regularly tours outside her home country. Her sets contain a ton of fun remixes along with original mixes like K.O., which combines an energetic beat with dark futuristic synths, and "No Invitation," with jolting vocal samples and hip-hop influences. “You’re sharing that with the public, and just watching the reaction of every tune you have — you can control their feelings and their emotions,” she
explained her love of DJing to us. “People want to get crazy. They just want a place where they can let their emotions go.” You can catch her at
EDC Mexico in February, and she'll soon be releasing an EP for CIRCUS records and a song with Ducky in Maincourse Records, which she tells us are "way more dubstep and a little more upbeat."
5. Nicole Moudaber
The DJ, label founder, promoter, and radio host emerged from Lebanon and spends her time in London and Ibiza, where she’s been featured at the famous Space and other world-renowned clubs. Moudaber is recognizable for her groovy, beat-driven techno sets.
DanceTrippin TV called her the “Queen of Techno.” She’s
playing a New Year’s Eve set in Brooklyn then headed to Mexico come January.
6. Ellen Allien
This Berlin DJ, producer, and label founder is a breath of fresh air from the constantly remixed songs and clichéd techno beats heard at every festival. "Leave Me Alone" featuring Apparat sounds almost like an indie rock song, except you can't
not dance to it, and the 2015 single "High" features intense speaking vocals and a beautiful melodic hook. Allien has held a residency at Ibiza's airport club DC10 and played at set at theCentre Pompidou museum in Paris. When she's not entertaining crowds, she runs the radio show
Braincandy on Ibiza Sonica Radio and designs clothes for her label. She'll be
all over Europe and Mexico in January and will be featured at the
MELT! Festival in Germany.
7. TOKiMONSTA
TOKiMONSTA, AKA LA producer and DJ Jennifer Lee, was the first woman to sign with Flying Lotus's label Brainfeeder and has captivated audiences at festivals including Coachella and Electric Zoo. "Smoke and Mirrors" uses drums and guitar layering in a totally new way for a reggae-like result, "Put It Down" feat. Anderson .Paak & KRNE geniusly blends electronic and hip hop, and "Raella" has R&B influences. You can
catch her in New York, DC, LA, and other North American cities in February.
8. Hannah Wants
Over the past decade, Wants has gone from pro soccer player to British jackin house DJ. She's also the owner of the brand What Hannah Wants, which sponsors an annual DJ contest. "Signs," a deep house collaboration with Chris Lorenzo, has a contagiously climactic beat and gorgeous vocals. She's been
performing in Ibiza since 2010, spinning for
Amnesia's closing party last fall, and next year, she'll be
touring the UK and Ireland and appearing in
France's Snowboxx festival.
9. Miss Kittin
Sassy lyrics and retro disco-inspired beats characterize this French DJ/singer/songwriter's albums. Her famous 1998 song, "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, is a sarcastic, synthy electroclash anthem with lines like "you know Frank Sinatra? He's dead." Her latest album,
Calling From The Stars (2013), features an understated REM cover along with 80s-inspired tracks like "See You" and "eleven."
She's got
shows booked in Paris and Cologne next year.
10. Anja Schneider
Schneider has held a residency at the famous Watergate club in Berlin, where she currently resides, and runs the
Dance Under the Blue Moon program on Fritz Radio. Along with DJing and producing, she's the founder of Mobilee Records. Her latest release, "Rain," starts off slowly, making you feel like you're wading through fog on a dance floor, and picks up as it transitions to a soulful chorus. She'll play at Switzerland's
Arosa Electronica Festival next year after
touring the U.S. and U.K.
