Whether you’re a casual electronic music fan, attend festivals, or stream DJ sets on YouTube, you might notice a certain type leading the music scene. White male DJs with baseball caps, loose button-up beach shirts, and flip-flops are often the faces of electronic music.
Yet, behind the DJ booth, queer Black women have been major players in electronic sound. In a primarily male-dominated field, Black women are behind the turntables, cooking up compilations of house, jazz, and soul.
Let’s honor these women who have pushed the genre forward and helped bring good vibes to parties and clubs across the globe.
Stacey “HotWaxx” Hale
The city of Detroit has molded talent for generations. This eclectic city gave the world Motown and is also where techno music advanced into the mainstream. It’s not surprising that “The Godmother of House” was born and raised in this same city.
Stacey “HotWaxx” Hale was the first DJ to play house music on a Detroit radio station. Her unique style of blending techno, house, funk, hip-hop, and orchestral forms has landed her on radios and stages across the country and the globe.
From a young age, she started DJing to avoid socializing with people. She would record songs from the radio and play them back for people to dance to. At 16, she was throwing basement parties for friends and family, impressing guests with how she continuously played one track after the next.
Inspired and mentored by Ken Collier, Hale became the first woman to mix vinyl records. She also beat out 600 DJs and rappers in 1985’s Motor City Mix competition. During this competition, a crucial component of her success was her authenticity. She played a mixture of popular hits at the time while blending the underground music that she loved. Some of her winning tracks included songs from Martin Circus, Madonna, Captain Rapp, and Jellybean Benitez.
Hale has a unique talent for playing what people want to hear while exposing audiences to new music. She mentioned in an interview that she does not play music she doesn’t like. Instead, she finds a mix that both she and her audiences will enjoy.
Reworking the music industry from the inside out
Throughout her career, Hale has never taken her accomplishments for granted. Driven by her love of music and guided by dedication to others, she is constantly working to help the next generation.
With fellow DJ John Collins, she co-founded the Detroit Regional Music Conference, which helped create a more collaborative environment for hip-hop artists, rock bands, techno DJs, and gospel singers. She also co-founded the Sheometry Festival with DJ Minx to amplify female and non-binary voices across the music and arts scene.
Founder of the Lesbians of Color Support Network (LOCS), she also mentors with Girls Rock Detroit.
Trailblazers like Hale have helped pave the way for other Black and queer DJs.
Honey Dijon
Honey Dijon is another influential DJ in the electronic music scene. As a transgender woman, she is known for mixing house with techno.
Since electronic music became mainstream, it has moved further away from its roots in Black culture. Dijon focuses every performance on infusing Black culture and history back into the music.
Her passion for music is a meticulously crafted tool that has helped her stand out in a male-dominated space. After moving to New York from Chicago, she spent countless nights in nightclubs, switching out one record after the other, studying the energy of the crowd, all to become the masterful DJ she is today. When she is behind the turntables, she isn’t just playing music for entertainment. She is spreading knowledge and reminding people of the deep roots of electronic music by playing hits from the past.
Because of her dedication to her craft, it’s no wonder she worked with Beyoncé to co-produce “Cozy” and “Alien Superstar” on the 2022 Renaissance album.
Other notable accomplishments include playing sets at Pride events, Club Hiro, and her most recent residency at COZY, at Club Chinois, in Ibiza, Spain. This residency isn’t just another gig; it’s an opportunity to reshape how people experience music. Dijon mentioned in an interview that she wants to bring back the club feel and vibe that she grew up with, a time when DJ sets were long and purposeful. She wants people to not just hear the music but engage with it and have more opportunities to learn about and get to know the artists they’re listening to.
Lori Branch
Lora “Lori” Branch is another artist hailing from Chicago. She is a pioneer house DJ who was an inspiration for Honey Dijon.
Branch started spinning around the time her parents asked her to leave because she was bisexual. Fortunately, her absence didn’t last for long, and her parents later accepted her back in and became her biggest supporters. Additionally, her family and their love for music were the backdrop of Branch’s career.
Growing up, listening to jazz, pop, and gospel, she collected records and started DJing by playing music for friends and at local parties. Eventually, she caught the attention of Eric Bradshaw, who saw her potential and helped her hone her craft. This foundational experience led her to hold residencies at iconic Chicago venues like CK’s/Auggies’s, Shelter, Trade N Flavor, The Union, Paris Dance, The Cotton Club, and Red Dog, and she also spun at Estelle’s, Berlin, and Avalon.
Whether it’s rock, pop, or electronic music, Black women have always been behind the scenes laying down the foundation. It’s important to know that the people who helped grow a genre of music are also the ones making sure that its quality isn’t sacrificed because it has become mainstream. By listening to these women and other Black queer artists, we are making sure they not only get their flowers but also continue sharing their art with us.
