Watch as the BBC Introducing Dance host speaks to Ela Minus, Saoirse & Rebekah, and Moonchild Sanelly for a series of empowering discussions.
To round off International Women’s Month, Beatport teamed up with Ballantine’s Scotch whisky to present a series of live conversations with some of the women leading the way in dance music. The broadcast spotlighted some of the female artists who have featured on Ballantine’s True Music platform and was hosted by widely respected BBC presenter, journalist, and DJ Jaguar.
Joining the series were four inspiring and sonically distinct talents: Ela Minus, Moonchild Sanelly, Rebekah, and Saoirse. Throughout these intimate chats, we learn more about each artist’s sound, backstory, inspirations, and creative process while sharing thoughts on empowering more women in the scene, offering advice to future female headliners, and discussing strategies to stamp out racism and sexism in the music industry.
Check out the conversations below and find more amazing dance floor centric content via Ballantine’s Scotch whisky’s True Music platform here.
Ela Minus
We open the series in conversation with Colombian producer and pioneer Ela Minus. Currently based in New York City, the multi-instrumentalist is best known for creating “bright music for dark times.” She is signed to Domino, which released her debut album acts of rebellion in October 2020.
Moonchild Sanelly
Hailing from South Africa, Moonchild Sanelly is a musician and dancer whose self-described “future ghetto funk” style fuses experimental electronic, afro punk, and edgy pop with hints of her strong kwaito, hip hop, and jazz background. The unapologetic and empowering artist has rocked stages at events such as SXSM, Primavera, and Ballantine’s True Music: Africa showcase in Johannesburg.
Saoirse & Rebekah
British selector Saoirse is renowned worldwide for her comprehensive electronic music knowledge and bringing effortlessly fun tracks to the forefront. She performed alongside Barcelona collective MARICAS for Ballantine’s Streaming From Isolation series at the start of the pandemic where Ballantine’s supported music collectives around the world with grants to enable them to keep doing what they love despite gig cancellations . Her knack for lighting dance floors on fire have made her a highly sought-after guest on radio stations and festival lineups alike.
Celebrated UK DJ, producer, and label head Rebekah is one of the techno scene’s most prominent names. A strong advocate for women in dance music, last year she launched her anti-sexual harassment initiative, #ForTheMusic. The campaign aims to ensure that artists, employees, and audiences are protected against sexual harassment, guaranteeing a safe workplace for industry employees. It also demands an end to the culture of silence and holds clubs accountable for ensuring safe spaces.
Learn more about the #ForTheMusic here.
Ballantine’s True Music aims to represent, support and promote inclusive music culture and over the past seven years, has championed local music communities and cultures globally, from Spain to Poland and South Africa to Brazil, giving a stage to diverse talent. Supporting over 300 artists across 50 events in 16 countries, Ballantine’s True Music has been an ally to underrepresented groups, working to ensure fairer representation on line-ups with 46% of artists featured being POC, 33% being women and 12% being LGBTQ+. Ballantine’s acknowledges there is work to be done to improve representation and increase equity, both across True Music and the wider music culture landscape and is committed to continuing to support this.
To find out more about Ballantine’s True Music, head to www.ballantines.com
