On a cool spring evening in Shanghai, China's economic capital, dozens of women crowd into a basement bar around a DJ who, in front of her mixing desk, shows them how to string the songs together. Tired of nightclubs dominated by male DJs, where physical appearance counts as much as musical skills, Eloise Fan – the mistress of the place – has created a space where female artists are free to express themselves.
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I want to increase the visibility of women and make more people notice them," Eloise Fan told AFP. The thirty-year-old dynamic hopes to "give a boost to female inspiration". Employed in the advertising sector, the DJ intends to shake up mentalities with her electro music label Scandal, which organizes parties and teaches women the basics of DJing. The label released its debut album in 2022, followed this year by a compilation entirely composed of tracks made by female artists.
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In this bar in Shanghai, one of them gives her advice on musical composition to a group of curious women gathered around her turntables. Eva, 31, says the underground scene is a kind of refuge for women where they are more respected. Because in classic nightclubs, for example, according to a well-established tradition, some wealthy men pay in order to have women accompany them to drink. It's an outward sign of wealth, she says. But her experience as a music producer has also taught her that, even in underground circles, women's rise remains much slower than men's. And prejudice has a hard life.
Male DJs are allowed to wear a T-shirt, sweatshirt and shorts. But their female counterparts are expected to put on a big layer of makeup, dress sexy and look pretty.
Eloise Fan, DJ and founder of the label Scandal
In 2020, in the midst of the Covid epidemic, when the media revealed the night outings of a woman identified as a contact case, she was the victim of an avalanche of vitriolic comments on social networks. Eloise Fan remembers sometimes misogynistic looks and remarks when she and her friends cut their teeth as DJs in some clubs. "Male DJs are allowed to wear a T-shirt, sweatshirt and shorts. But their female counterparts are expected to put on a big layer of makeup, dress sexy and look pretty, she laments. One of the artists on our label told me that she had even been asked once for her measurements before her DJ performance. ».
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One of the priorities of Eloise Fan and her team is to transform nightlife in China, to make it safer for female audiences, and more welcoming for aspiring musicians. Even if mentalities have changed a lot in 10 years, the country remains generally conservative in terms of morals, so that women who frequent bars and clubs are sometimes perceived as frivolous or dissolute.
Feminist foil
In China, the low representation of women in the mix world is also due to social factors. Traditionally, families accept that a boy can be "a dirty kid, make a fuss and have fun," says Eloise Fan. On the other hand, a girl must be more mature and "make thoughtful decisions", which appears to contradict the unconventional image of the electro world, she says. "Scandal can help women in China realize that female musicians can succeed too," said Breezy, a 27-year-old lawyer who participated in a label album and said she was proud of the project's feminist goals.
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However, being labeled "feminist" is not necessarily an advantage, because this qualification sometimes acts as a foil to the public. Several people working on openly feminist projects in the world of the night declined requests for interviews from AFP, for fear of attracting the attention of the authorities. If women's rights are not fought in themselves, overly active activism is monitored by the government, which fears any social movement that may escape its control. As a result, some activists have been arrested and authorities have suspended feminist social media accounts in recent years.
In Beijing, the all-female rock band Xiaowang laments that society's sometimes narrow view of the role of women in the music industry stands in the way of their passion. Its leader and singer, Yuetu, an activist against sexual harassment in nightlife venues, refuses labels. "I'm not part of a group just to promote feminism," she says. I also hope to be able to make younger girls hear more authentic voices of women musicians. ».
