Lady Of The House exhibition announces second run of speakers

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  • We spoke with the book's co-author Laila McKenzie about the upcoming four-day event.
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  • Lady Of The House, the organisation that published the first-ever book celebrating women in dance music, has announced the second wave of speakers for its four-day cultural exhibition. Taking place from March 8th through 12th at Lost Horizon in Bristol, the exhibition has been planned to coincide with International Women's Day. Across the program's four days will be workshops, readings, panels, DJ and production classes, art installations and a party. Speakers include Vanessa Wilson (AKA Vanessa Maria, the host of Resident Advisor's Black Minds Matter podcasts), Hannah Shogbola, Shanti Celeste, AmyElle, Just Her, Melle Brown and many more. On Sunday, January 30th, Lady Of The House will also launch a competition on its Instagram courtesy of Focusrite. Launched to help more women feel confident in the world of production, the prize will be £500 worth of studio equipment. Ahead of the exhibition in March, RA spoke to Lady Of The House co-author Laila McKenzie. Can you tell us about some of the themes that will define each day of the exhibition? It will be broken into the three key pillars of Lady Of The House—celebrating, championing and honouring women in dance music and beyond. To celebrate, we'll be showcasing the book and the legacies of the women that have contributed to our music scene. We'll have a holographic performance by Barbara Tucker beamed live onto the stage from the States, and Radio 1's Charlie Tee will host an after party in the venue on the Saturday. We'll also be celebrating in our digital twin venue in the metaverse with SYREETA plus some more special guests TBA. To champion, the exhibition will help elevate women through networking and connecting with new people and new opportunities. We'll give local emerging talent the chance to play at the after event, including rising Bristol artist A For Alpha. We'll also have women teaching women to upskill in DJing and production and help develop their music business skills. Additionally, women will be teaching men too, about the value of our contribution to the industry. All of the sessions will also be open to men. And to honour, we will be speaking about women's safety and inclusion and how we can work as an industry together to implement this. The diversity and inclusion focus will cover areas of sexuality, race and socioeconomic barriers. How does the collection of speakers at the exhibition capture the essence of Lady Of The House? Local, regional, national and global representation—very much in line with the book and how it has covered so many ages, eras, roles and aspects of the industry from top agents and managers like Maria May (CAA), Hannah Shogbola (UTA) and Lynn Cosgrave (Safe House) to vocalists like Shermanology's Dorothy and Alex Mills, to DJs from across the ages including Jaguar, Sarah Story and Lisa Lashes, to more specialised roles like Night Time Industries Association's head of operations Silvana Kill, Bristol's night time economy advisor Carly Heath, and Night Time Economy business and funding expert Jo Cox-Brown. There will also be a wellbeing and mental health in the music industry talk from Getahead—an important topic that's covered a lot in the book. We have covered the different challenges women with cross-intersectionality face, with the Back 2 Black panel focused on Black and brown women in the industry and He.She.They. representing the LGBTQIA community on a panel too. As in the book, conversations will be real and authentic with no holds barred. It's so important to remain open in the conversations as that's where real change begins. We have a wide spread of ages, levels of entry, roles in the industry and a diverse spread of socioeconomic, ethnic and sexual backgrounds, again, just as in the book. It's all about celebrating, championing and honouring women. What do you hope the young participants on the Under 18's day will be able to take away from the experience? To be inspired to start a career in dance music and to look at the many roles on offer. To understand women's value in the industry and learn more about the history and legacy of dance music and the role women have played. They will meet real working examples of this in practice, like Lisa Lashes, who was instrumental in paving the way for future generations, and leading figures of today like Radio 1's Jaguar. They will also learn about safe spaces, diversity and inclusion as well as hands-on DJ and production skills and VR. Finally, they can learn more about International Women's Day. Lady Of The House contains words of wisdom from many inspiring women in dance music—which words or advice shared in the book have stuck with you the most? Be yourself. Stand your ground. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Believe in what you're doing.

    • Tue, Mar 8, 2022

      Lady Of The House

      Alex Mills, AmyElle, Anja Schneider, Barbara Tucker, Ceri, Charlie Tee, Cici, DJ Emma, Eats Everything, Just Her, Lisa Lashes, Mandidextrous, Melle Brown, Sarah Story, SITA, SITA, Tee Tee
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