We spoke with women representatives of the Peruvian scene about progress in issues of labor equity and adequate treatment for those who work in the sound arts, regardless of sex. They tell us about this, their own beginnings and current affairs in electronics. They also leave us a gift at the end of this article, to delve further into the vigorous Peruvian scene.
My first approach to the scene was when I was about 15 years old. I remember that after school I would get together every afternoon to mix. The first time I performed in front of an audience was at the EF Festival in 2010. But by that time I remember that I performed as Dubsteph hahaha I remember that at that time I was playing dubstep and genres like drum n bass or electro house. As I got older I listened to more genres and my style changed (currently I have a lot of influence from garage house). It was more difficult at that time to be able to stand out on the scene and be given the opportunity to play at parties. That is why, together with some friends, we created the Golden collective and we had several parties, playing with various national and international artists. However, these were events made by ourselves and it was not until 2013 that I was hired for the first time as Stephanie Lobstein and play Sergeant Pepper along with Jumi Lee, Danny EM and Felipe Salmón who is part of the dengue dengue dengue group.
I have been part of the line up of the World DJ Day Fest, Sound in the Park, Holi Festival of Colors and the EF Festival. I shared a booth with international DJs such as Franco Cinelli, Quest, Deep Mariano, Kaiserdisco, Ixec, Sharam Jey, among others. I have performed at various nightclubs in Peru such as Black Vanilla, Fuga, Sisifuz, Bizarro, Sargento Pimienta, Dragon del Sur y Barranco, Voce, Undersound, CasaLocasa, Palestra, Modern / Rewind and more.
In 2011 I was immersed in industrial / EBM music and I began to put that type of music and variants in some places in the center of Lima, also at that time I was experimenting with video art and visuals.
I stopped playing music for a few years and I dedicated myself more to the visual part doing video mapping and installations at some parties. Then in 2015/2016 I took up again the dj sets this time with more focused sounds
to the bass and experimental.
I started in 2011, I currently have 10 years as a professional DJ in the electronic music scene of Peru, one of my main milestones is having formed and managed to consolidate my studio dedicated to DJ classes, which currently has 8 years training and guiding new talents. Another very important milestone in my career as a DJ is having shared the stage with the majority of DJs from the national and international scene.
I started playing live since 2014, at 20 years of age, in lounges, bars, private rooms, terraces, fairs, and I stayed away from music for 3 years, from 2016 to 2019 for personal reasons, but in fact since As a child, I always had contact with music, I had my record collection and the music of Ce Ce Peniston, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, etc. caught my attention.
In 2019 I resumed music with force! I played in festivals like Corona Sunset, Art.Mo Art Exhibitions, the main and best known nightclubs in Lima and also outside of Lima.
To this day I continue to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us, which are few due to the pandemic, but in these 2 years of return we have achieved quite a few achievements.
¿En qué estás actualmente?
Stephanie Lobstein:
Currently, due to the pandemic, I don’t usually go out and I take great care of myself. I have seen this time the opportunity to dedicate myself to producing and also to finish my degree in psychology. I know the latter sounds like something totally distant from music hahaha but it’s the opposite. I am currently doing research related to artists and I hope that with that I can contribute significantly to the well-being of the scene. The rest of the time I spend in the study. I have already had a proposal for a label in Peru so I hope that for this year you can listen to what I have been creating at this time.
Desde el 2019 soy parte de Undersound Perú.
Yannet Vilela
Currently I am more focused on the visual / digital part doing virtual events (VR) with the Escape 010101 project.
It is a project that brings together artists from different parts of the world in a 3d world created especially for each event where music, visuals and digital art are shared, at the same time I work as a freelance doing different visual / digital projects and there some dj set when I spread the word.
The pandemic has been and is a great downturn in the electronic scene in Peru and around the world. In Lima, 2 projects that I was working with Bqestia Soundsystem were on standby, which was a soundsystem in the park (meetings / parties in the open air) and bursts the basement (parties held in different shades of Lima) I a little wanted to take this to the virtual world but I really miss the events.
Flavia Paurinotto
At this moment I am studying music production, it is something I wanted to do for a long time and finally the time and the opportunity to do it has presented itself. I am very happy advancing in my sounds and studying hard to be able to overcome all my goals.
At the same time I continue teaching classes and playing in the venues allowed due to the situation that we have to live.
Miluska Benavente
The projects that we currently have in process are livestreams, where we are going to visit different cultural and natural sites in Peru with my production team, and also 3D green screen recordings.
In production, I am at a stage where I am exploring new sounds and you will already be able to hear what new we are going to do with the support of producer friends and people from the scene who are very supportive of initiatives for this female empowerment.
¿Cómo se compone actualmente la escena en Perú: mujeres/hombres?
Stephanie Lobstein:
Yes, men predominate and that you can perceive both in the public and in the artists that make up the scene. If we compare 2009 with 2021 if there is a different one, but clearly I believe that in more than 10 years the growth could be greater. Before it was very rare to see a woman playing. You didn’t see women in the audience either. I could tell you that the number of times I see a woman in the lineup has increased, in recent years I saw a growth of let’s say 30% and it was very good … a shame that everything has slowed down. Before I felt alone hahaha it was strange to see another woman in the lineup, now it is not something that surprises me. However, these djs are generally always the same. Let’s say that the number of women compared to male DJs is abysmal. Only about 15 female DJs come to my mind now.
Yannet Vilela
I think that has changed a bit over time, but a higher percentage of men 70% men 30% women approx. The issue is also that there is not much diffusion of new artists, both women and men.
I believe that if there were more diffusion, such as on radio or other media, it would be different for everyone. For example, the radio stations with the highest audience in Peru have played the same music for 9 years. Some production companies or virtual channels
of music that are few have promoted new artists but it is still not enough.
Flavia Paurinotto
The scene in Peru is composed mostly of men, it will be about 90% that predominate, leaving us by a minimum margin. I do not feel that it has varied much.
Miluska Benavente
Well yes, in fact there are still more male djs than women in Peru, but in recent years female djs have grown, I can say, 40% in the Peruvian scene, the valuation of women has grown considerably, many women like me In our beginnings we have seen ourselves with this illusion of fulfilling our dreams and receiving all the support, and currently I am sure that any woman who wishes to launch as a DJ / producer in Peru will be very well received, without prejudice, and the support of both men of women from the electronic scene.
¿Es machista la escena peruana?
Stephanie Lobstein:
They asked me this same question recently and I answered something different than what I will answer you, but it is because perhaps I was not very aware of the situation and it seems important to talk. For my part, I have not perceived discrimination for being a woman or problems related to remuneration for the fact of being a woman. But what I have observed is the attitude of certain organizations, promoters or artists within the scene when sexualizing female DJs or producers.
There is a part of the scene that looks for female djs in order to sexualize them and to attract the largest possible male audience. Fortunately, there is another part of the scene that does not work that way and does not care about your physique but your talent. However, that first attitude of sexualizing ourselves is the one that generates comments such as “they call her because she is a woman” “they call her only because she is pretty.” This shows how they can degrade you and nullify your ability as an artist in front of others just because you are a woman.
I have been reading about job insecurity in the music industry and I have seen that in general there is a large percentage of women who suffer from harassment. You can observe the statistics in studies such as carried out by CURA in France.
Yannet Vilela
I think so, although some have tried and are trying to change this and include more women in their line up, you may still notice why there were more flyers with only men in the line up.
Flavia Paurinotto
I do not feel machismo in the scene, I feel that the opportunities are governed by the talent that one has, by the previous work that is in each presentation, in the dedication and professionalism that each one puts to their own art. I have always received many compliments and compliments for being a woman and dedicating myself entirely to electronic music.
Miluska Benavente
I have heard this from some men: “do not generalize, we are not all”, and well yes, it is true, but 6 out of 10 men unfortunately are, I have very good friends djs, producers, managers and promoters who support women a lot artists and we are always considered at events, but I have also come across individuals who only hire men or put together a line up of 8 male DJs and only 1 female, with so much female talent in this country.
We women in the electronic scene have shown that we have the same talent as men and we know how to give ourselves our place, I consider ourselves super fighters and we have always put ourselves in front to overcome any obstacle, we do not consider ourselves less or more, equality and Union must prevail in this scene, we must all understand that the purpose of music and the artist is to transmit a unifying force within society, I consider collective consciousness something very important in this scene, let’s not compete with each other, less ego more love and fun, more appreciation for the artist, our job is to make the public happy, not minimize or believe us more than the other, this is something that I ask and that I transmit when I do a live set and it is something that I try to instill in people more close.
¿Qué cosas deberían cambiar? ¿Qué falta?
Stephanie Lobstein:
I would like to continue seeing the growth of female DJs on the scene. I think we are doing well every time I share a booth with more female DJs but it is important that they stop that thought that they hire us for the fact of being women downplaying what we propose musically and for that … we must stop supporting those promoters who do things wrong and we ourselves also make ourselves respect.
Yannet Vilela
Although there were some events that integrated several production companies in a party (for example Represent carried out in Lima by Undersound), this type of event is what should be more abundant than it integrates different styles of music and also art, and that several can participate Artists from different places this type of event should have the support of municipalities / ministry of culture, but here they put buts even if you want to do something free in the open air for everyone.
The latter has been a problem for many production companies since in the last events there were too many problems with permits and schedules for music events.
En cuanto la integración de más mujeres en la escena electrónica Peruana, creo que hace falta una plataforma de difusión especialmente para esto, he visto algunos eventos y páginas como: Festival nosotras en la calle, María Landó, etc que tratan
de visibilizar el trabajo de mujeres del sector musical peruano y creo que si hay más apoyo para este tipo de eventos y más redes de difusión sería de gran ayuda.
Debería también de haber un festival de música electrónica peruana que se realice al aire libre aunque sea 3 veces al año con apoyo de empresas o el estado donde participen igual cantidad de hombres y mujeres eso sería buenísimo, por el momento
queda esperar a ver que sucede con el futuro de la escena electrónica en el Perú.
Flavia Paurinotto
Something that in my point of view we should improve as a scene; It is to integrate and formalize an association, where we can obtain certain benefits for all of us who live from the art of electronic music Dj’s and independent music producers.
Miluska Benavente
Well, this scene is managed with large investments, in infrastructure, in audiovisual equipment, the artist, managers, producers, marketing, advertising, etc. The scene of other musical genres such as reggaeton, salsa, are very strong and solid scenes that have several points in different districts of Lima as in other regions of Peru and that have several generations because they constantly invest in them, in new music, radio advertising , videos on youtube, etc, we in the electronic scene are the second generation, we have to inject more investment with the support of large companies to be able to transmit this musical genre to more people, perhaps have an electronic-only radio station, support more to the producers in the dissemination of their music, we have the talent, but we need the financial support.
¿Qué acciones han hecho que más mujeres se abran camino en la escena?
Stephanie Lobstein:
I think that the success that each of the DJs on the scene can have generates a positive impact and draws the attention of more women. I remember a time before I went to Barcelona a girl approached me and she told me that she loved to see female DJs on the scene and that encouraged her. It is good that for there to be an increase in female djs there is also an increase in the personal interest of each one.
Flavia Paurinotto
I think the best motivation is to see women on stage making thousands of people dance to a single tempo, that we achieve that connection, it motivates more girls to want to achieve it.
Miluska Benavente
Sí y de hecho tanto las mujeres de la escena electrónica como también mujeres djs de otros géneros han hecho transmisiones en vivo en cuarentena armandole la juerga en casa a su público ganando así más seguidores, y uno sabe que cuando una marca de ropa o comida que recién está creciendo siempre busca una cuenta con considerables folllowers que puedan darle publicidad y he visto como varias personas (mas djs de otros géneros que de electrónica) han crecido tanto profesional como económicamente haciendo eso, tanto las marcas como el artista, y creo que eso ha sido algo que ha incentivado a muchas mujeres en esta pandemia a reinventarse, (obvio si siempre quiso ser dj/producer pero no tuvo oportunidad).
Ojo, también hay que tener conocimiento de cómo manejar y mover a las empresas para no perderlas.
¿Cómo se da la producción?¿Están produciendo sus temas?
Stephanie Lobstein:
In the context of the pandemic, several of us have begun to produce more. In general, without making a gender distinction, I have seen a notable increase in production. I know several djs that this year we are putting out our own songs. Previously, there were also female artists with their own themes. Obviously not all of us are focused on that but we are on the rise.
Flavia Paurinotto
For the most part, yes, the female DJs I know have been studying music production, I think that if there is still not much sound from Peruvian producers, it is because we have been preparing.
Miluska Benavente
Basically that is what this musical career is about, we must complete all our studies if we really take this profession seriously, because it is not only about playing and mixing songs from other djs, in these times with such advanced means and equipment all the people who We are involved in this career, we have the opportunity to learn to produce, even if it is by having classes on YouTube, having our own track is our hallmark, we have to continue advancing and exploring sounds so that the world hears us.
¿Cuál es tu sensación personal con las mujeres en la electrónica y los cambios que se esperaban-esperan?
Stephanie Lobstein:
That there are very few female DJs currently on the electronic music scene. It is still a topic because it is something that stands out to the eye and also because a debate is opened about whether this is the result of machismo. The latter is a very embedded issue in our society. That is why it is a topic that is frequently discussed. From my point of view it may be one of the reasons but it is also important that stereotypes are put aside and more women are encouraged to be part of this scene.
Flavia Paurinotto
Well, I think that little by little more women are being encouraged to be part of the electronic scene, it is a matter of it being something that they are really passionate about, that when they go on stage they only feel like and more desire to convey to your audience that they are going for you. , to listen to you and enjoy every sound. If it is a bit new in some countries in Latam, it is because I think other genres of music with more scenes predominate, the electronic music scenes in South American countries are much smaller.
Miluska Benavente
I believe that seeing a female dj in full performance has already become normalized, in any Latin American country seeing a woman on stage is no longer taboo or something “weird” or something new, on the contrary, female djs are now being called more , we have shown that we can reach the same professional level as any other musician, a clear example is Wendy Carlos, she was the first producer in the United States who created electronic music with synthesizers in the 60s, her music was featured in movies, she made collaborations with great musicians, and to this day she continues to be a great example for us, the new generation of women who want our music to sound and be recognized and admired by many more people.
As we anticipated at the beginning, here is a gift from our guests. A selection of the most interesting exponents of Peru, from their point of view:
Dj Sentimiento
