Why DJ Culture Matters to Global Music

Chaired by Emily Dust (UK), DJ; Club Summit curator; documentary maker, Emily Dust
Balraj Samrai (UK), label director, music producer, project manager, lecturer, educator, Swing Ting
Jamz Supernova (UK), radio broadcaster; DJ; label owner, Future Bounce

Yes, music wouldn't exist without the artists themselves, but DJs are digital diggers: they hunt for new sounds in interesting corners of the globe. Why does this matter?

In this panel, we'll discuss:

- Why playing music in a club, on the radio or at a festival is still an important way to break new records in different markets - breaking down barriers between what the crowd knows and what you want to represent

- How DJs can mindfully build relationships with global artists, rather than cherry picking trends

- How DJs fit into a wider musical ecosystem of promoters and label owners

- Diversity in DJing - in the UK alone, less than 3% of music producers are female, but the percentage of female DJs is much higher: let's celebrate DJing as an inclusive, accessible art form in its own right within the global music scene, helping to lower the barriers of entry to the rest of the scene.