Music
Step inside Umfang's world of Technofeminism
Discwoman founding member Umfang is confronting genre boundaries by pushing for inclusivity and diversity within electronic music. Get to know her better with her lecture from RBMA Bass Camp Montréal.
You may have already heard of Discwoman, the NYC-based, all-female collective of artists and club promoters. The group is armed with a mission to promote female-identified talent in the electronic music underground. Now a global movement, the collective of DJs and its embedded ethos is growing quickly and expanding to all four corners of North America and beyond. One of Discwoman's founders, Emma Olson, aka Umfang, has been in the spotlight as of late for her techno productions and memorable DJ sets, in addition to the release of her first album Symbolic Use of Light on Ninja Tune’s offshoot label Technicolour in 2017.
At Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp in Montréal last fall, Olson gave an insightful lecture which traced her upbringing in Kansas City, the politics of dance music, a rundown on her Technofeminism party series and her distinct approaches to both production and DJing. Dive into key takeaways below and watch the conversation in full via Red Bull Music Academy.
We had no idea [Discwoman] would be such an innovative idea, because it seemed pretty obvious to us.
Don’t underestimate the potential of cheap gear
When it comes to production, Umfang makes most of her tracks with a BOSS DR-202. Known for its versatility, Olson got her hands on the drum machine by happenstance from friend and producer Octo Octa for a mere $50. Her favourite feature? A bassline that you can pitch up an octave and record over in loops. A cheaper subdivision of Roland, the BOSS drum machine often throws people off with its cheap look and toy resemblance. But don't be fooled – according to Olson, the BOSS DR-202 is a treasure beyond measure.
A big agenda for me is proving that cheap equipment is awesome.
There's still a lot of work to be done
Umfang at Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp in Montreal
© Maria Jose Govea
Despite recent progress, Umfang asserts that there's still a lot of work to be done in terms of attaining inclusivity and diversity in dance music. This became increasingly obvious for Olson as Discwoman began to evolve and expand to produce satellite parties and panels on a global scale. The response from women and marginalized groups from all over was overwhelming – which came as a shock to Olson, who admittedly had been living in a bubble in NYC.
The good news is that Discwoman doesn't appear to be going anywhere, and neither is its message. Since its conception in 2014, the collective, platform and booking agency has produced events in over 15 cities and has worked with over 250 DJs and producers.
We had really blinded ourselves to the fact that in some places, women are really disrespected and not trusted. I'm constantly surprised by how geographically different places are all connected by a similar theme beyond electronic music, including its politics.
The best DJ sets are unpredictable
Umfang at the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender in Montreal
© Karel Chladek
According to Umfang, the hallmark of a memorable DJ set is to offer intrigue and unpredictable moments that refocus the dancefloor's attention. Surprises are welcome and transcendentalism encouraged. This comes as no surprise as Olson's own sets are singular and boundless, packed with driving techno rhythms and rare rave bangers which have earned her a reputation as a must-see selector.
My favorite DJ sets are like, 'OK, I’m going to go home after the next track. OK, I’m going to go home after the next track, I’m going to go home when they play a boring track, I’m going to go home.' When you are kind of interested in what happens next, then that’s the goal. So, I’m not really interested in one flow for one hour, two hours, five hours, 24 hours. It doesn’t interest me.
Techno is good for the brain
Discwoman Co-Founders Emma, Frankie and Christine
© Gary Go
For Umfang, techno is therapeutic. On top of music being a vital medium for her to channel connectivity, the electronic music genre's sonic intensity provides an avenue for Olson to get out of her thoughts.
I feel like the more insane, fast, and banging the techno is, it actually makes my brain feel happy.