Smirnoff today (14 June) launched Move the Needle workshops 'to inspire a new wave of female DJs and producers' across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The drinks brand in collaboration with Ellen King aka ELLLL, techno DJ / producer will run a series of free workshops in the four cities Galway, Belfast, Cork and Dublin this summer.
According to Syl Saller, chief marketing officer, Diageo said, “We believe we can make a difference by using our presence in electronic music culture to drive diversity within the community."
It said that females, transgender and non-binarypeople 'made up 17% of headliners in 2016 at electronic music festivals around the world'.
Reportedly, on International Women’s Day in March, Smirnoff pledged to double this number by 2020.
"By 2020, Smirnoff aims to make a difference by doubling the number of women headliners and this mission requires music fans and industry leaders to work together to achieve this bold goal.”
To showcase the training events, it also launched a mini-documentary featuring leading women from within Irish electronic music.
ELLLL added, “There’s no reason why people - male or female - can’t work together to share knowledge and help each other across the board. There should be cross pollination in all areas.
"These workshops are really about everyone getting up and having a go, especially for the vinyl and CDJ workshops."
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
