“Underplayed” documentary: An Interview with Stacey Lee

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By Dominic Wren

Once again, Bud Light Canada has invested into the EDM industry to add another piece of art that will hardly be forgotten. Underplayed is a documentary that discusses the topic of gender equality within the electronic music industry. Set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in April (though it’s been postponed due to COVID-19), the documentary is directed by Stacey Lee who has amassed a wide range of successes, such as picking up awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, AWARD and ranking 9th in the world at the Young Guns Advertising Awards. To check out some of Stacey Lee’s past projects: https://vimeo.com/staceylee.

I had an opportunity to have a chat with the film director, Stacey Lee, about her new documentary Underplayed. This isn’t her first film for the music industry. Stacey has made short films and music videos and for various musical artists in the past and has mentioned that the film industry and the music industry have many parallel gender issues when it comes to integration, opportunities and access. Her last input in the EDM scene was her project with Black Coffee where she directed a music video for the DJ about four years ago and mentioned that when Bud Light approached her about the Underplayed documentary she thought “surely things have gotten better since last time.” The fact is that not much has changed at all in the EDM industry.  In the 2019 DJ Mag Top 100 list of 2019, 5 women had made it onto the consequential list. Furthermore, a study from the Annenberg Institute show that women make up less than 3% of the production and technical roles in the music industry and that in the top 150 clubs, the annual rate of females DJs in around 6% according to Djane Magazine. “These stats are concerning”, says the director.

Stacey Lee

To create the documentary, Stacey followed and studied many female DJs, such as Nervo, Alison Wonderland, Suzanne Ciani, and many more during the 2019 festival season. Lee mentions that during her time following the artists, it was very important to her to hear all of the different perspectives like Nervo’s birth of their babies, Rezz and Alison Wonderland’s new found success in the modern age of electronic music, Tokimonsta’s long road to the top, and more. “This film isn’t about the negatives of the issue but more about the solutions,” states Lee.

The film director mentions that there are many artists who appear in Underplayed that push to help the issue in different ways, such as Alison Wonderland who played her original songs with an all female string and percussion band at her 2019 Temple of Wonderland at Red Rocks in 2019. Lee also points out Suzanne Ciani for “connecting her legacy” to show that women have been there all along and others of the like who will refuse to play at events that don’t have enough females names in the lineups. “Tools like these create pipelines where it gives women more opportunity” she says while also adding that “it’s not about putting women there because we have to, it’s about allowing women the opportunity to be there.” Raising awareness is her intent with this film.

The title of the film, Underplayed, serves as a symbol of the under representation of women in the EDM industry. Lee affirms that it is a “representation of women in the EDM world who have been there all along but have never been recognized.” She also explains that the House and Techno scene was born in the Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ communities who were using this as a form of expression and to come together.

Alison Wonderland crushing the Bud Light House Party Tour

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By Dominic Wren

Alexandra Scholler, also known under her stage name of Alison Wonderland, has been one of the most exciting names to come through the electronic music scene in the last couple of years by creating her own distinct sound and collaborating with artist within and outside the electronic music scene, such as Trippie Red, Dillon Francis, and Chief Keef just to name a couple. EDM Canada was more than grateful to have a chance to sit down with this unique artist and discuss a couple topics so we can all understand her, her music, and her message a little bit better.

The Fortnite Pro-Am in July saw many celebrities participate in the charity event including Alison Wonderland. She explained that she started playing only 2 days before the event and she still beat 20 people before eventually eliminating herself because she was too good. Even for herself…

One thing she can undoubtedly be crowned as a world champion for is creating her own snacks. I’m talking about finding the new best topping on a pizza; I’m talking about mixing the most random ingredients to imitate a real food. For example; she explained that when she first started touring, she would get the milk creams and the sugar from the hotel room mini bar to mix them both in her mouth to imitate the taste of vanilla ice cream. Now that’s unique!

Source: Bud Light Canada FB Page

As some fans may already know, the now successful DJ/producer was a very talented cellist for the Sydney Youth Orchestra. Today she dominates the electronic music scene, but how/when did she make the transition from classical music to raves? She explained cello was her passion for most of her youth but after coming back to Australia from an overseas experience studying cello, she decided that this instrument wasn’t for her anymore. With no plans for education, Alexandra started playing in an underground punk band and working at the doors of nightclubs to earn extra money. She then heard the DJ play the song “Silent Shout” by the Knife and she became obsessed with it so she started making music like The Knife to later become the beloved Alison Wonderland after years of grinding and hard work.

For a long time, at the beginning of her career, Alexandra used a cracked version of the DAW Ableton where she taught herself how to make her own tracks. She only had a few sample packs to start with, including a Deadmau5’s sample pack, and pure passion that led to the creation of her own sound. She then started DJing closing sets almost every night in clubs around Sydney. She would make music during the day and would DJ until 4 am at night.

She made a clear point that DJing and producing music are two very different aspects of music. The Aussie artist explained that in those days, she would DJ under the name “Alison Wonderland” and produce under the name “White Fang.”

Pssst… *whispering* She also hinted a possibility of new music being released under her old name of White Fang.

We eventually went on to talk about the Bud Light House Party event that she was DJing that same night. Alison Wonderland was very excited for involvement with Bud Light and she mentioned that she would not have said yes to an event like this if it weren’t an authentic experience between her and her fans. Bud Light made it so much easier for her to connect with her fans and support her as an artist. Big ups on that Bud Light!

Alison Wonderland is one the most authentic and interesting electronic artists out there in my opinion. From humble beginnings to crushing headlines, her musical career has been a journey that even a Hollywood movie couldn’t encompass the whole story. We hope to see more of this talented female artist in the near future and hope to see her come to Canada more often! We need more artists like her in the industry.

Bud Light House Party Tour and interview with Nervo

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By Dominic Wren

As it comes to no surprise, Bud light pulled off another killer night for their Bud light House Party Tour when it made it's third stop in Montreal. It’s great to see a major beer company allowing fans to be closer to there favorite artists as it really brought the community together. At 10pm sharp, the long awaited Aussie DJ duo, Nervo, came to stage, opening their set with their brand new single “What Would You Do For Love” (Sedliv Remix). The crowed freaked.

For a party of a capacity of about 100 people, it felt like there were 500 partiers. This was some of the best artist to crowd interactions I’ve ever seen. People having posters, Nervo responding, smiling and talk to individuals in the front row. The two Australians keeping the party to a Big Room House (pun not intended) vibe, they were rocking with “Blah Blah Blah” by Armin Van Buuren (Bassjackers Remix) and “Dreamer” by Axwell Ingrosso and many more.

The next morning I sat down with these world-renowned artists for an interview. While the Nervo twins created a very chill and relaxed atmosphere, I first asked them what they thought of this idea of playing at a house party. They both jumped to express their love of the idea. The two-minute-older sister, Olivia Nervo, mentioned that it was a great vibe: “normally big shows and festivals are all about entertaining the crowd, but this was more of an intimate night between us and the crowd” just a “great vibe.” Mariam Nervo expressed that “variety is the spice of life” so playing at these rare opportunities is truly special for them. The Bud Light House Party Tour has been rocking through out the whole summer, stopping in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Bud Light smashed their first stop with French Montana in Vancouver, then Ty Dolla $ign in Toronto and finally the major beer company reached out to Nervo to host their last house party of the summer in Montreal. “We were super excited for the gig” said the Nervo sisters.

These two ladies work insanely hard to make the best music they possibly can. They casually explained that they frequently fly between LA and London just to get the sound that want. While sipping her tea in the hotel lobby after a big night, the older twin, Olivia, said: “sometimes we fly to London just to finish a mix. The mix we get in our room over there is just… Better.”

The question was brought up about why there are so fewer female DJ/producers in what is known as “the top 40”. The younger twin, Mariam Nervo, voiced that female DJs tend to stay in the techno world, but today we are seeing more and more female DJs become more “mainstream.” Olivia pitched in with a very good point expressing that when they started making music, they made melodies on the piano and wrote down their songs on paper then they would go to a producers house where they could use his computer and his system to produce and it was always a little bit intimidating. Now software and professional programs are easily accessible just from your computer in your bedroom. “Within the next ten years, I think the number of female DJs and producers will explode” added Olivia. It’s a part of the industry that will soon be changed.

Source: Nervo FB

According to Nervo, the knowledge that coming from a certain part of the world is unfair for people trying to “make it” is completely untrue. “Any industry, if you want to be at the top, it’s hard” said Mariam. The duo also mentioned that most people think that LA is the artistic hub of the world but artists who live in LA trying to “make it” say that they feel it’s over saturated. Olivia confidently responds: “It’s a fair playing ground, you just have to be the best.” She added that she’s received an email from an Iranian producer seeking help claiming that he is one of the few EDM producers in Iran because that genre of music is actually illegal there. So to conclude that segment, anywhere you are in the world, it’s a grind claims the Nervo duo.

These two ladies were off going to Fabulous Las Vegas the very next day of the Bud Light House Party. Nervo will be on the road from now until October 13th where they’ll be touring in many cities from the USA to Europe to Asia and South East Asia. If Nervo is playing near you, then make sure to grab your ticket and your best friend and take part of a memorable night.