Welcoming Women’s Day with the Sisters of Sound

Thursday 8^th March was International Women’s Day. I was lucky enough to celebrate this in style at a female led Community DJ Workshop, run by Sisters of Sound DJ collective. The project was the brain child of our very own Verona, (DJ Lady V), and took place at the Registry nightclub in Gloucester.

I attended along with our newest member of Barnwood Trust, Jo who has recently joined the Grants Team. I invited along 2 women that I’ve met during my time as a ‘You’re Welcome Welcomer’ with Barnwood. I knew that these women had a passion for music, so it was great that they were able to make it along and join myself and Jo at trying out a new skill.

We were met with such enthusiasm and warmth by our hosts, that we were immediately put at ease. The emphasis was put on demystifying the equipment. We were encouraged to ask questions and to have a go. We had a chance to try our hand at using digital mixing equipment, and another separate rig for mixing CD’s (CDJ). We were given instruction on the basics and then given time to play the tunes, familiarise ourselves with the decks, and make the music come alive.

We learned the basics of beat matching (blending 2 songs into one another). We also had the chance to use traditional record decks and were given a lesson on how to beat match using vinyl. This was a little trickier but, once achieved it was extremely satisfying! (for about 10 seconds, until one track sped up, I lost the moment, and my dreams of International DJ stardom were dashed-for now).

It was wonderful to see so many women getting involved and having fun. The workshop was a resounding success, and I am already looking forward to round 2 at the follow up event. The date has yet to be set for this but all information about upcoming events by Sisters of Sound can be found on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/sistersofsoundglos/ or for more information email sistersofsound@gmail.com

by Charlotte, Barnwood Trust Welcomer