Please welcome today’s guest blogger– DJ Handmaid, a.k.a. Emily Makarewicz. She has been a DJ for about three years and performs primarily in Los Angeles clubs, online events via Twitch or YouTube, on the radio, and in one festival… so far! Take it away, Emily!

When I was asked about my perspective as a female DJ in this male dominated field, I was happy to offer up some advice, and to call upon some of my friends and colleagues for their input. I wanted to make this a community piece that transcends gender, and hopefully is of help to anyone who wants to become a DJ. Many of the obstacles females face in the industry will also ring true for everyone.

The very first thought that came to my mind was “believe in yourself.” Everything seems to revolve around that in one way or the other. When you look around the room, and you are the only female on the stage or even at the venue – it can be intimidating, but if you truly believe in your talent and have a passion for what you are doing, you will succeed.

The second thought I had is related to this, but a little different: be brave. If you are brave enough, you will conquer your fears. These fears could be related to stage fright, feeling intimidated to put yourself out to the public on social media, feeling nervous to promote your shows to all your contacts via DM or whatever is the case. A lot of success boils down to your daily internal dialogue.

I feel if you have self-love and appreciation, you can believe in yourself and be brave. These are the most important ingredients I feel will carry through in your DJ performances and allow you to have the confidence to even begin your journey.

Beyond those mental barriers, DJing comes down to musical taste, training, and practice. If you put in the time, get coaching from experienced DJs, or utilize the vast number of online tutorials available – you can bring your skills up to a high level and be competitive in the field of DJing. Invest in good equipment as well, so you can be ready for your big opportunity. If you do not have the funds to do this now, you may be able to rent the proper equipment by the hour to hone your skills. You want to be ready for your first real club gig, and know exactly how to operate the equipment they have at the location. If you are prepared, you will be ready for success!

Now let’s hear what some others have to say!

Miss Nine (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

I have a book of advice 🙂 The most important tip is to not copy anyone, find your signature sound, and be true to yourself. Look for what brings you joy. Let inspiration guide you. Choose a DJ name, have the basic socials up and running so people can find more about you. Build a record collection with the sound you like. Network, practice, and have a thick skin in this male dominated industry. Always remain professional and be prepared for the unexpected. 
For example, a DJ from the line up could show up late, so make sure to have music with you to play longer. Expect feedback from others and be ready if/when a record stops playing because the link cable was disconnected. Imagine standing in front of a crowd with no sound coming out! Be ready for these circumstances.

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?

Oeff, there are so many. I like the ’80s a lot and created some mashups I always play in my sets. As well as edits from oldskool songs with a meaningful hook. One that stands out and what made me continue with what I’m doing today is “ONE MORE TIME” from Daft Punk.  As humans we need to try at least one more time to understand someone or something better, one more time to try that difficult task and one more time to talk to someone to level up. This record, which comes in many remixes, lifts my mood up and is perfect at the end of a DJ set, esp. when you don’t want to stop playing 🙂

-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?

I like to work with Pioneer DJ gear. They are the leading brand, up to date and perfect with all the integrated features and effects to level up the mixing and create climaxes with the mixers’ features. It’s essential to also have good quality headphones. I have tried many brands and the Sennheiser HD 25 has a nice warm sound, and it what fits my ears the best for now. For productions, I work mostly with Ableton and use different plug ins.

DJ Haze (Auckland, New Zealand):

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

Main advice is be prepared to put in the work. Unfortunately, as it is a male dominated society you have to be prepared for some setbacks – a lot of the time they won’t hire you because a guy has a bigger name or title. But eventually if you persevere and have the dedication to succeed you will eventually get a gig and then from their keep going for the next gig. It definitely isn’t the easiest industry but if you have the skill level and are able to adapt to different DJ styles then you have more of a chance to be booked.

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?

At the moment my go to track is still and will always be Danza Kuduro as no matter where you play it everyone loves the beat and vibes.

-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?

I started learning on turntables so my favourite is definitely that and at the moment the Rane 12 has upgraded to a whole new level, so this is by far my favourite along with the Rane 70 mixer.

-Anything else?

It’s more about being versatile. I’ve found being able to DJ all genres has given me a better chance at getting gigs as I’m not solely a house DJ or solely a hip hop DJ; I can DJ anything. 

Czechmate (Sacramento, CA)

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

My advice to other female DJs, aside from being able to mix harmonically, is to always read the crowd (which comes with time & practice), and have your branding on point (remain professional), and to stick with what you love. By this I mean play the genre that sets your soul on fire. While it’s great to experiment and be versatile, finding your sound and sticking to it to further establish yourself as a performer and overall brand is important in my opinion.

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?


Honestly, there are probably a few ‘go to’ tracks every DJs goes to when there is a time of need! My favorites are usually remixes of classics that everyone knows the words to. These create nice breaks/storytelling within sets. 


-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?


Preferred DJ gear is pioneer all the way! Give me a pair of CDJs, DJM-900 and I’m set!

Kuhteeuh (Sacramento, CA)

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

For female DJ just getting started, I think just practice DJing a lot. Record your mixes and listen to them, so you can see how it sounds. Take lots of videos and post them. From being a female DJ, you automatically stand out, but you also automatically get criticized. Honestly, just ignore the people talking negatively about you. They’re only bringing you more attention, so you will gain fans that actually like you. Also, make as many DJ friends as possible by mixing with them!

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?


My go to song would be “Murda Sound” by Snails.

-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?


I use anything Pioneer that I can plug my flash drive into. Preferably CDJs, but I have a Pioneer XDJ-RX at my house that works about the same, but for a quarter of the price.

DJ Romily (Estonia)

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

My suggestion is to take live DJ lessons from a DJ school or some experienced DJ you like. This will take less time to get the skills etc. you need to start DJing compared with searching from the web for the right videos.

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?

Faithless – “Insomnia”

-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?

Pioneer XDJ-RX1 mixer or the newest version. It is very easy to start with and you have all the features you need. Also, I suggest to have quality headphones & USBs.

Dialjess (Los Angeles, Chicago)

-Do you have any advice or tips for other female DJs just getting started?

Figure out *your* taste. You can always tailor it to your gig, but you’ll have a lot more fun if you’re doing what you love. I don’t often take top 40 gigs, but I do enjoy the challenge of making it palatable for myself by peppering in some left field choices. Explore every genre if you can – there are gems to be found everywhere and a little switch up can add a fresh element of surprise to a set.

Also, learn the gear inside and out, so you can trouble shoot and be your own tech support!

-What is your “go to” track that you know the crowd will always vibe to?

Anything by Green Velvet/Cajemere. Any decade of his will work from classics like Percolator and La La Land to a throwback like Shake and Pop, or something newer like Jolean.

-Do you have any preferred DJ gear?

Though I play vinyl, Serato, and on controllers, I prefer the club standard Pioneer CDJ/DJM mixer setup so there’s less to carry. I played a last-minute set at a party recently that was on the fly, but I had my USB sticks in my purse and was ready to go. Headphones are personal, but I’ve been using Sennheiser HD-25 for years. They’re lightweight, and I like that each component is individual and easily replaceable.