In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility observed on March 31, we highlight some trans DJs making massive waves in the electronic music scene. While the transgender community at large continue to face the perils of discrimination and prejudice, trans artists overall are slowly but surely getting their deserved moment in the limelight. From Grammy Award-winning house music extraordinaire Honey Dijon to bass/techno heavyweight Mandidextrous, find a list of transgender electronic artists paving the way for future generations!
Honey Dijon
With an acclaimed career that spans nearly 25 years, Honey Dijon‘s legacy is surely one for the books. The Chicago-based DJ grew up within the house music scene during its early inceptions, whose influences can be heard in Honey‘s music even today as she explores other genres. Kicking off her career as an underground DJ, Honey Dijon is now a mainstay in the electronic music realm, having played her sets at Coachella, Glastonbury, Sziget, EXIT, and many others. 2022 saw Honey release her latest 15-track record, ‘Black Girl Magic,’ and she co-produced two songs for Beyoncé’s album ‘Renaissance.’
Mandidextrous
Bristol-based DJ/producer Mandidextrous has become synonymous with DnB, jungletek, among others, with their many affiliations to the scene. Their power-packed, high-BPM music has been featured on acclaimed drum & bass record labels such as Born On Road and ProgRAM records, while Mandidextrous also bagged a mentorship program with EQ50 & Ram Records. The DJ made history in 2019 by becoming the first transgender artist to close Boomtown Festival, which draws in a crowd of over 65,000 people.
Eris Drew
Underground nightlife veteran Eris Drew is a DJ/producer and transgender advocate hailing from Chicago. She has accumulated many a feat under her belt by being the co-driving force behind the T4T LUV NRG record label with DJ Octo Octa, becoming BBC Radio 1 resident DJ for the 2020 Spring/Summer season, and most recently releasing the debut EP on fabric Original imprint by London’s iconic venue fabric with Octo Octa. Eris rolled out her debut album, ‘Quivering In Time,’ in 2021 via T4T LUV NRG.
Octo Octa
Next on our list is T4T LUV NRG’s other co-founder, Octo Octa. Since debuting her music officially in 2011, Octo Octa has cemented herself as one of the rising underground house producers of the era. Her tracks ‘Loops For Hearing,’ ‘Can You See Me?’ ‘Find Your Way Home’ and ‘Who Will I Become’ have accumulated over a million streams on Spotify so far! Octo Octa has been slated to appear at Listen Festival, DGTL Amsterdam, The Crave Festival, Distortion 2023, Big Dyke Energy, and Paradise City Festival, among others, for this year.
Jasmine Infiniti
Another noteworthy artist making it big in the endless world of electronic music is Bronx-based Jasmine Infiniti. Ballroom culture introduced Infiniti to house and disco music as a teen, but it wasn’t until later that she developed her foundations as a techno/experimental DJ and producer. The self-proclaimed Queen of Hell is the founder of New World Dysorder, a label created to focus on queer POC musicians.
SOPHIE
Lastly, a pioneer gone too soon, SOPHIE. In her limited time on earth, Sophie exceeded the boundaries of music with her visions and ideologies. She left behind a gargantuan legacy of work for the generations to come, including her tunes with the likes of Madonna and Charli XCX. Sophie was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for her 2019 project, ‘Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides.’
