Change the Beat, the non-profit that backs women and gender-expansive artists in electronic music, took over fabric on 15 October for its first London event: twelve hours of panels, an exhibition and a club night in the Main Room. It was a statement of arrival in one of dance music’s capitals, and a reminder that the organisation is building something artists in our part of the world can plug into too.
The questions every emerging artist asks
The daytime programme skipped the abstract talk and went straight to the practical: how do you get booked as a DJ in London, how do you get signed to a major dance label, and how do you land management and agency representation? Speakers came from across the industry, including Hospital Records, Toolroom, Anjunadeep, CAA, Junction 2 and HE.SHE.THEY.
Alongside the panels, the Women Who Shaped Electronic Music photo exhibition honoured 18 pioneers, among them Honey Dijon, DJ Paulette, Ultra Naté, Sister Bliss, Annie Mac and Nicole Moudaber. The night then belonged to TSHA, Kitty Amor, Sydney Blu, Emily Nash and N1NJA.
“Bringing Change The Beat to fabric London was a monumental moment for our organisation.”
Sydney Blu, founder
300 artists by 2028
Proceeds from the club night go to the organisation’s artist development programme, which offers education, mentorship and industry access. The goal is concrete: help 300 artists secure label opportunities by 2028. Founded by Sydney Blu in 2021 (originally as 23by23), Change the Beat now counts more than 1,200 members, and its alumni have released on Drumcode, Anjunadeep, Toolroom, Dirtybird and mau5trap.
Why this matters
Our scenes are full of women and gender-expansive producers making brilliant music with very little industry scaffolding around them. A community like this, with mentorship and direct lines to labels and agencies, is exactly the kind of bridge that’s often missing. More global events are planned for 2027, and the community is open to artists wherever they are.
If you’re a producer or DJ in Greece: join the Change the Beat community through their website and Discord!
