FEMINAE NOX x MUTEK - Innovating the Future of Electronic Music

Photo: Mason Bramadat

MUTEK is thrilled to introduce FEMINAE NOX as a guest programmer and collaborator for this year’s Festival and Forum.

Co-created by live music agents, Mira Silvers (IG) and Seny Kassaye (IG) of FORT Agency (IG) FEMINAE NOX is a non-profit music platform focused on prioritizing equity for Black, Brown, Indigenous and other racialized women, femme, and gender non-conforming people working or seeking to work in live music and nightlife—both on stage and behind-the-scenes.

FEMINAE NOX was born after the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) informed the duo in 2023 that, at the time, Seny was one of the only Black music agents in the entirety of Canada – making her one of the only known Black female agents in Canadian history.

Globally, there are not nearly enough Indigenous, Black, Brown, and racialized women, femme, and gender nonconforming folks working in live music and nightlife. At the moment, women working in various music industry sectors make up only 36% worldwide. In Canada, BIPOC individuals (all genders included) who work in live music make up 16% of the workforce and of those numbers approximately only 2% are BIPOC women. Computational analysis of Industry reports has shown that BIPOC women working in live music in Québec make up a mere 0.05%.

Mission

FEMINAE NOX’s mission is clear: prioritize equity through education, training programs, mentorship, events, career support, entrepreneurship and celebration. It is evident, live music and nightlife requires a full overhaul and a more holistic approach to bridging the gap with immediate action-based goals to innovate the live music industry now more than ever.

“When we started the FEMINAE NOX community a little over a year ago, we were certainly not the first to embark on this mission and nor will we be the last.” - Mira Silvers (Co-Founder, FEMINAE NOX)

All it means is that there have been generations of activists, community organizers, leaders, music executives, organizations, and peoples that have done this work before, both past and present. FEMINAE NOX’s goal is to continue this work well into the future to arm aspiring and established music executives and artists alike with hope, equity, transparency, encouragement, inspiration, amplification, opportunity, resources, belonging, community, and empowerment.

"FEMINAE NOX is a love letter to Black & Brown women and their never-ending fight to make their voices heard AND matter. It is a love letter to community and sisterhood. Our ultimate goal is creating a golden path for the next generation of young Black & Brown women to disrupt the status quo of the industry and chase their dreams to the fullest!” - Seny Kassaye (Co-Founder, FEMINAE NOX)

Both existing and upcoming generations are encouraged to learn the diverse career opportunities within the music industry–careers and roles otherwise unknown–discover their potential, and shape their career in the industry. And eventually, to take up the mantle to pass knowledge and experience that are essential for empowering the future generations to come. To ensure this work carries on, the FEMINAE NOX’s pipeline program aims to induct more Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other racialized women, femme, and gender non-conforming people to revolutionize an archaic, an economically-sluggish, and exclusionary live music industry.

“MUTEK is excited about this initial collaboration with FEMINAE NOX. We recognize the lack of representation and inclusion in the music industry, especially for BIPOC women and non-conforming individuals. Rethinking workflows and providing a platform for education to deconstruct established norms is one of our priorities. Having a partner like FEMINAE NOX is essential in striving to achieve this goal.” - Sarah Mackenzie and Marie-Laure Saidani (MUTEK)

Events : FEMINAE NOX at MUTEK 2024

FEMINAE NOX will present an interactive panel alongside a masterclass lab at MUTEK Forum, three exciting performances at MUTEK Festival and an unforgettable Shift Radio night. Join us on Friday August 23 to discover how FEMINAE NOX is shaping the future of the industry and dance to the beats of an electrifying lineup.

G L O W Z I - OmniDirectional Groove - Fabienne Leys - Melissa Vincent - Korea Town Acid - Tati au Miel - N3ZHA

Conclusion

Centering community, at the forefront, this is a hand-ons and interactive takeover by FEMINAE NOX taking place at MUTEK. It’s a first step to (re)explore electronic music and its business from veteran Black and Brown femmes, who have already been involved in paving a way for Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other racialized women, femme, and gender fluid folks wanting to work and already working in music. To (re)discover unique local and international community diasporas on the intersection of music, art, business, and technology. Key takeaways are to (re)discover historical contexts, gain applicable knowledge to one’s own career and artistic practices, get inspired, network with like-minded individuals, and overall enjoy dancing the night away to an intentionally curated evening of 8 incredible sets.

Looking ahead, FEMINAE NOX calls for festivals to hire more BIPOC individuals and empower them to create programming reflective of their identities and communities, highlighting artists and executives both locally and internationally. In this way, festivals can prioritize equity not equality, and more specifically: financial equity.

This collaboration between FEMINAE NOX and MUTEK helps to continue to pave the way for Indigenous, Black, Brown, and racialized women, femme, and gender nonconforming folks as they have been and are seeking to contribute to the future of festivals and live music.

“We envision this as just the beginning of a more intentional and expansive approach to education and programming. We hope other festivals will take cues from MUTEK's lead in collaborating with FEMINAE NOX to bring diverse and inclusive programming to their festivals and conferences.” - Mira Silvers (Co-Founder, FEMINAE NOX)

Words by: Mira Silvers and Seny Kassaye
Edited by: Emma Garon
Graphic Design: Gandhi Delsoin (@gwendostudios), Noah Valere (@nvalere.design) and Mira Silvers (@msslvrs)