DUBS CLUB

A closer look at what’s happening in Liverpool’s underground music scene. From parties and collectives, to record labels and music artists, we meet the thriving minds currently shaking up the city.

We kick things off with Dubs Club, the brainchild of local music producers Lucy Grey and NIIX. Founded by women for women and gender minorities, Dubs Club is a judgement-free space for people to come together and share their music productions. Regardless of genre or ability, Dubs Club is an in-person and online community providing space for marginalised communities to thrive in what is otherwise a heavily male-dominated industry. Now a newly registered CIC, Dubs Club are bursting with ideas to take their project to the next level.

Hi Lucy and Kate! What inspired you to start Dubs Club?

Lucy: Dubs Club was born from a sense of isolation. I found I was often the only woman participating in various music production classes and workshops, which for me, created an intimidating atmosphere. It hindered my ability to ask questions, limiting the overall learning experience.

Recognising the solitary nature of music production, we established Dubs Club to provide a platform for women and gender minorities to come together, share their electronic music productions and foster learning, connection and support.

Our meet-up group events feature women and non-binary industry experts who share their production techniques and offer feedback on submitted work from attendees. So far we’ve had the pleasure of hosting the amazing Låpsley, iamkyami, Melissa (Sisu) and Nil00. We also collaborated with Manchester-based DJ collective Shifting Spheres on a live production workshop, hosted by Lovescene’s Pops Roberts. Having an opportunity to do something more hands-on created a supportive environment for the community to network, learn and ask questions. The goal is to break the isolation, encourage collaboration, and empower these marginalised communities within the electronic music production scene.

Why do you think it’s important for something like this to exist in Liverpool?

Lucy: Whilst there are many female-led collectives based in the Northwest for DJing and live music, Dubs Club is the first to focus solely on music production. Liverpool has a lack of women and gender minority producers, and we hope that Dubs Club events such as the meet-up group and workshops events will inspire people to start producing.

We aim to benefit the marginalised gender communities within Liverpool – women, non-binary people, transwomen, transmen and gender fluid people – including those from the LGBTQIA+ community, Black, Indigenous and people of colour, and those with mental and/or physical disabilities. We have created a much-needed space, both in-person and online (through our Discord and Instagram), for these communities to exist comfortably in what is a heavily male-dominated industry. Particularly in Liverpool where, due to the closure of venues (Constellations, Parr Street Studios, Jimmy’s) and radio stations (Melodic Distraction), spaces are limited. Meaning there’s less room for women to fulfil their full potential.

Have you faced many struggles and if so, how have you overcome them?
The limited funding for the arts in the North West is obviously a huge hurdle – with few pots specifically for projects like ours available, the ones that do exist are very competitive, making it harder to secure. There’s also historically a geographical disparity with more support for the South, which is particularly challenging for less affluent areas up North.

There’s only so much we’ve been able to achieve out of our own pockets, whilst keeping our events free – we’re a non-profit organisation, so to charge for event entry would restrict accessibility. However, we’ve just become a registered CIC, which is very exciting! And should put us in a stronger position to apply for funding. The Arts Council have just announced a new support fund of £5 million, so hopefully this creates more opportunities for cultural organisations across the UK too.

What are your plans now that you’re a registered CIC?

Kate: Now that we’re a CIC we’re in a much better place to apply for funding, which is our next mission! We love hosting our events but having to self-fund them means we’re restricted in what we can offer. We’d like them to be more hands on and interactive, which would involve renting production equipment for people to have a play on. This, alongside booking more amazing industry experts and collaborating with other women-led collectives, is our aim for the next year. So whilst we may appear quiet, we’re busy working away to make this happen! In the meantime, we have a bimonthly residency no Aaja Radio, where we invite members from our community to host an hour guest show. It acts as a great platform for anyone looking to start a DJ or radio career, but may not have had the confidence or means to do so.

How can we support / find out more?

Kate: Become part of our community by joining our Discord (members of gender minority groups only), where you’ll be first to hear about our opportunities and updates. You can also follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on all things Dubs Club. If you’re interested in hosting our Aaja Radio residency, we’d love to hear from you – just drop us a line via the above!