Besides her solo career, Elin Beckman has a DJ duo together with Julius Wiksten - Bækstein. “It’s easy to get stuck in your usual tracks and genres when you’re on your own, so it’s really inspiring to work with others.” Bækstein is still evolving, , but during the pandemic the duo has been spinning a lot of tracks and recording new mixes. These mixes differ a bit from her personal ones “That’s the fun of it all – exploring new kinds of mixing, music, and collaborating together.”  Bækstein’s  releases can be found on their SoundCloud, Bækstein.

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In 2019, Billboard and DJ-mag’s top 100 list included only five women, and in the top 150 nightclubs around the world, the annual percentage of women is a mere 6 %.

"5% is really shocking to me, considering how many years this business has been going on," Elin says.

"There are so many talented female and non-binary DJ:s out there that deserve to be heard. Club managers simply need to book more DJ:s that aren’t cishet men."
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As in all businesses, it’s important for DJing to diversify. Yet, progress is slow — perhaps slower than it has to be.

"There’s been a lot of change already, especially in clubs around Malmö — but there is still a lot of work to do," Elin says.
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Her words of advice to younger female DJ:s (and potential DJ:s), is to buy a simple mixing table (digital or analog) and start practicing at home. Elin explains that there are a lot of YouTube tutorials out there which will teach you how to beatmatch, scratch, use effects and mix according to key and BPM. “Just play around with the gear and learn how to manage it. Recording some mixtapes and uploading them on SoundCloud is an easy thing to do for exposure,” says Elin. "Maybe you feel like you have to use a certain alias as a DJ? There are so many male DJs that just use their first and last name as an artist alias - so why shouldn’t us girls be able to do the same? Don't let that initial fear stop you.”

After playing around and experimenting, the next step is to get booked for a first gig and to contact different bookers. “Many years ago, I played my first gigs for free, just to get used to the club gear and get some ”real” practice," Elin explains. "But once you’ve established yourself and gotten comfortable with your mixing, it is very important to start getting paid for your work. You deserve it and, even though you shouldn't have to, you have to demand it."

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As has been a struggle for all creative sectors, the pandemic has had a huge impact on the music industry. For Elin Beckman, as for many other DJ:s, it has definitely been tough to get gigs. “However, it’s starting to get better and I have gotten a lot more gigs this year compared to last year, which is a relief and so much fun," Elin says. "I've been really missing DJing and partying during the pandemic! But I know others have had it a lot worse, so I'm trying not to complain."

With things slowly returning to normal, Elin ponders where she sees herself in the future. Right now, aside from DJing, she is also working a full-time job in marketing at Axis Communications. “It’s so hard to say where I’ll be in five years as the past year has shown that anything can happen and anything can stand in the way to fulfill your dream or even change your whole life,” she says. "I'd rather not make a guess, actually. I'm curious to see what the next few years have in store for me."

However, one thing she does know is that the end goal is working with music, media, marketing, and communication. “Until then, I’ll just keep working as hard as possible to make things happen - and, of course, make people happy on the dance floors!”

Thank you Elin for your time and thank you for the amazing set you delivered during our annual event Crossing Borders! You can listen to her full set down below, and if that is not enough make sure to check out her SoundCloud: Elin Beckman - as well as Bækstein.

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