Revisiting 'Women In Electronic Music' & The Role Of Ableton In Shaping New Voices

Nearly 7 years ago, Wild City hosted its latest iteration of 'Women In Electronic Music' (later to be prefaced as 'Selector Pro'), a series of music production workshops between 2017 and 2019 that were designed to make music-making more accessible to women and underrepresented voices in India.

Supported by the likes of Ableton, British Council and Native Instruments, the workshops introduced participants to the foundations of digital production while pairing them with internationally respected mentors, including Eliza Rose, Rachel K Collier, Nightwave and Perera Elsewhere.

7 years on, several of the workshop alumni have emerged as recognised artists shaping the alternative music culture in the country, while some have created their own spaces to enable more underrepresented voices. Meanwhile, Ableton continues its efforts to make music-making accessible in the country by introducing India-specific pricing.

As it launches regional prices for its rent-to-own options and, after features like stem separation and splice integration in version 12.3, announces Ableton Live 12.4 with its new Learn view, we look at how access and lower barriers of entry create a positive ripple effect. Over the next few weeks, we will speak about it with some of the alumni from the 'Women In Electronic Music' workshops and shed light on how it has come into practice in their own trajectories.

Avril Unger

Chutney Mary (behind) leading a workshop for Flower Tools

Avril Stormy Unger is almost like a case study on how the act of providing access and a platform has a ripple effect. "The workshop gave me access and time with equipment which was a difficult thing to come by," recalls Avril, who was already DJing on and off when she attended the Selector Pro workshops. "My most memorable part was the showcase where we played small sets under the guidance of our mentors and in company and support of other participants."

Since then, the multi-faceted artist has emerged as a DJ as Chutney Mary who also champions queer voices in nightlife with the party series QRave, enables new ones with the skill-sharing sessions entitled Flower Tools, while also tying her music to performance and visual arts space. With Flower Tools carrying forward the torch (and evolving beyond) from efforts like Selector Pro as it offers beginner-level DJ workshops and a production workshop for queer and women participants, Avril remarks: "It is only with access that one is able to create. The more minority communities get access to spaces, equipment and tools, the more authentic sounds emerge."

Lush Lata

Image by Rishabh Chadha

When Nandini Bansal aka Lush Lata attended the Selector Pro workshops, she was a fledgling selector. 7 years later, not only has she emerged as the first Indian woman to DJ at Berlin's dance music mecca Berghain as well as platforms like Keep Hush and Hör, besides becoming one of the leading DJs in the country, known for sets with an energetic bounce and routes that join South Asian with global bops.

"What I remember most about the experience is knowing that I am not alone in my desire to learn and the crazy amount of resources made available to us so we could learn in such a potent environment", she recalls. "I remember meeting a lot of new artists and musicians who ended up being a big part of my crazy journey as a DJ!"

The New Delhi-based artist has stuck primarily with DJing and curation rather than focusing on production, which she touches upon mostly for her remixes and flips. "It was a great entry point into making the tool accessible for me and removing that layer of fear and alienness I always had towards it," she adds. "An experience like Selector Pro can really usher in the new wave of creatives and harness a sense of community for our young creatives!"

Pardafash

Image by Abhishek Shukla

Sandhya Visvanathan aka Pardafash wasn't just an attendee at one of the first 'Women In Electronic Music' workshops, but, as a young designer who aspired to be a vocalist and producer, she also designed its key illustration: "a larger than life femme figure who stole the moon for herself, a representation of women asserting themselves and finding their voices in the nightlife industry."

The multi-faceted Bangalore-based creative remembers nerding out over learning softwares and learning the process behind electronic music from Rahul Giri aka _RHL and Rachel K Collier. "I became a producer because I felt like I had a vision of my music that I wanted to have full control over," she adds, reminiscing the start of a journey that has since included her becoming a part of the collective Consolidate and of compilations from leading independent music labels like Azadi Records and ONNO Collective, as well as, more recently, performing for trailblazing platforms like QRave and Slingshot festival.

"There are just infinite possibilities in exploring a tool like Ableton," continues Sandhya. "I am primarily a producer now and that is what makes me happiest. While I started out as a singer and was making music to sing over, I have now moved to exploring ambient music and dance music. Being a producer also opened other doors for me in non-club-focused fields such as composing music for dance and theatre productions."

Suyasha Sen

"I was tinkering around with audio production at the time and hadn't quite developed my chops just yet. There is something very special about being in a room where everyone is just as enthusiastic about music, whether production or DJ-ing," recalls Kolkata's Suyasha Sen who, at the time she participated in Selector Pro's Kolkata edition in 2018, was already recognised for being part of the band The Ganesh Talkies and was emerging as her solo act, Plastic Parvati. "The workshop helped me learn how to shape my live sets on Ableton more efficiently."

Plastic Parvati has since been part of the supergroup Hotel Kali, collaborated with the likes of National Animal, and has recently launched the group Still In Therapy, which was part of the lineup at Lollapalooza 2026.

"At a time when generative AI is flattening all forms of self-expression, it is the need of the hour to create spaces for emerging musicians that facilitate and nurture their growth," adds Suyasha. "Now, more than ever, we need initiatives like ['Women In Electronic Music' workshops] to help musicians expand their technical skills but also find a community in the process."

Sijya

Image by TITO

"I was just starting to make some loops on Ableton. So very very early in my journey. I had not even finished a track yet," remembers Sijya Gupta of where she was in her journey when she participated in Selector Pro: Women in Electronic Music's 2019 edition. Since then, the New Delhi creative artist released her EP 'Young Hate' on Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records and its follow-up 'Leather & Brass' on One Little Independent, counting the likes of Björk as her label-mate.

"Learning from Sasha [Perera] was the most memorable experience and seeing her process intimately made me feel like I could do it. Her approach felt impulse-based rather than systematic. I loved that", adds Sijya. With almost every major Indian festival from Lollapalooza and Magnetic Fields Festival to Echoes of Earth and MediumRare Weekender under her belt, Sijya has also performed at international stages like Tate Modern and Yes Manchester and has just been announced on the lineup for Netherlands' Rewire Festival.

"Workshops are the most wonderful thing, giving you a quick preview of what a vocation might be," adds Sijya, who received training in Ableton Live, using Native Instruments, DJ-ing, live sound and nightlife laws as part of the workshop, noting how it was extremely helpful that in a sea of male-dominated spaces, the workshops were womxn-only, which enabled a more welcoming and open learning environment for her. She continues, "I still use the same tools, to be honest. A few more but they still exist. Now I'm much better at them and know (somewhat) my way around."

Skulk

"I remember loving being taught technical skills by women producers in a room fully occupied by women," says Katyayini Gargi. "I was about a year into writing and producing my own songs, and this workshop felt like a solid boat that guided me into the deep sea to swim."

Katyayini has since emerged as one of the more unique voices in India's alternative music scene as Skulk, presenting her leftfield-pop sound through multiple singles and 2 albums, the latest of which, 'Skin', released via ONNO Collective just last year. She notes that the access and guidance at Selector Pro prepared her with the basics of softwares like Ableton Live with the feeling that she is in it for the long haul – something she wishes to see more of. "Just look at how many musicians came out of these workshops."

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Main image: Selector Pro 2019 by Dolly Devi