Kate Simko has released the score to the film Underplayed, which looks at the gender disparities in electronic music. Underplayed was a selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival
Directed by Stacey Lee, the film features the likes of SHERELLE, Anna Lunoe, TOKiMONSTA, Nightwave, REZZ, Alison Wonderland, TYGAPAW, Suzanne Ciani, Louisahhh and others. Underplayed examines gender, ethnic and sexuality equality issues in dance music, especially as it has grown into a massive global business, now dominated by white men. The film is now available to watch on Amazon Prime.
Underplayed was filmed over the summer of 2019, which is how there are shots of festivals.
“When the pioneering godmothers of electronic music first began tinkering away in their scientific labs back in the 50s and 60s, they could never have imagined their little back room experiments would make way for a blossoming 8 billion dollar global industry today. Nor could they have foreseen how drastically its very creative, egalitarian roots would transmute from an open experimental playing field, to an industry dominated by a one-dimensional male point of view,” says Stacey Lee, the director, in a statement.
“This is a universal theme, and sadly one that I can personally relate to as a 'female' filmmaker in a heavily male field. I empathize and understand the frustration of having to fight harder to be considered for jobs “because there aren’t as many good female directors,” to turn a deaf ear to the belief that women 'can’t be technical,' that we don’t deserve equal pay, or in my instance, hiding my pregnancy beneath an oversized blazer so I wouldn’t jeopardize my chances of securing jobs."
The Amazon Music Twitch Channel will host a live roundtable at 6 pm PST / 9 pm EST later today on women in electronic music featuring Underplayed director Stacey Lee, REZZ, TOKiMONSTA and TYGAPAW.
The score is available to stream & download wherever you do that and you can listen below.
