Collective Spotlight: Femme Bass Mafia

In this series, we spotlight up-and-coming collectives who are paving their own way while driving the culture forward.

Femme Bass Mafia is on a mission to redefine the global bass scene through artistry, activism, and inclusivity. The DJ and production mentoring programme for FLINTA folk (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Transgender, and Agender) are known for their powerful performances, boundary-pushing sounds, and unwavering commitment to creating space for marginalized genders and voices. So let’s take a closer look at the crew leaving an indelible mark on the global underground landscape.

How Femme Bass Mafia began

The seed of the idea for Femme Bass Mafia was planted in the brain of Lilia van Beukering, aka Dangermami, in 2020. She was stuck at home in Berlin during lockdown, surrounded by post-it notes of hopes, dreams, and ambitions. One that stood out was learning how to DJ, but her experiences working in the music industry were hardly encouraging.

“I was only working with male artists, and I couldn’t see myself asking any of them for help,” Lilia told Crack Magazine in a 2023 interview. “My flatmate was inviting friends over to play records, but only the guys would spin and the women stayed on the couch. I tried a few times to practice with men, but they would say stuff or do things that wouldn’t feel right. Like standing behind me breathing down my neck, or saying in patronizing tones, ‘Oh no, love, you shouldn’t touch this button.’”

Nevertheless, she bought a second-hand set of Pioneer CDJ850s, borrowed her flatmate’s analog mixer, and spent lockdown teaching herself how to mix. She was drawn to booty bass, footwork, and UK bass, and soon started reaching out to other women with the same taste. “Having a crew of friends and the notion of community was so far away from me at that time,” she says. “I hadn’t found my roots in Berlin yet – my real family. I was trying to find where I belong.”

She launched Femme Bass Mafia by herself in November 2020, and kicked off proceedings with Berlin club institutions Paloma and Crack Bellmer, who allowed her to use their space and equipment to host training sessions. Then she teamed up with Berlin-based radio stations Refuge Worldwide and HÖR Berlin to give graduates a space to showcase their new skills.

“I reached out to Luz1e (FBM’s Community, Education & Content Coordinator) on Instagram,” Lilia says. “We had a few friends in common. I invited her over to my house to eat guacamole. She was like, ‘I’m in.’ I saw Marie play at Crack Bellmer, so I was like, ‘I have this project I want to talk about.’ She came to my house, and we ate cake. Food is real magic! I knew DJ Fuckoff from friends of friends; she called me and was like, ‘Yo, I want to be in babe!’ in her New Zealand accent. Suddenly, we had courses on performance and how to use your voice during DJ sets.”

A Platform for Diverse Voices

What makes Femme Bass Mafia particularly unique in the underground scene is their dedication to inclusivity. They champion non-binary and gender non-conforming artists, ensuring the collective is a space for all marginalized identities in electronic music. They’re committed to giving space and a voice to those sidelined in an industry that historically prioritizes male artists, producers, and DJs.

Since 2021, Femme Bass Mafia has run dozens of DJ workshops and expanded their repertoire to teaching production which runs between three and six months. They call their graduates Bass Angels and regularly run club nights, mix series, radio takeovers, and one-off training events and workshops. They’re committed to creating safer spaces for their community, challenging the gender norms often associated with bass music, all while ensuring that creativity and artistic expression are valued over traditional notions of "success" in the industry.

All about the Bass

Femme Bass Mafia champions the various subgenres of bass music, including dubstep, grime, trap, drum and bass, and experimental bass. Their community play and produce music characterized by heavy basslines, intricate rhythms, atmospheric soundscapes, and vocal samples. As a community, they focus on themes of resilience, independence, and social justice, using club nights and radio take-overs to amplify the social causes they care about. Within that, they advocate for gender equality, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

In September 2024 they celebrated four years of existence with a Europe-wide tour, with FBM graduates such as EMA and LazerGazer playing at some of the continent’s most prestigious underground clubs. The crew also hosted workshops, panels, radio shows and listening sessions in London, Paris and beyond.

The collective is dedicated to inspiring future generations of artists by providing mentorship and resources for women and gender minorities. So it’s fair to say Femme Bass Mafia is not only transforming the sound of underground music but paving the way for a more equitable and progressive music industry.

To keep up to date with this crew, make sure you follow Femme Bass Mafia on Instagram.