The F-List: Rewriting the Rules of Electronic Music

The F-List for Music was founded in 2020 by music industry executive Vick Bain to address a glaring inequality: the chronic lack of visibility and opportunity for women and gender-diverse musicians in the UK. What began as a crowd-sourced directory has evolved into a dynamic, purpose-driven community of over 6,200 artists, composers, producers, and DJs. 

Among them, more than 650 identify with electronic music, spanning sub-genres like trance, techno, garage, and drum & bass. The directory also highlights over 150 DJs and nearly 500 artists with production and engineering skills – a powerful testament to the talent reshaping the future of electronic sound in the UK. Want to find fantastic electronic music talent in the UK? Look no further. 

The F-List exists to challenge a broken system. Research from Vick Bain in 2019 revealed that fewer than 12.5% of artists signed to electronic music labels were women, and just focusing in on D&B and grime it was 5%. When it comes to music technology the disparity is just as pronounced. Between 2013 and 2018 13% of students on music technology-related courses in the UK were female, and fewer than 6% of professional producers are women.

A growing body of evidence and experience shows that talent isn’t the issue - access, opportunity, and systemic bias are. That’s why The F-List is redefining representation by not only listing underrepresented artists but actively supporting their development through initiatives, partnerships, and training.

Images above and below by Lottie Field.

The Culture of Belonging programme is one such initiative; with over 150 applications it took 28 women and gender-diverse artists with award-winning producers like Catherine Anne Davies (The Anchoress) for six weekends of intensive studio sessions at Miloco’s iconic Battery Studio in London, UK. Participants reported a profound boost in confidence and technical autonomy – critical skills for these musicians who wanted to keep control over their creative vision in future recording sessions. 

Last year, in collaboration with the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama, a team of women audio experts delivered a free Creative Music Technology course to another 28 F-List artists, helping them explore new sonic landscapes and develop their technical skillsets. These kinds of programmes address the digital divide head-on, proving that when women are given access to technology, they want to participate.

Image below by Annie Urquhart.

Across its directory and projects, The F-List is committed to building an ecosystem where diverse voices in electronic music thrive. The organisation’s approach is informed by the lived experiences of its board (which includes artists like BISHI, a critically acclaimed trailblazer in music technology, and NikNak, the first Black turntablist to win an Oram Award), hundreds of grassroots musicians, and a growing body of academic research into gender in music. 

So, what’s next? The F-List aims to deepen its reach by continuing to expand the directory, foster more partnerships, and scale up training initiatives like the Music Career Toolkit. Long-term, the vision is an industry where playlists, festival line-ups, and studio teams reflect the full spectrum of talent.

Cover image by Chris Brown.