Mix Nights Online: DJing with History, Heart & Somatic Healing
Join Gayance for an online workshop that traces the roots and evolution of dance music —from ancestral rhythms to today’s club sounds.
Date and time
Location
Online
Refund Policy
About this event
This summer, Saffron is delighted to team up with Rhythm Section to present a special, three-month edition of MIX NIGHTS ONLINE – our flagship DJ workshop series for women, trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people.
Running from May to July 2025, this online programme will bring together our global communities for a series of workshops focused on building skills, nurturing creative exchange, and forging new connections within the electronic music space.
WORKSHOP 3: DJING WITH HISTORY, HEART & SOMATIC HEALING
Join Montreal-born Haitian-Canadian artist Gayance for an online workshop that traces the roots and evolution of dance music—from ancestral rhythms to today’s club sounds.
Together, we’ll explore the cultural lineages that shape genres like house, techno, afrobeat, baile funk and more, revealing how they interconnect and how you can confidently blend diverse sounds into a cohesive, intentional set.
We’ll also dive into the somatic and social power of music—how rhythm and bass move the body, create collective experience, and how DJs can honour that tradition through presence and purpose. You’ll walk away with tools to:
- Trace the genealogies of dance genres
- Understand the musical elements that move you
- Tune into rhythm and resonance in your body
- Mix with intention and emotional depth
- Reflect on your cultural and spiritual role as a DJ
ABOUT GAYANCE
GAYANCE is a Montreal-born Haitian-Canadian artist who makes jazzy houses with Brazilian spices so you can make it out with your crush. Highly influenced by the LA beat scene of 2007-2018 and the broken break / bruk movement in West London.
Gayance (Aïsha Vertus) takes her alias from the Haitian Creole word for joyfulness. She’s been DJing for the past decade and has ripped down sold-out venues in London, Montreal, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Milan, Sao Paulo, and more. She performed at Panorama Bar, Fabric London, Dekmantel Festival, WE OUT HERE, Montreux Jazz Festival, Down the Rabbit Hole, Lowlands Festival, Jazz Cafe in London, and many more.
ACCESS
Access to these sessions is free for sustainer and soulmate members of Saffron’s online community, Saffron Members Club. Membership packages start at just £5.50 per month and provide access to regular online workshops, an online community space, video masterclasses, free music tech tools, discounts and much more. If you can’t afford a ticket but believe you would benefit from attending, please email us: members@saffronmusic.co.uk.
Workshops are open to people worldwide but will be running at 7.30 pm UK time so please bear differences in time zone in mind. If you purchase a ticket but aren’t able to attend live, you will automatically be emailed a recording of the workshop(s) after the event.
We are committed to making our online events as accessible as possible. We have created a guidance document about this - Click here to view the accessibility document. Alternatively, please email us with any access requirements you may have.
GENDER POLICY
The gender imbalance in the music technology industry is well-recognised. While we are absolutely not ‘anti-men’, we see that a shorter-term solution is to provide fellowship and learning environments that are not dominated by the cisgender male perspective. Therefore, these workshops are intended for women, non-binary, trans and gender non-conforming people to attend. While we do not ban cisgender men from attending, we hope that they will respect that this event is not intended for them.
ABOUT SAFFRON
Saffron is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance gender equality in the music tech sector by creating safer spaces for marginalised people to learn, create and grow confidently through forward-thinking technological music creation, DJ and music industry experience.
Saffron’s work focuses on educational courses, online workshops, mentoring, a global members club and an artist development and label platform. We are building a future industry that is inclusive and diverse. Founded in Bristol UK in 2015, Saffron has grown from a one-woman operation to an initiative supporting thousands of people worldwide to find music education and community.
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ABOUT RHYTHM SECTION
Rhythm Section International is the record label, radio show, studio spaces, club night and concert series, owned and curated by Bradley Zero and made up of an ever expanding collective of artists, musicians, DJ’s and A&R’s. The Collective is based in Peckham, London, with a devoted worldwide following.
Organised by
The music tech industry is currently composed of just 5% women.
Our mission is to increase that figure, advancing gender equality in the sector by creating safe spaces for women and non-binary people to learn and build confidence.