The 10 Best Female DJs of All Time

There’s no shortage of high-profile DJs providing inspirational dance music sets, from the underground electronic music scene to mainstream electronic dance music.

The best female DJs hold their own in the highly competitive music industry, delivering outstanding DJ sets while producing experimental electronic music.

This guide explores ten of the best female DJs of all time, blending elements of classic and contemporary sounds and diverse musical influences in their performances.

The 10 Best Female DJs of All Time

The electronic music community has been significantly enriched by including female DJs in the scene and the eclectic style they offer.

Let’s explore how these female artists have developed their careers, performing at major festivals and clubs worldwide and establishing a growing fan base.

10. Honey Dijon

The American DJ and producer Honey Dijon is no stranger to dance music, having been raised in Chicago, the birthplace of the original house music club scene.

Throughout this period of her life, Dijon learned essential DJ performance tips from mentors, including iconic house producers Mark Farina and Derrick Carter.

With such influences behind her, it’s no surprise that Dijon’s preferred music genres include house music and related subgenres, with techno elements thrown in for good measure.

Characterized by their application of underground sounds and intricate rhythms, her DJ sets have dominated the dance floor at major clubs throughout the US.

While Honey Dijon cut her teeth in Chicago, her New York debut introduced her to Danny Tenaglia and Maxi Records, breaking into the underground scene.

Honey Dijon has also worked as a music producer in her own right, releasing her debut album, The Best of Both Worlds, on the Classic Music label in 2017.

More recently, she signed up for a mix CD on the prestigious DJ Kicks series of releases, cementing her reputation as a leading female DJ and producer in electronic music.

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9. Annie Mac

Annie Mac needs little introduction to anyone following the music industry over the last few decades and has a passing interest in the UK’s vibrant music scene.

Widely regarded as one of the best British DJs of all time, Mac has been pivotal in laying the foundation for female DJs and promoting up-and-coming emerging talent.

As a radio DJ on the BBC Radio 1 radio show Future Sounds, Mac has been a key player in promoting artists from many genres, including hip-hop, future bass, and deep house.

Her career began in the early 2000s, performing her first live DJ set at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend event in Dundee two years later.

While Annie Mac’s reputation for captivating audiences and drawing listeners to her radio show is evident, she has also DJed in many renowned clubs.

In 2015, she founded and curated the Lost & Found Festival in Malta, bringing together some of the coolest DJs to share their eclectic taste with fans.

One of the most talented women DJs of her generation, Mac has even found the time to write a novel, The Mess We’re In, which is set to be adapted into a movie.

Tip: Discover how to get a DJ residency.

8. Maya Jane Coles

Another highly experienced and versatile female DJ from the United Kingdom is Maya Jane Coles, known for her energetic house and techno DJ sets.

Coles has worked as both a DJ and producer throughout her career, releasing darker and more bass-heavy techno tracks under her alias Nocturnal Sunshine.

Following early experiments with hip-hop, Maya Jane Coles branched out into the electronic music scene, remixing tracks for acts including Gorillaz and Massive Attack.

During this early career stage, she also DJed at many prestigious clubs and festivals, appearing on the Essential Mix and performing sets for Mixmag.

Coles has also received numerous dance music industry awards, including DJ Mag’s Producer of the Year in 2011 and Symphonic Distribution’s Artists of the Year in 2012.

As a music producer, she has earned a reputation for her ability to blend genres in a distinctive style that showcases electronic music’s best elements.

It’s an impressive track record for one of the most innovative female artists, effortlessly bridging the gap between underground clubs and collaborations with mainstream pop artists.

Read more: Exploring the difference between house music and EDM.

7. Nervo

The Australian DJing duo Nervo, comprised of twins Miriam and Olivia Nervo, first broke into the music industry in the early 2000s through the Opera Australia Academy.

After a brief spell as songwriters, they soon switched to working with artists focused on delivering dance floor classics through Razor Boy Music Publishing.

Before long, Nervo collaborated with key players in the EDM music scene, including on David Guetta’s hit track, “When Love Takes Over.”

By 2010, Nervo had signed to the prestigious Virgin Records and EMI Music, through which they collaborated with pop stars including Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue.

During this era, the duo often talked candidly about their experiences rubbing shoulders with celebrities and the importance of being twins.

At the same time, their DJing experiences allowed them to perform at festivals such as the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and Tomorrowland.

Nervo continues to work with many of the highest-paid DJs in the world, and are regularly ranked in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJs worldwide.

6. Alison Wonderland

Like Nervo, Alison Wonderland was born in Australia, where she began her career as a DJ and producer in the electronic music scene with a string of hit releases.

After training as a classical musician in Sydney, Wonderland decided to become a DJ after attending Candy’s Apartment nightclub in the city.

Her rise as a DJ was assisted by her previous experience in music production, notably working as a remixer on the Sam Sparrow track “I Wish I Never Met You” in 2012.

After this track was played on Pete Tong’s BBC Radio 1 show, new opportunities opened up, paving the way for her debut single in 2013.

Alison Wonderland continued to release singles over the subsequent years, with her debut album, Run, achieving gold certification on its release in 2015.

As a DJ, Wonderland is known for blending various genres in her sets, from EDM and electropop to future bass and chillwave.

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5. Peggy Gou

Korean DJ Peggy Gou has been firmly ensconced in the thriving techno music scene since she began working as a DJ and producer in 2009.

Today, she is frequently ranked among the best techno DJs of all time, delivering driving and energetic sets at international festivals and clubs worldwide.

A key player in the underground electronic music scene, Peggy Gou landed her first gig in Cirque Le Soir in Soho and other London clubs.

Before long, Gou was hitting the recording studio to produce original techno tracks, with a packed schedule that included a North American tour and over one hundred gigs in a year.

Gou debuted at the Boiler Room event series in New York City in 2017 and signed to the reputable underground record label Ninja Tunes the following year.

By 2019, Forbes had named her one of the leading Asian female entrepreneurs and pioneers for her DJing, production, and fashion design.

Peggy Gou’s music career has shown no signs of slowing down since, with regular DJ slots at major festivals along with new singles and remixes showcasing her infectious grooves.

Read more: Find out how to become a famous DJ.

4. Deborah De Luca

Like Peggy Gou, Deborah De Luca has become one of the key flag bearers for the contemporary techno music scene at underground venues worldwide.

A highly sought-after DJ, she has built a strong reputation around her ability to blend hard techno with minimalist grooves and melodies.

Deborah De Luca’s career has blown up through social media, with the DJ pioneering the use of platforms such as Facebook and X as promotional tools.

After working as a waitress and a dancer in Scampia, Italy, De Luca worked in the fashion industry before deciding to push boundaries in the music scene.

Her chance meeting with Giuseppe Cennamo, a Naples-based DJ and producer, gave her the impetus to begin DJing and production in her own right.

A master of advanced DJ techniques and delivering sets known for their electric atmosphere, Deborah De Luca remains a significant player in the techno scene.

3. Nina Kraviz

The Russian DJ, music producer, and singer Nina Kraviz initially studied dentistry in Moscow, where she picked up her first DJ residency.

By 2005, she had been accepted into the Red Bull Music Academy in Seattle, continuing to DJ widely in Moscow’s club scene while attempting to obtain a visa.

Before long, Kraviz had branched into music production, and in 2012, she released her self-titled debut album on the Rekids record label.

This soon led to work producing DJ remixes for other artists, with her vocal remix of “New York” by St. Vincent causing a stir when it hit the charts in 2019.

Kraviz has released many original singles throughout her career, with tracks such as “Don’t Mind Wrong Keys,” “You Take,” and “Let’s Do It” appearing on the tip label.

Having DJed throughout Moscow’s club scene and beyond, she has also released a DJ Kicks mix album in addition to her original work.

Outside the mainstream dance music scene, Kraviz lent her voice acting and production skills to the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077, released in 2020.

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2. Amelie Lens

The Belgian electronic music DJ and producer Amelie Lens began her journey in the scene as a teenager after attending the 2005 Dour Festival.

This early exposure to the art of DJing soon led her to explore the history of electronic music and develop a lifelong fascination for the genre.

During a brief but highly successful career as a model, where she represented Jean Paul Gaultier, Lens began DJing under the moniker Renée.

Before long, Amelie Lens was exploring the craft of production in the studio, releasing her first track, “Exhale,” in 2016 on Lyase Recordings.

Known for playing her live performances using a Pioneer RMX 1000, Lens’s sets are characterized by their heavy use of effects through the device’s built-in sampler.

This gives her shows a raw and minimalist sound that focuses on locked grooves, minimal percussion, and acid house elements.

Amelie Lens continues to release new tracks and work with other artists, with regular positions on DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs showcasing her industry clout.

1. Charlotte De Witte

Our last pick for the best female DJs is another outstanding talent from Belgium who has pioneered modern techno as a DJ and producer.

Charlotte De Witte has been working to showcase the underground sounds of techno since her career began in 2009 at various nightclubs in Ghent.

She has since become one of the leading figures in the DJ industry, both as a producer of singles and albums and through her high-profile performances.

As a DJ, De Witte’s resume covers all of the major venues and festivals, from Boiler Room and Printworks to Tomorrowland and Creamfields.

She is known for her prolific output in the studio, releasing multiple extended plays and singles each year, as well as several remixes.

While De Witte is best known today for her hard-hitting techno, this style evolved from her earlier fascination with electro house music.

In 2015, she was influenced by the iconic German DJ Len Faki when she underwent a stylistic change to become one of the key female artists in the techno scene.

Charlotte De Witte then launched her own record label, KNTXT, in 2019, being named as the best techno DJ in the world by the DJ Awards the same year.

Her accolades have continued to this day, with DJ Mag again declaring her the world’s number-one techno DJ in 2024.

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Summary

There’s immense talent on display in the eclectic sets from the world’s best female DJs, establishing a dedicated following and deserved critical acclaim.

The female DJs outlined in this article provide a great starting point for music lovers seeking to break away from male-dominated and discover something new.

Pushing boundaries with a unique blend of styles and known for their infectious energy, these female DJs are essential listening for any electronic music fan.