Pink Noise Radio Is Turning Down the FuckBois and Turning Up Diverse Party Tunes

Pink Noise was formed over glasses of rosé at the sadly missed Goodgod Small Club. Tired of Sydney's macho club scene Marisa Marsionis, Jen Finnley and Mari Stuart figured that hosting a fortnightly radio show on Bondi Beach Radio would be a good way counteract the bros and help represent women and non-binary acts in Australian electronica.

One year on and the gals have become some of the queens of Sydney community radio, having had the likes of Kimchi Princi, Annie Bass and Mowgli May on the show. They've been invited to throw an event as part of Sydney's VIVID festal and to celebrate their one year anniversary, have released their first mixtape. Featuring a collection of new, old and unreleased material, the playlist includes some big cuts from Pillo Pro, Nina Buchanan and Various Asses.

We have a chat to Marisa, Jen and Mari about the formation of Pink Noise, its place in Sydney community radio and the new mixtape.

Noisey: How did Pink Noise form and what was it a reaction to?

Marisa: I was involved in another beats/electronic music show and noticed how bro-centric the playlists that the other guys were making. I started to actively incorporate more female artists into the playlists and then had the idea to have my own show that was all about showcasing incredible producers and music makers that are not male. It is also a response to all those pesky festival line ups you see that get released which have only like 5% female artists (OR ZERO!?!) on the line up.

Jen: I used to bartend with Marisa at Goodgod, and after a shift it wasn't uncommon to talk about punters and the parties. A reoccurring theme was why women weren't visible. Why does it seem so hard to book a chick? At the time the majority of our staff were women, and every other bar we walked into was filled with dudes. We were in a little safe space heaven that honestly should have been the norm everywhere, so when Marisa mentioned that she wanted to do this show I put up my hand and was like, "Yo! Talk shit about the patriarchy and listen to tunes? I'm jumping on that boat." And thankfully Marisa let me on the boat and I'm still on it. You could say that boat is now a ship… a FRIENDSHIP.

Bondi Beach Radio deviates from the usual suspects in Sydney music radio. How has that shaped the show?

Marisa: There are many great community radio stations in Sydney, it would be folly to limit yourself to one station to discover new music. Community radio is just that - about building and supporting communities and Bondi Beach Radio have been incredibly supportive of our cause. When I was younger I thought there was no way I could ever have my own radio show because I didn't have 'the right connections', but I merely presented the station with the idea and they loved it.

Jen: It's made the show very relaxed. We don't have any sponsors to keep happy, if there is some dead air, or something is said wrong, it's not the end of the world. I think that energy transfers really well onto our guests. If it's a girl's first time on air they might be anxious, and telling them that there's nothing wrong with mistakes really helps the vibe in the room. The show is all about women supporting women, and the studio makes it easier to get to know these women not only as artists but as cool people to hang with. There's also a diggers club connected to us so we can have beers!

With a growing representation of female and non-binary acts in the electronic scene, have you noticed a cultural shift in Sydney since your inception last year?

Marisa: Not to blow our own horn and say our show has directly influenced a cultural shift, but I have witnessed the rise of more parties with diverse line ups. Bad Festival, Eve, Honey, Her (run by Picnic), Club Ate are some amazing events in Sydney that have great community support and an all inclusive vibe. It's so great to know that I can now go clubbing in a space where I don't constantly have to put up my guard against perverts. I've also started seeing people to say no to line ups unless there are women on them which is great!

Mari: I think we've been really lucky to be part of a collective movement in Sydney championing diversity in lineups and providing safe spaces and platforms for artists who may not have the same opportunities. In the recent years there's been a slow and steady rise in conversations about diversity in Australian music, and in the past year there's definitely been an explosion of events, collectives and other platforms that have put those words into practise, and it's awesome to see.

May 26 - Pink Noise presents BUOY, Jaala, GC O'Connor and guests Sydney at Cake Wines Cellar Door