Behind the Decks: Sydney Club Cultures
-
When
- Where
-
Address
Cnr Oxford St & Greens Rd Paddington NSW 2021
-
Hours
6–7PM
-
Phone
+61 2 8936 0888
Hear from spinning royalty DJ Gemma, Lexie Bradfield, Sveta and Kate Monroe as they explore the pivotal role of music and DJing in shaping Sydney’s queer club cultures.
From the underground dance scene to Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball, Club Kooky, and more, panellists will reflect on the nightclub as a key site for emerging subcultures, avant-garde performance, and artistic scenes since the late 1970s. Together they will share stories about the impact of music in bringing community together, and the evolution of Sydney’s clubbing and party scene over the past few decades.
DJ Gemma is a pioneer of Sydney’s underground queer dance scene and has worked on community club nights, radio shows and parties since the late 1970s. With a host of collaborators, DJ Gemma creates alternatives to ‘mainstream gay culture’. Her nights are known for creating a space for queer performance and emerging electronic acts to experiment, while preferencing non-Western sounds, mainly Arabic music, to push the limitations of mainstream dance music. DJ Gemma is best known for events including Club Arak, Club Kooky and Club Bent at Performance Space.
DJ Lexie Bradfield was the first woman to DJ at Sleaze Ball and Mardi Gras in the early 1990s, breaking new ground at a time when women and lesbian DJs were not yet so visible. Lexie was involved in the early days of ‘Girl Bar’, a lesbian club night in the 1980s and 1990s, and went on to DJ many magic party moments shared by thousands in the queer community world-wide.
DJ Sveta is a Soviet-born Sydney-based DJ and producer. Pioneering many club nights, she has worked every corner of the scene to master a sound that is unique. She has regularly curated art events as a DJ/collaborator for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Carriageworks, Vivid Live, Opera Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Fashion Week, Sydney Dance Company & the Sydney Opera House, and most recently curated Ultra Violet for Sydney WorldPride 2023.
Moderator: Kate Monroe is one of Australia’s preeminent house DJs, ruling dance floors both here and overseas. She is known for her unique style and energy behind the decks as well as drawing a crowd no matter where she is playing. Kate Monroe’s name has been synonymous with big parties – Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball, Ministry of Sound, Harbour Party, and Field Day – not to mention offshore gigs in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, and the US.
—
Presented in conjunction with THE PARTY, a landmark exhibition celebrating LGBTQI+ party culture in Sydney from 1973 to 2002. Exhibition continues at UNSW Galleries until 23 April 2023.



Images: Behind the Decks: Sydney Club Cultures for 'Mixed Company' at UNSW Galleries, 2023.
Tile and Banner Image: DJ Sveta. Photography: George Popov