In fairness, this isn’t really off-topic. The connection of ladies to music is clear here. There are, too, the fantastic Ladies of CDM — few in number, yes, but mind-bogglingly awesome in quality. (Ladies, feel free to roar here.) And, of course, for those of you who are not ladies yourselves but an aficionado of ladies, it’s clear that, like roller skates, synths and music are part of the essential lady-attracting formula.

The bad news I have to break for Flight of the Conchords fans:you’ll be waiting until well into 2009 for a new season.

Side note: CDM loves New Zealand.

Make no mistake: when it becomes part of the soul of music making, software gets under your skin and into your blood. So while Josh Mobley has his Reason tattoo, Jo Ardalan writes us to let us know she’s got Reaktor permanently embedded on her wrist.

Lest you think Jo’s some random fan, she’s not: she’s a veteran of Reaktor’s creator, Native Instruments, and Waxploitation, an experienced sound designer/editor/engineer, and founded the software developer - A&R - business development/consulting - community FixedNoise.com. In other words, a Reaktor tattoo really does mean to Jo what a Harvey-Davidson logo or “Mom” might mean to someone else. Check out her MySpace page for more. (I actually was already familiar with some of Jo’s terrific sound designs for software; she’s done some great work.)

And as you can see in the photo below, she really does sport the Reaktor love while playing — and she’s also an Ableton user, presumably making another power user of the Live/Reaktor combo. (Hmm — meaning there’s also a candidate for her right wrist?)

Jo’s not alone in wrist-branding land. In case you haven’t been watching the CDM Flickr Pool, happiness is the Monome, Korg kontrolPAD, and Atari:

So, we’ve got Reason and Reaktor. And Atari. (Technically, they’re a music maker — think Atari ST. Or chiptune, for that matter.) Any suggestions on the ultimate Ableton or Max/MSP tattoo, which would seem to follow next? (Let’s see, Max/MSP — loadbang? Or actually a whole patch? Ouch.)

People all-too-commonly imagine that electronic music is dominated entirely by men, when it simply isn’t the case. While the world of electronic music is certainly heavily tilted to the male side, part of the problem is that women too often get less attention, less credit, less PR, and less widespread dissemination of their music — listeners are biased, in other words.

Our friends at Cynthia have a huge list of major female composers and musicians:

Girls on Synth [Cyndustries.com]

And yes, among the various names is Cyndustries’ own Cynthia Webster (pictured) — it all began with a high school purchase of an ARP 2600, she says. Unfortunately, the list isn’t terribly up-to-date; the link to my own composition teacher at Brooklyn College Tania Leon is broken! (More on her here, though most of her work has been for unplugged instruments.) So is the link for NYC’s own Keiko aka o.blaat of Share fame. But, it’s a start, and has some great resources at the bottom. Women in synthesis aren’t just an occasional oddity: you’ll see some of the most important names in the evolution of electronic music. Music using electricity simply wouldn’t be what it is today without its often-unsung female pioneers.

Got some women pioneers you’d like to point out . . . or just a female reader and want to brag about your own work? Drop us a line. Incidentally, for reference, I’d say easily 50% or more of my own colleagues are female in interactive art and electronic music alike . . . and I notice nearly half of the people who register here on CDM. Gender imbalance? Not necessarily. -PK

While we’re on the subject, it’s worth noting that a wide range of exquisitely talented women have taken up the Theremin as a serious instrument, continuing the legacy of Clara Rockmore and the instrument’s inventor, Leon Theremin:

The Classical great: Lydia Kavina has led the charge, tutoring students in mastering the instrument using techniques developed by herself, Rockmore, and Theremin. She even has an instructional video and regularly gives master classes and lessons. Kavina is a major globe-trotter, from Barcelona to Singapore just in the next few months, is a noted composer, and has performed with the likes of the London Symphony, BBC Orchestra, and Russian National Orchestra. Count `em: over 800 performances have made her the leading lady of the instrument.

The One on Roller Skates: Of course, classical seriousness aside, an occasional gimmick never hurt any instrument. (Sadly, the skydiving pianist isn’t with us to enjoy this one.) Pamelia Kurstina is the “rollerskating” Thereminist. She even throws in haircuts with her Theremin lessons. The New York resident is a regular at Tonic, but has also played a space few of us can say we’ve gigged in: the Rose Planetarium. Oh, and please don’t ask her if she has a boyfriend; she apparently gets that a lot.

The Performance Artist: Miss Hypnotique is both Thereminist and performance artist, as well as laptop musician. She’s produced radio documentaries, played caberet and avant-garde projects like Radio Science Orchestra, and lots of other stuff, too. See her interview with Synthtopia.com.

The Child Prodigy: Carolina Eyck started concertizing on Theremin at the age of eight; now just sixteen, she’s playing with groups like the HMH symphony orchestra Berlin.

Of course, I could go on. There’s everyone from Intissar, the “naked Thereminist” (see the description of how Theremin talk quickly sounds like sexual innuendo), and more virtuosas like Barbara Buchholz. And, oh yeah, many male players, too. The range is clearly from oddball to Classical masters/mistresses. And the ranks are growing. So, can anyone do the same with laptop computers? It took the Theremin decades to get any recognition and it’s still fighting — maybe it’s just a matter of time.

[Updated] Tom at Music Thing wisely points us to Alice Malloy’s Theremin bra. Hey, some readers over there complained, but I say you can build Theremins into whatever you want. (Thanks, Tom; forgot about that one!)

Cover band mania continues: why, now there's even an all-female Devo cover band, called Deva.
If you're in New York and need some "dome energizing," check them out
Friday night. No audio clips up yet. Just bask in the randomness.

Oh, and it turns out the real Devo is still touring.

CDM is pleased to get a full report on Estrogenesis, an
event in San Francisco highlighting women in electronic music, from its
creators, Lynda Arnold and Rena Jones. -PK

This year, we formed Digital Bliss Productions to
showcase the newest and best in electronic music and multimedia performance. Our
first annual event, Estrogenesis,
gave female digital music creators an outlet for performance and much-needed
public attention. DigitalBliss
found women who are expressing themselves in every genre of electronic-based
music and taking different approaches to drum sounds, programming, melody
writing, and acoustic instrument treatments. The women of electronic music are
truly forming their own unique sounds using the latest and greatest digital
technology.

Women are closing the gender gap in tech savvy, according to
Intel-funded research by Harris Interactive (of Harris Poll fame).
Experts from Intel and Harris, including a cultural anthropologist, say
women are just as enthusiastic about technology as men; young women are
actually more likely than young men to buy a laptop and more likely to
desire wireless Internet features. Now, of course, there's a certain
pro-tech bias, and speaking as someone who writes for tech magazines
(Macworld and Keyboard) with overwhelmingly male readership, there seem
to be some remaining disconnects or barriers for women and technology
that I find disheartening. Check out the press release
for some fascinating numbers, though, and let's hope tech firms
continue to research this issue — instead of just assuming their
target customer is male. Please don't use Intel's "Technologically Involved Female"/TIF name, though. (via textually)

Okay, as we talk today about equal opportunities for female music
makers today, I'm not sure how encouraging it is that the open call for
female DJs is at a fashion event. But hey, there's menswear, too, and a
DJed event with independent fashion designers is something I'd go
to.  (Press pass, anyone?) $50/hr pay if you make it; if you're
looking for more exposure and can get to Manhattan, give it a shot. Styleaholics' open audition is here in NYC December 16. (via Remix Magazine)

(Incidentally, if you want UNPAID work, and you're male OR female,
stay tuned — hope to have some NYC CDM parties here in the spring.
Stay tuned. Just don't forget your Game Boy.)