Executive Overview
Electronic music has long wrestled with an internal paradox: while it was born out of marginalized communities—most notably Black and Latino LGBTQ+ pioneers in cities like Chicago and Detroit—its contemporary commercial echelons remain disproportionately male. Despite a wealth of undeniable talent operating across the global underground, women and gender-expansive artists continue to face structural barriers when breaking into the upper tiers of production, touring, and record label representation.
Enter Change The Beat, a pioneering advocacy and artist-development platform founded by acclaimed DJ and producer Sydney Blu. In its latest high-profile initiative, Change The Beat has teamed up with hard techno powerhouse Sara Landry and producer Alex Farell to launch a landmark global remix competition. Open exclusively to women and gender-expansive electronic music producers, the contest centers around Landry and Farell’s heavy-hitting track, “Angel Dust.”
Beyond the immediate thrill of an official release on Landry’s rapidly ascending imprint, HEKATE Records, the competition offers an unprecedented prize pool powered by industry titan Native Instruments. First, second, and third-place winners will secure coveted software suites designed to supercharge their production capabilities. Yet, the remix contest is far more than a standard promotional giveaway; it serves as a crucial milestone in Change The Beat’s broader, ambitious pledge to secure 300 direct label opportunities for women and gender-expansive artists by the year 2028.
Combined with an impending international tour spanning North America and Europe—featuring stops at legendary institutions like London’s fabric, the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), and New York City’s Marquee—this initiative signals a tectonic shift in how the electronic music industry approaches mentorship, equity, and sustainable career development. This report provides an exhaustive, multi-faceted look at the competition, its origins, the industry-wide context of gender disparity in dance music, and the roadmap for systemic change.
Detailed Chronology & Mechanics of the Competition
For emerging producers aiming to break through the noise of the modern digital landscape, official remix opportunities for high-profile releases are rare and highly competitive. Change The Beat and Sara Landry are shifting that paradigm by opening up the stems of “Angel Dust,” a masterclass in modern, driving techno production, to a global pool of underrepresented talent.
The Source Material and Submission Process
The track at the heart of this initiative, “Angel Dust,” is a collaborative effort between Sara Landry—widely recognized as one of the definitive figures in contemporary hard techno—and Alex Farell. Known for its relentless energy, cavernous atmospheres, and punishing low end, the track provides a fertile playground for inventive remixers looking to showcase their sound design, arrangement, and mixing prowess.
To level the playing field, all participating artists have access to official audio stems, which can be downloaded via the dedicated LabelRadar contest portal. The submission window is officially open, giving producers ample time to meticulously craft their reinterpretations. The deadline for all entries is Monday, October 5, 2026, at 23:59 PST.
Eligibility is intentionally global and inclusive: the competition is open to any artist worldwide who identifies as a woman or is gender-expansive, ensuring that geographical boundaries do not limit participation.
The Prize Structure: Equipping the Next Generation of Producers
Understanding that professional-grade tools are a foundational requirement for high-level music production, Change The Beat has partnered with Native Instruments to curate an exceptionally generous prize package. The rewards are structured to provide immediate, tangible career advancement for the top three placements:
- First-Place Winner: The ultimate prize package includes the official release of the winning remix on Sara Landry’s HEKATE Records—instantaneously exposing the producer to Landry’s massive global fanbase and cementing a major catalog credit. Additionally, the winner will receive Komplete 15 Collector’s Edition from Native Instruments, an elite production suite loaded with thousands of studio-grade instruments, effects, and expansion packs.
- Second-Place Winner: The runner-up will be awarded Komplete 15 Ultimate, providing a vast, professional-grade library of virtual synths, orchestral tools, and mixing utilities to elevate their studio setup.
- Third-Place Winner: The third-place recipient will take home Komplete 15 Standard, ensuring they have access to industry-standard creative tools.
Furthermore, as part of Change The Beat’s commitment to democratizing music production, all participants in the ecosystem are encouraged to explore Komplete Start, a completely free collection of professional instruments and effects provided by Native Instruments. This ensures that even those who do not secure a podium finish walk away with valuable resources to continue developing their craft.
Supporting Context & Metrics: The Gender Disparity in Electronic Music
To truly understand the weight of Change The Beat’s initiative, one must examine the stark statistical realities of the global electronic music industry. Despite decades of evolution, the gender makeup of festival lineups, label rosters, and streaming charts remains heavily skewed.
The Numbers Behind the Inequality
Comprehensive studies conducted by organizations such as Keychange and various independent music data analysts have consistently highlighted a persistent gender gap within dance music:
- Festival Lineups: Historically, women and non-binary artists have occupied fewer than 15% to 20% of artist slots across major international electronic music festivals. While progress has been made at boutique events, premier tier-one festivals frequently lean on legacy booking models dominated by male acts.
- Record Label Representation: A significant portion of underground techno, house, and tech-house labels are managed, curated, and populated predominantly by male producers. Releases by women and gender-expansive artists often make up a fraction of total annual label output.
- Technical Recognition: The misconception that women are less inclined toward the technical aspects of music production—such as sound engineering, mixing, and mastering—has historically gatekept many from accessing mentorship and technical resources early in their careers.
The Birth of Change The Beat and the 2028 Pledge
Recognizing these deep-seated systemic barriers, Sydney Blu—a veteran producer, DJ, and label head—founded Change The Beat to serve as an active corrective force. Blu’s vision was not merely to discuss parity, but to engineer structural solutions that build bridges between emerging talent and industry heavyweights.
This remix competition is a direct extension of a landmark announcement made by Change The Beat in July of this year, when the platform issued a formal pledge to create 300 label opportunities for women and gender-expansive artists by 2028. In an industry where getting signed is often bottlenecked by closed networks and lack of access to decision-makers, a pipeline guaranteeing 300 concrete label releases represents a seismic intervention. By partnering with influential imprints like HEKATE Records, Change The Beat is actively turning this numerical pledge into a reality.
Official Statements & Industry Perspectives
The collaboration between Change The Beat, Sara Landry, and Native Instruments has generated widespread enthusiasm across the global dance music community. Leaders within the movement have articulated why initiatives of this scale are vital for the culture’s future.
Sydney Blu on Mentorship, Visibility, and Shared Values
Reflecting on the launch of the competition, Sydney Blu emphasized the profound impact of seeing women support women on the world’s biggest stages. She pointed specifically to Sara Landry’s recent monumental performance at Coachella, where Landry utilized her platform to bring members of the Blood Oath artist collective directly into the spotlight.
"We’re so excited at Change the Beat to be hosting the remix contest for Sara Landry and Alex Farell’s incredible record, ‘Angel Dust,’ and to have the opportunity to discover and spotlight three amazing emerging women producers through this project," Blu stated.
She continued, elaborating on the deeper philosophical alignment between Landry’s ethos and Change The Beat’s mission: "Sara has really inspired me with the way she’s used her platform to champion other women in electronic music. Watching her bring the Blood Oath artists on stage with her at Coachella and create that kind of visibility on one of the biggest stages in the world was incredibly inspiring. That spirit of opening doors and bringing other artists with you is so aligned with what we’re building at Change the Beat, which makes this collaboration feel especially meaningful."
Sara Landry’s Unwavering Commitment to the Underground
Sara Landry’s meteoric rise to global techno superstardom has been defined not just by her blistering, high-BPM productions and viral performances, but by her active dismantling of traditional gatekeeping. Through her label HEKATE and her mentorship initiatives, Landry has consistently prioritized elevating the next generation of hard techno architects.
By offering the grand prize winner an official release on HEKATE Records, Landry is putting institutional weight behind her words. For an emerging producer, an official release on a heavyweight label acts as an instant credibility marker, opening doors to booking agents, management agencies, and international festival organizers.
Future Outlook: The International Tour and the Road to 2028
The remix competition is only one pillar of Change The Beat’s aggressive, multi-pronged strategy to reshape the electronic music landscape. Alongside the contest, the organization has unveiled plans for a comprehensive international tour spanning the United States, Canada, and Europe.
A Holistic Approach to Artist Development
Unlike traditional touring brands that focus purely on nightlife entertainment, Change The Beat’s upcoming tour is designed as an educational and developmental summit. Each stop on the itinerary will fuse:
- Live Music Events: Showcasing local and international women and gender-expansive headliners in world-class clubs.
- Educational Workshops: Hands-on technical sessions covering music production, mixing, and live performance techniques.
- Industry Panels: Discussions featuring booking agents, label owners, music lawyers, and veteran artists breaking down the business side of the music industry.
- Direct Networking & Artist Development: Providing face-to-face access between emerging talent and established industry figures.
Confirmed stops on the tour read like a blueprint of global electronic music culture, featuring legendary venues and cultural hubs such as:
- fabric (London): The historic basement institution synonymous with underground British dance music culture.
- Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE): The world’s leading electronic music conference and festival, ensuring maximum international visibility.
- Marquee (New York City): A premier destination on the North American club circuit.
Looking Toward 2028 and Beyond
As Change The Beat marches toward its ultimate goal of delivering 300 label opportunities by 2028, initiatives like the "Angel Dust" remix competition prove that systemic change in electronic music is not a distant ideal, but an active, ongoing construction project.
By combining the raw power of world-class software suites from Native Instruments, the curatorial muscle of HEKATE Records, and the community-building power of international educational touring, Change The Beat is forging a sustainable pathway for the future. For women and gender-expansive producers sitting on their hard drives waiting for a break, the message is clear: the doors are open, the tools are ready, and the stage is set.
For full contest details, rules, and to download the stems for Sara Landry and Alex Farell’s “Angel Dust,” producers can visit the official LabelRadar contest portal. Submissions close on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 23:59 PST.
