Veld, Osheaga promise good parties but few female DJs in rotation

Music festival season is in high gear across the country, with tens of thousands of fans expected to turn out for the third annual VELD Music Festival in Toronto's Downsview Park.

While one can expect half of the crowd in front of the stage to be female, you're less likely to see a women behind the turntables. In fact, save for the one female member of Nero, who is a vocalist, not a DJ, none of the 19 acts on VELD's main stage are women. Even the one big female artist on the second stage, Iggy Azalea, is a singer, not a DJ.

This weekend's Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal has a number of female pop stars on the lineup, but when it comes to spinning records, women aren't stepping up to the decks.

Canadian electronic dance music (EDM) pioneer Misstress Barbara, is spinning this weekend at the Divers/Cité Festival in Montreal.

• OPINION | Dear Canadian music festivals: Show us the women
• Osheaga 2014: CBC's top picks for acts you don't want to miss

In an interview with CBC Arts reporter Deana Sumanac, Misstress Barbara said more women are getting into the business, but not enough to make becoming a female DJ an easy choice:

 "I wouldn't be honest if I didn't actually say that fear came through my mind...Maybe they're scared... and they get discouraged, and that's because obviously there's a majority of men doing this type of career."

Pushing through the fear has rewarded Misstress Barbara with a fulfilling career featuring performances with artists like Björk, The Prodigy, Tiesto, Carl Cox, Richie Hawtin and John Digweed.

• VIDEO |​ Misstress Barbara on how to read a crowd

Montreal's Osheaga Music Festival and Toronto's VELD Music Festival run through Aug. 3. 

Watch the above video in which Misstress Barbara describes why DJing is so fulfilling.

Tune in to The National on Sunday night for Deana Sumanac's full story.