Gender in Music Production forms part of the Perspectives in Music Production series, which aims for ‘greater industry and professional representation’ and to ‘capture and reflect in equal measure both professional practice and academic discourse’ (Hepworth-Sawyer et al., 2020, p. 1). However, as the editors note in the introduction, ‘it has become apparent […] that much of what has been published, or signed for publication, within the series gives little consideration to issues of gender’ (p. 1). I have found this to be true more widely as well, so welcome this publication as an over-due addition to the discussion.

The title includes some very interesting chapters from its contributors. Specifically, Kirsty Fairclough's consideration of Prince in ‘Rare Bird: Prince, Gender, and Music Production’ (pp. 120–126) highlighted some of the paradoxes we might be faced with when considering notions of gender in a production, or even studio, setting. Fairclough notes that Prince rejected conventional notions of masculinity and ‘championed female creativity’ (p. 121) throughout his career, supporting various women working in music. The chapter particularly considers the work of sound engineer Susan Rogers and her working relationship with Prince during the mid-1980s, and provides the reader with a clear and accessible understanding of the significance of Rogers’ work. However, towards the end of the chapter, Fairclough indicates that even though Prince's work with women was supportive, ‘he recognized that men would routinely challenge him for dominance, whereas he believed women would not’ (p. 123). Fairclough includes a quote from Rogers confirming this notion: ‘The man just didn't have the bandwidth to deal with [competition]’ (p. 123). Unfortunately this is not explored much further, but I would suggest this is a very important point to consider – one can be an ally and champion, and still be subject to and possess stereotypical ideas of gender roles, in this case that a woman would not dare challenge a man for the role of ‘alpha male’ in the studio. I would also argue that it is an important reminder for anyone working in traditionally male-dominated fields: just because we are progressively working on issues relating to gender (or anything else for that matter), it does not mean we are immune to those issues ourselves.

Rebekka Kill's contribution, ‘“Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Superstar DJ, Here We Go…”: Exploring the Experience of Female and Non-Binary DJs in the UK Music Scene’ (pp. 82–96), takes a different approach to Fairclough and considers issues of gender from an auto-ethnographic perspective instead. Whilst the entire chapter provides valuable insights, I would like to highlight one section in particular, ‘Becoming’ (pp. 84–88), where Kill considers and analyzes her own history. Kill is very clear that the experiences and performances she considers in the section are her own, however I imagine many might recognise themselves in her narrative as well. For instance, she wonders if her ‘obsession with music flourished more freely’ because she attended an all-girls’ school, thus making her ‘out of view of the boys’ (p. 84). Even though I only attended mixed-gender schools myself, this line of enquiry resonated with me as, looking back, my most significant musical developments (both practical and in terms of interest, or ‘obsession’) happened during times when my social circle was very select and exclusively female and non-binary. By taking such a clear auto-ethnographic approach throughout her chapter, Kill also avoids generalising approaches and responses, but contributes to the discourse via a sort of micro-study.

Alongside Fairclough's and Kill's contributions, Henrik Marstal's ‘Slamming the Door to the Recording Studio – or Leaving It Ajar?’ (pp. 127–144) was another highlight, were Marstal re-examines some of his previous experiences of working in a recording studio with Where Did Nora Go, a Danish female recording artist. Marstal provides a very reflective account of some of his experiences, and suggests that despite trying to be aware of gender dynamics and constructs, when looking back there were some issues that he had not considered fully at the time, such as the ‘bromance’ (his term) with fellow producer Kasper Rasmussen, that had an impact on Astrid Nora Lössl (Where Did Nora Go). This chapter, which provides some commentary from Lössl as well, might be particularly beneficial to those regularly working in male-dominated environments as it helps disseminate how social constructs of gender can be embedded into an environment itself.

Whilst these chapters in particular considered some important and interesting issues, I did feel that overall there was something missing from the edited book. Whilst Part One is dedicated to history and context, additional historical grounding could have provided a helpful framework. For instance, throughout the volume there is an understanding that a barrier exists between women (and non-binary people) and technology, but this was a crucial component that could have been considered more exclusively and at further length. Naturally, the editors can only work with the submissions they receive, but perhaps an introduction to one of the parts briefly considering the gendering of technology would have been helpful, especially for those readers who might just be discovering the field. Similarly, I wonder if it might have been helpful to outline how gender is defined in the book. It seemed that individual authors, as expected, had different definitions, which reflects the complex nature of the concept, but as ‘gender’ has often been synonymous with ‘women’ in (popular) music, I was at times unsure if topics were concerned with gender universally or gender exclusive of male/masculinity.

Nevertheless, I believe the volume is a helpful resource, perhaps particularly for teaching. As an edited text it also lends itself well to being accessed chapter-by-chapter, again making it very accessible for teaching situations. I hope the book can act as a starting point for continued discussion and expansion of this field, and will encourage engagement from new and existing scholars and practitioners – if it keeps on raining, levee's going to break.