Interview: Moments Bring NYC Collective Discwoman To New Zealand

Moments is the name behind a series of inclusive, fresh, and off the hook gigs and events that have been popping up across the country since 2017. Taking inspiration from the New York collective Discwoman, Emma Hall-Phillips aka DJ Aw B founded the Aotearoa collective to showcase diversity within our music community, and it’s taken off. This weekend, the Pōneke-based project comes full circle, presenting a mini-tour with Discwoman affiliate DJ SHYBOI and co-founder UMFANG, along with DJ workshops and panel discussions. Annabel Kean had a quick catch up with the heart of Moments, Emma Hall-Phillips over a few emails, check out this weekend's event details and scroll down for the interview…

Moments presents
DISCWOMAN: Amplify Each Other
Panel Discussion + DJ Workshop
Friday 3rd May - CoCA Massey, Wallace St, Wellington, 3.00pm to 6.00pm (free, DJ workshop now fully booked) 
Saturday 4th May - BurgerFuel HQ, 66 Surrey Cres, Grey Lynn, Auckland, 4.00pm to 6.30pm (free, DJ workshop now fully booked)

Moments presents
DISCWOMAN w/ Umfang + Shyboi
Friday 3rd May - Valhalla, Wellington
Saturday 4th May - Silent Studios, Auckland w/ Aw B, K2K

What and who is Moments? Who’s in the team?

Moments is a promotions collective I started in 2017 aiming to promote and showcase diversity within the music scene. While it is mostly me running the events, I’m always keen on collaborating with others and am often doing so.

What was the motivation for starting Moments? Was there something that sparked the idea?

Learning about Discwoman really sparked inspiration for me. To see such a fearless collective doing incredibly important work within their community proved to me that collectives like Discwoman are needed in Aotearoa!

How do you go about ensuring your events are safe spaces? Can you give me a run down of the work that goes into maintaining that?

I wouldn’t claim that my events are safe spaces because in my experience, they don’t really exist. Doing things like providing a helpline number, watching over the event and communicating with venue staff to listen and act on complaints are some helpful steps I’ve found to create a safer space.

It’s so tough for new musicians, especially LGBTQI / women / POC, to become involved in a music community. How can someone without any connections get their foot in the door?

Finding other people who are just as passionate as you is the key. Build your own community! Reach out to other collectives and artists who inspire you and ask for help. I got into DJing by approaching k2k after a gig she played and 3 years later we’ve organised a Discwoman tour together :’)

What would be your dream line-up for Moments to present?

Discwoman….. lol oh wait ;)

What’s coming up in the 2019 Moments calendar?

More gigs! More club nights! I’m also definitely keen on organising some more DJ workshops as I know a lot of people missed out on the Discwoman ones this weekend.