EP#61: Art, Activism and Music Production: in conversation with Rookes / Jenny Bulcraig

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When Rookes started making music, she didn’t have a clear plan but over the course of the last few years she’s not only forged an impressive career as a music producer, but co-founded a thriving community of other women in music tech too.

Inside this episode she talks to Isobel about how she started learning to self-produce as an artist and the allies that helped her cut her music production teeth. She also shares how her awareness of gender inequalities in the field led her and friend, Kate Tavini, to founding 2% Rising: an online community for women in production and studio engineering.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:30} Jenny’s pathway into music
{17:22} How Jenny learned to self-produce her music
{25:23} Tackling the gender imbalance in the music industry
{36:35} How 2% Rising came to formation and is transforming the careers of women in music
{57:59} Building a safe community to learn and connect
{01:08:25} What’s coming up next for Jenny?
{01:13:23} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Find out more about Rookes and her music >>

Check out 2% Rising >>

Find out more about the ‘We Move’ Music Hackspace events series >>

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

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Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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Girls Twiddling Knobs has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.

Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026. 

We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.

Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

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