Frankie Elyse on diversifying Dundee's club scene

Dundee has very much been put on the map in the last few years, particularly since the opening of the V&A Dundee in 2018. So much so that the city even featured as a location for an entire episode of HBO’s multiple Emmy Award-winning TV series, Succession, in its second season. While Kendall Roy’s cringe-worthy attempt at rapping in the episode may have left a lot to be desired, however, Dundee’s local music scene fortunately has a lot more to offer.

Frankie Elyse is a Dundee-born DJ, who co-founded Polka Dot Disco Club – a DJ collective that aims to empower women and non-binary people – along with her twin sister Jozette. Elyse came up with the idea for the collective after discovering just how limited a selection of women DJs there were in Dundee. “I thought this has got to change,” says Elyse. “So I got in touch with [Dundee University Students' Association]... and they were brilliant. They gave us the space and they gave us the equipment all for free.”

After receiving around 30 applications, Elyse narrowed the list down to a group of six young women based in Dundee, who were taught how to DJ in four weeks through a series of workshops conducted by herself and sister Jozette. The members of Polka Dot Disco Club – Alias-L, Becka Clark, Corran, Heather Tulloch, Krulkop and T.D. Slider – made their live debuts at DUSA’s annual International Women's Day gig in March last year, but then COVID got in the way.

Like many other DJ collectives, Polka Dot Disco Club reinvented itself as a mix series throughout the pandemic, with contributions from residents and special guests, including Eva Crystaltips, Jordy Deelight and Hayley Zalassi. “We were trying to keep them going, keep them motivated, because it was hard,” says Elyse. “I think everybody lost motivation with COVID... and that was a good way for us to meet other creatives in Scotland… I think it's made us appreciate things a lot more, and made us more determined to push ahead and have fun.”

Since clubs reopened, it’s been back to business as usual and the collective have secured a weekend residency at Dundee bar Kilted Kangaroo, as well as playing shows outside of their home city, at The Mash House in Edinburgh and Sub Club in Glasgow. Having started her DJ career while studying in Edinburgh and now living and working in Glasgow, Elyse has developed an awareness of the different scenes across each of the cities, but says she found the Glasgow club scene particularly difficult to break into.

“I didn't really know anyone, and I found it difficult to network... so it wasn't actually until just before lockdown I really began to get into Glasgow life, and that was after living here for two years,” she says. “The scene wasn't as diverse – it was still better than Dundee, I suppose – but it wasn't as diverse in general, so it was harder to get past the boys' club… It was difficult for me to navigate.”

Elyse credits fellow Dundonian DJ, and her childhood friend, Hannah Laing with supporting her in the early stages of her DJ career and helping her get gigs in Edinburgh during her student days. With Polka Dot Disco Club, Elyse wanted to provide a similar support system for budding young DJs in her hometown and provide them with the confidence to pursue a career in electronic music.

“For me, it wasn't just about [gender], it was more [about] finding that community that you feel you can bounce off,” she says. “It was to facilitate a way for people... to get these opportunities and get gigs, because I think it's all about collaboration and just being as welcoming as possible.”

Outside of Polka Dot Disco Club, the Elyse sisters also make music together, performing under the name KINTRA, with Jozette playing the electric violin and Frankie DJing. The duo will release their debut EP, Heliopause, on Christmas Eve, made up of some tracks they began working on during lockdown. One of the EP’s tracks, Oort Cloud, has even received some radio airtime, first played on Phoebe Inglis-Holmes and Shereen Cutkelvin’s BBC Introducing show on BBC Scotland before being picked up nationally by BBC Radio One DJ Jaguar.

Putting the setbacks brought upon by COVID behind her, Elyse is very much focused on the future; not only for herself but also for the bright young talents she has nurtured through Polka Dot Disco Club. In doing so, Elyse is continuing to invigorate and diversify Dundee’s electronic music scene, as well as creating opportunities for women and non-binary DJs all over Scotland.

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Polka Dot Disco Club, Beat Generator! Live, Dundee, 17 Dec

Heliopause by KINTRA is released via Renesanz on 24 December

linktr.ee/polkadotdiscoclub