In this playlist you can find all of my live performance sets and releases in chronological order.

Isabel Essence Live Sets (Chronological Order)

Live set from my return to Fallout Shelter at Ypsilanti Brewing Company on June 8th, 2023 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

This set is a little bit messy and a little bit crazy, but it represents everything I love about the Midwest. You'll hear a little bit of everything in this set, and a whole lotta Midwest classics.

Fallout Shelter II - 6.8.23

I returned to Below Decks on 9.28.23, less than one week after returning from an extended period of time abroad in Medellin, Colombia. I drew a lot of sonic inspiration from my time there, and view this set as paying homage to the impact my time in Colombia has had on my own individual journey, both as an artist, and as a fellow human floating through the ether.

Below Decks - 9.28.23

This set was performed live at ELEVATE on 10.21.23 at The Fruit in Durham, NC.

To me, techno has always symbolized resistance against oppressive forces, and this performance honors that heritage of resistance set forth by those that dared to re-imagine a better future through music. This hour long set was my attempt to process and give airspace to the depth of the horrors and pain absorbing my whole being while watching the people of Palestine suffer great atrocities at the hands of the Israeli Occupation. It is both my mourning, and my meditation. 

Mourning implies loss, of which there has been tremendous loss since October 7th, but I do not want mourning to define the intention of this set. This set is expressing defiance in the face of violent colonial forces. This set is a testament to the steadfastness of Palestinians when faced with horrors unknown to most of humankind. This set is a reminder to not look away, and that neutrality is not an option in the face of genocide.

This set features music from a variety of artists hailing from nations directly impacted by Israeli aggression. The shirt I am wearing comes from Radio Alhara, an online Palestinian radio station based out of Bethlehem.

Verily, with hardship comes ease. (Quran, 94:5)

Donate to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/

Meditations on Palestine - Elevate - 10.21.23

Isabel Essence & SAVANT brought in the New Year at The Fruit with a b2b heavily inspired by their Detroit (& Ypsilanti) roots. They represented Sonic Essence for Together Again NYE Party hosted by Sasss World x The Fruit in Durham, North Carolina.

Together Again NYE - Isabel Essence b2b SAVANT - 1.1.24

Had the opportunity to play my first ever B2B(2B) with Phrenthrow at the Mad House Collective Season Finale 7.15.22. We went late and I ended up going B2B with 05elantra for around the last half hour of this mix.

Madhouse Collective Season Finale b2b(2b) - Phrenthrow & Isabel Essence (& 05elantra) - 7.15.22

BRIDGE RAVE - 6.26.22

I had the pleasure of performing at the Beltane 2022 festival held by the cooperative living project otherwise known as Synergy House... it has been a dream of mine to play this 24 hour festival for quite some time, and I was honored to have the opportunity to not only fly out for this event, but to host an introductory DJing workshop during my time in the Bay Area. Please enjoy this set of late night bangers.

Beltane 2022 - Late Night Bangers - 5.7.22

This is the first set I played for a live audience, at Raund Haus' event Baker's Dozen, on 10.17.2021.

This set is intended to be a walk through history, and through just a few of the musical traditions that exist with the sole purpose of getting your body movin' and groovin', in spite of all of the hardships we have faced as individuals and as a community. This set pays homage to the long history of resistance and resiliency that is integral to the formation and continued existence of musical traditions such as Detroit Techno, and above all else it is a celebration of the REFUSAL to let the powers that be steal our light.

I am still very new to DJing and always looking for constructive feedback. Please reach out if you have any, and please enjoy!

DETROIT TO MIAMI - Baker's Dozen - 10.17.21

This mix is intentionally loud, discordant, abrasive, and at certain points, uncomfortable.

Over a couple of months, I have been building a playlist comprised of songs that made me slightly uncomfortable or I thought I probably wouldn't want to live for fear of it being "too much". This mix was an exercise in getting out of my comfort zone, and an experiment in contextualizing tracks I might not normally play to make them more palatable when utilized in the right context.

Please enjoy.

NOT FOR EASY LISTENING - HEADBANGER MIX - 12.9.21

Thank you to deepspaceradio.com for giving me the opportunity to blast some tunes late at night. This mix is the second hour of my two hour takeover on the guest submission series Loud Dark Rooms.

Loud Dark Rooms featuring Isabel Essence - Deep Space Radio Takeover - 11.16.21

Thanks to Ech0labs Light Industries for inviting me to play their weekly series Fallout Shelter at 734 Brewing Company in downtown Ypsilanti. This was my official Michigan debut and I loved the warm welcome from everyone that came by to dance. I tried some new things both with my technique and curation during this set and I appreciated the opportunity to play a more "midwest" vibe set.

Fallout Shelter I - 7.28.22

I made my Greensboro debut at etc.gso For Lacy's birthday edition of the summer rave series REACT! Organized by Less Than Family. I hadn't played out in a while and I took full advantage of this opportunity to try something new, blending West Coast sonic tradition with my classic ghettotech sound. I look forward to uniting genres in unexpected ways, highlighting their interconnected histories.

REACT! Isabel Essence @ etc.gso | 3.29.24

Second live mix as Thot Tamale, errors and all

11.12.21 Note: Leaving this up for posterity even though it's not really representative of what I do now. I had been mixing for I believe exactly two months at this point. I played this show live using only my laptop. I played this at a weekly event that took place at my college. I was using the moniker Thot Tamale during that time, but have since moved on to Isabel Essence.

Wine & Cheese 2 Live Mix (Thot Tamale)

DJ and event curator. Co-founder of Sonic Essence Music Collective. Inspired and empowered by the history of Detroit Techno.

Isabel Essence

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