Zoukland @ The Oak Grove, June 2025

The Zoukland prior to this one, which I titled "Sweet Heat Hurricane," was a milestone for me, hitting a new level of competency as a Zouk DJ after integrating months of feedback and trial and error. This set felt like a continuation of the same new path and new bar I set with "Sweet Heat Hurricane," hence this month's title, "Second Wind." If you liked the last one, you're likely to like this one as well!

Zoukland - “Second Wind” (Brazilian Zouk Closing DJ Set, 6/21/25)

DJ Quintessence (Lexi Battle, she/her) is one of the most diverse and musically nuanced acts you’ll find performing today. In addition to being a lead DJ and organizer of the “Ecstaturday” Ecstatic Dance in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, she is also a resident DJ in partnership with The Omni Movement, a progressive partner dance studio located in Oakland. You’ll most commonly find her playing for Fusion Dance, Brazilian Zouk, or West Coast Swing around the Bay Area, though she also holds passion for her unique take on club-style EDM. As a highly multidisciplinary DJ and music producer, she brings lessons and influences from each of the music scenes she’s involved with into all of the others, giving her a unique perspective that allows her to hybridize the elements that work from the different scenes and let them inform each other.


Quintessence is a master of the intentional dance journey. She begins with tempos and rhythms designed to warm the body up while the melodic content creates emotional depth and intrigue that set the stage for what’s to come. Each stage successively builds on what we’ve experienced in the last, taking us somewhere new that still feels part of the same story. The crescendos and climaxes interplay with periods of moderate rest and reflection to create a series of waves through various energies and moods. Finally, we come to the sentimental landing and closing stages where we can integrate what we’ve experienced as the journey nears its end, perhaps indulging in one final burst of joy or artistic expression before sending us off to what’s next.


As a dancer herself whose life has been transformed by the practice, Quintessence always plays for the party she wants to be at. Her work often defies genre, weaving through a great many of them throughout the journey in delightfully surprising ways. As she’s a multidisciplinarian with extremely broad taste, you’ll never get the same experience with DJ Quintessence twice. She’ll make you move, make you melt, take you to places beyond words, and leave you wanting more.


DJ Quintessence has shared a stage with acts such as DJ Kakah, Tzoul, Fab, Dhroovy, Mark Carpenter, Exuberance, Intrepid, Ji, Kurama, and Andrew Roth. She can be found on Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, and all other major music platforms.

————

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ecstaturdaydancecommunity

https://www.theomnimovement.org/

May the Spirit of Dance lift you up on the Wings of Freedom 🕊