Isis Graham
Isis Graham.
Notoriously resilient and innovative, Esette’s unyielding work ethic, paired with over twenty years of music industry experience, have made her a household name in Western Canada. As one of the guiding forces of cultural phenomena such as The Alberta Electronic Music Conference, Girls on Decks, and Substation Recordings, Esette (aka Isis Graham) is equally comfortable behind the decks or behind the scenes.
Graham first began throwing raves in 1998, witnessing the height of Calgary’s renegade party scene with events that drew as many as 1600 people. In 1999 she began DJing, and after local bylaws brought about the end of raves the following year, she brought her sounds to some of the most notable Western Canadian venues of the last two decades, appearing at legendary spots like the Embassy, Cherry Lounge, Habitat Living Sound, 9910, The Hifi Club, Open Studios, Beaumont Studios, Gorg-O-Mish, Bloom, and the Night Gallery. She’s been invited to play notable festivals like Bass Coast, WMC, Decibel, Think! Festival, Shambhala and ADE.
In 2003 Graham was invited to become a founding member of Girls On Decks, a group dedicated to increasing the visibility of female & non binary DJs in dance music. Together with the other members, Graham showed her ability to incite critical change by giving numerous women DJs a platform to develop, an initiative that still remains today.
Since 2007, Graham has developed her catalogue as a producer with a string of releases on Supremus Music, O*rs, Substation Recordings, RF and Nordic Trax and more. Her 30-plus releases have received support from artists like Maceo Plex, Fred Everything, Giom, Luke McKeehan, Animal Trainer, Vanilla Ace, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones, DJ Heather, DOZA, and Pezzner. From 2013-2018 she worked as A/R with the Calgary based, Canadian content label Substation Recordings. She is also a co-founder in Calgary's first producer based listening event series, Studio Social, which aims to connect producers outside the studio space and foster collaboration and social awareness.
Graham is a co-founder, curator and production manager of the Alberta Electronic Music Conference, a growing boutique gathering of electronic music masterminds and up-and-comers which takes place at the National Music Centre in Calgary annually in November. The 2019 event featured over 60 panels, workshops, artist talks and mentorship opportunities for emerging artists as well as an immersive nightlife program. In 2019, Isis won the Avenue Magazine "Top 40 Under 40" award for entrepreneurship and innovation for her work in Calgary.
Esette’s knack for launching boundary-breaking initiatives and movements bleeds into her identity as a performer. Ever-changing and effervescent, her multifaceted approach and raw passion are contagious, a testament to the tenacity and zest she wishes to share with those around her.
Esette’s tracks
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