DJitalEssence Biography

DJitalEssence, female DJ/producer/re-mixer, poet, multimedia designer and architect of the net label Vital Grooves – Living Music, began her musical journey in the analogue DJ world as Lady DJ Essence around 1995 working in the Underground House and Garage scene in London.

Originally from Glasgow, a high flyer in art and physics at school and having played the drums and the piano, she found a natural affiliation to waves, rhythms and patterns that has continued throughout her life.

In 1992 Susan, as she was known then, moved to London aged 19 where she got deeper into the grooves of dance music she'd already found passion for since her teens. It was there whilst working as a dental nurse, she was inspired through DJ friends, to start mixing something other than dental materials. She bought her own 1210’s, began buying vinyl and hours of practice later was playing house parties, pirate radio shows, clubs, bars and loads of ghetto “after” parties where the vibes were always upfront and continually re-inventing with the fresh urban creativity that formed the UK garage scene where she became known as Lady DJ Essence.

In 1998 Essence was approached by Confetti Records to be signed to them and work with them in their offices. This took her into vinyl distribution, promotion, dub-cutting, dealing with promo mailouts, writing monthly newsletters, placing SOR's in the record shops and any other jobs assigned to her as well as DJ’ing for them at events representing their artists.

Struggling like many to survive in the industry as the digital world surged ahead, Essence returned to Glasgow in 2002 with not much more than her 1210's and vinyl and embarked upon a digital education to bring her skills up to date with the technologies that were now essential to integrate with, hence the artist name change to DJitalEssence, with an “ital” twist on the word digital connecting with the afro-Caribbean culture she was inspired by and now largely associated to her way of life in eating and conciousness.

In 2004 DJitalEssence gained merits in her HND Multimedia with Web Design, won a web skills award and through the “On Track” program applied to continue her studies to complete a BSc in Audio Technology with Multimedia. Graduating in 2009, in tandem with a small business start up course, the Vital Grooves – Living Music net label brand began to take shape in parallel with the music productions and remixes she continued to create and occasional DJ bookings with promotions such as Rythmism, where she played alongside DJ Romain (New Phaze Records NYC).

 

2010 she began DJ’ing for Elevator promotions in Glasgow @Byblos nightclub. Most recent and backdated mixes for your ears can be heard at DJitalEssence's Podcast site HERE where she posts new mixes every month and has built a large audience many of which thank her for providing them with positive uplifting selections, saying how much it brightens up their days!

DJitalEssence was recommended to enrol for the MA Music Innovation & Entrepreneurship masters course in 2010/11 to support the construction of her Vital Grooves net label brand as a business. Towards the end of 2011 she worked extremely hard in her small home studio to finish off and upload the catalog of music she has created on her journey in music production over the past few years since around 2005.

Music has been DJitalEssence's rock to cling to as she pulled herself up slowly through a shed load of struggles both internally and externally. She has single handedly juggled her life and worked on this dream from a small node on the matrix somewhere in the clouds on a shoe string budget doing her best with all the skills and knowledge she can muster. It has been a long solitary journey of expression as she tried to get to that place they call "there", finally she feels she has found it...inner peace...the rest still remains to be seen as her journey continues...

As an artist who has suffered from the common peaks and troughs associated with the highly creative soul, DJitalEssence has found running and swimming to be excellent resources of balance. She began running events in 2008 beginning with a 5K, then a 10K, then Half Marathons and 2012 will see her running her first full marathon in Edinburgh. If you wish to support or sponsor her for these events then please find the donate button on this link.

Way back in the late 80's early 90's there was a selection of dance albums called Deep Heat (Telstar) that hit the shelves, DJitalEssence was greatly influenced by the music she found on them and her dream is that Vital Grooves will be able to provide something along those lines to it's audience, a fine selection of upfront and innovative music, coming straight from the creative studios of up and coming or underground producers for the connoisseurs and those with deeper taste and intelligence who can appreciate these kind of dub house and urban grooves!

Quote from DJitalEssence about life and music "When your living in a box, you tend to think and create outside of it, perhaps more than others, trying to find ways to get out of it...!"

If you wish any further information or to contact DJitalEssence, don't hesitate, communicate! email

'89 Physics prize winner at school!

Pirate radio days in London saw Lady DJ Essence on Chicago FM, Freek FM, Passion FM, Dejavu FM, London Underground, Shine FM, Mission FM/Y2K FM and some more...

Collages of flyers from her DJ history in London...

The journey...a bit of a rollercoaster ride..."Another Dream To Cling To" is a book she hopes to finish writing one day...

Getting to grips with digital technology...

Graduation 2009, Bsc Audio Technology with Multimedia

The challenge for 2010/11!