Glasgow-based producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Isa blends ethereal electronics with raw, expressive performance. Her debut album For You Only (Optimo Music, 2022) established her as a distinctive voice, drawing from club music, folk, punk, and experimental sound design. Raised in rural Ayrshire, where Scots is widely spoken, traditional folk songs shaped her lyricism and storytelling. Whether writing, collaborating, or performing live, Isa’s work is marked by emotional clarity, textural depth, and fearless play, combining folk-rooted songwriting with electronic innovation in a sound that is unmistakably her own. Her latest record 8Men, a bold reimagining of the folk compilation as something living, volatile and future-facing.

I’ve been playing a bunch of gigs and support shows around Scotland following the release of my record 8Men on Lost Map Records, a compilation of folk covers.

Alongside that, I’ve recently taken on a part-time role as a lab technician at Glasgow Uni, dusting off the old noggin from my degree after a few years on the precarious freelance music circuit. It’s been good to stretch into something new, though my cogs are a lil’ rusty.

Outside of that I’ve been learning tunes, singing in a choir, playing guitar, and making music with Tony Morris. I’ve also been having a great time with my new band PENKNIFE – writing and rehearsing; it’s been fantastic to play in a group with two pals. I’ve been on a solo tip for a few years, so it’s amazing to show up to practice with just a pen and a mic rather than a whole slew of gear.

The mix was recorded on Rekordbox and Ableton in my bedroom.

I’ve a wee run of gigs coming up across Scotland, the UK and a bit further afield, including some support slots, festivals, and a few club nights. I’ll be supporting Doss on their Hame Time Tour around Scotland – getting to play the Outer Hebrides and other far-flung places.

There’s also Berghain in Berlin wae Tony Morris…

Alongside that I’ll be spending more time working and getting into a rhythm with PENKNIFE, writing and playing together. Mostly just looking forward to being out, playing, and spending some time back in Scotland over the summer, keeping learning auld tunes and singing in the choir.

Reels: Unknown No.57 – Mick O’Brien & Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh
I Wish, I Wish – Isa Gordon
Robbie Tampson’s Smiddie – Norman&Corrie
O’SALLEEE – Proc Fiskal
MWI Sailor – George Smith & Isa Gordon
Tha Fonn Gun Bhi Trom (I Am Disposed of Mirth) – Brìghde Chaimbeul
úna bhán (ft. Lorcán Mac Mathúna) – Ian Nyquist
FUSE – Hudson Mohawke
Dárbbuo – Katarina Barruk & Bicep
PW2 – Mel Keane
A Coin In The Bush – Isa Gordon
The Fermoy Lasses – Cormac Begley
The Monaghan Jig – Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin
Tralee Gaol – John Francis Flynn
Shputnik in Glenshiel – Martyn Bennet
Ice Tunnels – Rustic
Aldebaran – Enya
Boards of Canada – Kainin Industries
The Pride of Petrivore – Lankum
Oidhche na’ mo chadal dhomh – Mother’s Favourite Tongue