Jesp

irst self described "minimal dance track" on a keyboard in his bedroom at the age of 13. He and his mom thought it was pretty cool. Eventually he lost the tape and the keyboard but held on dearly to his love for making music. His moniker even comes from a default abbreviation of his name assigned to him while using music sequencing software. In effect, his persona quite literally reflects the music that he has been creating since his early teenage years.

Harboring a strong desire to raise the bar for what is considered the standard in American danceable music, Jesp gels indie production with pop-loving mainstream audiences. Formerly a member of cult local band Outereach, his simple mission of making people like music more and challenging their senses in inconspicuous and unobtrusive ways is weaved delicately between the positive messages in his songs.

Stated simply he brings modern production and songwriting normally found in experimental/indie music and presents it in a pop format to a mainstream audiences. His most recent album, “Heart Rhythm” reflects his passion for the sounds of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel and the explosion of grunge and alternative rock from the 90’s.

Momentum is building with a tour along the east coast (New York City, Atlanta and Orlando included), multiple remixes and just having wrapped a music video shoot for his single “Rising Sun.” Directed by Fro Rojas, the video showcases Jesp’s skills along with that of local artists, fashion designers, and other folks transforming the local scene. When thinking about the importance of being a creative type in this sultry city, Jesp matter of factly claims, “I love Miami. I am from Miami. I take from Miami. I represent Miami to the rest of the world as a performing artist.”
- Miami.com

It’s beginning to get warm and beautiful in Los Angeles, but Jesp has me thinking about TropiChops, Cuban Coffee, and deco adorned with neon. J. Espinoza proudly embodies the current Miami scene with his brand of electro-noir-pop that embraces the city’s darker side in a way that would send shivers up and down the back of Michael Mann’s neck. Since emerging on the Miami scene on June 5, 2009 @ Vagabond Fridays, Espinoza has worked diligently to hone his sound into something endemic to Miami, and the Magic City has responded with positive press reviews, radio play, and packed houses. I’ve always felt like Miami mirrors the same bi-polar feel of LA after nightfall, and Jesp’s music speaks to the nocturnal theatrics of any pulsating, incendiary, South-Floridian dance hole. Now in summer 2011, Jesp’s imagery has myself and others seriously considering taking our talents to South Beach, as he readies to release his highly anticipated EP Step Into the Dark. He introduced himself to us with his new track “Eat My Heart (Sharks vs Mermaids Edit)”, and his soundcloud is very strong, including a couple of personal favorites you can enjoy below, and keep watch as Jesp prepares to drop the Step Into the Dark EP…
- Aerial Noise

It’s been more than 20 years since Miami Vice went off the air, but Joseph Espinoza is reviving the slick, high-gloss, so-bad-it’s-good vibe of ’80s-excess Miami culture with his one-man band, JESP.

On his debut record, Heart Rhythm, 28-year-old Espinoza crafts lush, high-energy synthpop that calls to mind the meticulously produced sounds of cult New Wave acts like Scritti Politti, The Human League and that dude who wrote the Karate Kid theme song.

“I love Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and ’80s-era King Crimson, and I also like modern stuff like Cut Copy,” says Espinoza, who studied music at Berklee College of Music. “But I like to think my music is way more mainstream. I’m definitely a pop artist, and I think I represent Miami to the rest of the world.”

Espinoza’s throwback sound is resonating with club kids and tastemakers alike. During last year’s Art Basel Miami Beach, he played for 1,000 fans at GenArt’s Vanguard event, and he has a performance scheduled during Winter Music Conference this month (time and place tbd; for info, visit myspace.com/jespmusic). But it’s his regular gigs at local venues like The Vagabond and Electric Pickle that have put him at the forefront of downtown Miami’s club renaissance, where music takes precedence over what he calls “the whole models-and-bottles thing” that dominates Miami Beach.

“Not that I have anything against either!” Espinoza adds, for the record. - Miami Modern Luxury

Time to welcome another great local release: JESP is the solo alter-ego of musician Joseph Espinoza, former lead singer of the late Miami band Outereach, and we’re debuting his brand new record right here!



JESP’s first full-length album “Heart Rhythm” is straight-ahead electronic pop with a definite retro-rock slant, aptly described by the New Times as a “cross between Chromeo and Jan Hammer.” It’s definitely worth a listen for any fan of upbeat, danceable pop. I’ve been spinning the title track out in my sets at The Vagabond for a couple months and the crowd’s been digging it. As Joey himself has said, “This album is for Miami and anyone else who dares to listen.” - sweatrecordsmiami.com

?The current local buzz about JESP, the new solo project by singer/songwriter/producer Joseph Espinoza, threatens to soon eclipse that of his old band, Outereach. That group, now defunct, never fit into any neat scene categories, floating somewhere in the sonic atmosphere between pop and prog. (This was, after all, an act that un-ironically proclaimed the Police and Peter Gabriel as influences while working the downtown circuit.) And while al the players in the group were able, what always stood out most about Outereach were Espinoza's vocals, which were supple and expressive, with a Sting-y kind of timbre.

It's suited equally well to his new sound as JESP, one that's simultaneously more hipster-friendly and commercially viable. The songs are built on gently pulsing, dancefloor-friendly but remix-ready electronic beats, which flit between sugary electro lite, freestyle, and New Romantic balladry. The '80s will never die, especially in Miami, and Espinoza has wisely captured just enough of that decade's musical inflections, while keeping his sound ready for pop radio in 2010.

After the jump get a free download of his latest single, "Rising Sun," whose official video debuts today on the excellent local Off the Radar blog. The clip is directed by Fro Rojas, who in 2008 scored Miami New Times' award for "Best Movie Shot on Location."

If you like what you hear, buy JESP's debut album, Heart Rhythm, on iTunes, Amazon, or Rhapsody, and check him out this Friday at Buck 15.
- Miami New Times