Joining us at the at the Nexus Lounge, Miami edition, we spoke with JES about remixes of her most iconic tracks, the experience of having a song take off internationally, and her upcoming acoustic album. During the event JES was also honored with a Future of Dance Award from the Level Awards, recognizing her numerous contributions to the dance music genre.
Jes Brieden – known to her fans simply as JES – is a powerhouse of musical talent in the electronica, trance, and pop spaces. New York-born and raised, she was already working on her first vocal recordings by the age of just sixteen, and from there, she was on the road to success.
Of course, it took a few years for her career to really take off, but when it did, the boom was astronomical. In 2003, while singing for the band Motorcycle—of which she was a co-founder—she found international success with the track “As The Rush Comes.”
Punchy, powerful, and with all the poptastic energy you’d expect of an early 2000s EDM hit, “As The Rush Comes” continues to be a widely beloved track to this day. According to JES, she “still can’t do a show without singing that track.” It just goes to show the staying power of a perfect song.
Of course, great tracks often inspire remixes and fresh approaches, which can be more of a double-edged sword than it might sound, as JES’ experience goes to show. While many of her tracks receive authorized remixes where artists have gone through the correct channels—such as ZOYA’s incredible remix of “Ghost”—others have had less respectful treatment.
“It’s a wild west out there these days. You know, it’s tough. You have to be on top of everything to make sure it’s done correctly, to follow up, and to make sure you can follow the trail.”
Of course, it’s not just other artists bringing a fresh creative approach to JES’ work. With an upcoming all-acoustic album of her greatest hits along with an album of all-new acoustic music, it seems JES is more than willing to explore creative reimaginings of her work.
“It’s hard to redo my songs, so I had to write a new album. So that’s what I’ve done, but there’s also the acoustic album of the hits… It’s beautiful because a lot of the songs are written that way… Sometimes they start as dance music, but I always love to do them stripped back. So there is [an album] coming, and hopefully it’ll be here in the summer.”
Suppose you’d like to learn more about JES, her Unleashed Beat show, her upcoming acoustic album, and her experience at this year’s Miami Music Week. Why not check out the full, exclusive Nexus Radio interview?
