According to Coachella Valley native Lincoln Jesser, “the overarching goal of the Pace project is to create substantial electronic music that accesses the genuine deeper emotions of fans”. That opinion may not seem to have any relevance until it’s revealed that Jesser is the man behind the project. And even if his music only manages to sweep you up your feet and dancing like a maniac (the most likely scenario), his goal will have more than been met.
The 21 year-old, now based in Los Angeles, first began his music career in high school alongside News of the Fire lead singer Dan Fromhart, in the synth pop band Technicolor Wolves, when I was first exposed to his music. The band mixed synths and guitars, and recording demos for the project exposed Jesser to electronic music and production, which he fell in love with.
From first falling in love with and finding inspiration in The Strokes and Coachella Fest at around the age of 13, the young producer gradually shifted his interest towards the electronic styles of acts such as Calvin Harris, Daft Punk or Passion Pit. Now, he hopes to create music that will simultaneously conjure the feelings of melancholy and joy passion that the Julian Casablancas-fronted band instills in him using electronic soundscapes.
So far he’s been moderately successful; after graduating high school, in 2009, he enrolled at the University of Southern California to study Music Industry and, after a visit from the Indie Pop CEO to check out his work, he signed to the label, home of acts such as Dev and The Cataracts. Since joining the label, he’s been in constant ascension, with probably his biggest feat to date being his remix of Martin Solveig’s smash hit “Hello” chosen as an official remix and released under Atlantic’s Big Beat Records imprint.
Pace is relentless, constantly shifting his style and offering tracks to his fans. His first EP, released in February with the name “Electromantic” (which you can still download) offered a sample of where the producer was taking things. The six songs featured heavy hitting beats and hooks clearly aimed toward the dance floor. One of the standouts, “Glitch” even showcases Pace’s ability to sample, as he weaves La Roux’s famous “this time baby I’ll be” line and melody from “Bulletproof” into the lyrics.
Another one of his early offerings, released a couple months after the EP, and one of his best tracks overall, “Do Something Drastic”, features another infamous hook: Matt & Kim’s “Daylight” synth line interlaced throughout. It’s classic Pace, complete with auto-tune vocals, huge synths and a massive beat that all do their best to get you up and on the floor.
The Pace project, as Jesser himself refers to it, is gradually shifting away from him as a singer and more towards electronic dance music. He’ll keep most of the vocal work under his real name Lincoln Jesser (check out and stay tuned to his Soundcloud for updates) while keeping his Pace as his primary focus. If tracks like his most recent offerings “We Trippy Mane” (which comes loaded with a dubstep drop) and a fantastic remix of MIKA’s “Relax (Take It Easy)” are any indication, those in the LA area are soon to be seeing Pace DJ more than one club very soon.
Download a couple tracks below, and stream a few more. And be sure to check out Pace’s Soundcloud for all the goods!
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