Eats Everything Helps Bring J.E.S.u.S. to Miami

Even as a globe-trotting, chart-topping DJ/producer, Eats Everything prefers to be described as a raver. The man born Daniel Pearce is known for getting as excited about dance music as his crowds, and it’s not an uncommon sight to catch him throwing down with the masses between sets. So there’s a palpable disappointment in the genre-blending producer’s voice when he shares that he’ll miss the 2018 edition of one of his favorite Miami Music Week events.

“Normally, I always play Pete Tong's party on Thursday, but this year I’m not [going to be in Miami] until Friday,” Pearce says before noting that Black Madonna and Honey Dijon’s back-to-back set is sure to be “wicked.”

Although he won’t be at the All Gone Pete Tong Pool Party, Pearce will more than make up for it by offering his skills on the wheels of steel at several Miami Music Week gatherings. Friday, March 23, he'll appear at the Rukus Showcase, taking place at Heart Nightclub, where he'll be joined by Rukus label head Matador, Felix da Housecat, Patrice Baumel, and others to mix hard-edged techno. He’ll also participate in the astoundingly lengthy four-hour J.E.S.u.S. set closing out the Resistance Arcadia Spider at Ultra Music Festival Sunday, March 25.

2018 will mark Pearce’s sixth time attending Miami Music Week, having first participated in 2012 following his meteoric rise as Eats Everything the prior year.

“I've listened to and read about Winter Music Conference since the early or mid-'90s,” Pearce shares. “Then to actually go there as a DJ and [to have] people wanting pictures, and talking to DJs you never thought you'd ever speak to, and they know who you are and [say], ‘Well, I really wanted to talk to you’... it's quite surreal really. It lived up to my expectations to be honest, and it has continued to do so ever since."

Describing Miami Music Week as one of the best times to “come watch DJs DJ,” the Bristol-based artist feels perfectly at home in Miami, no doubt comforted by the presence of both his own musical heroes and respected collaborators. Given his affable nature and stated fondness for the social possibilities of dance music, it’s appropriate that Pearce is performing at Ultra 2018 as one-fourth of J.E.S.u.S.

Like all great origin stories in dance culture, J.E.S.u.S. — the bold acronym used when DJs Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Skream, und Seth Troxler unite behind the decks — began as a way for affectionate friends to optimize their time and fun together.

“We like to party, but we don't take [DJ'ing] too seriously,” Pearce says. After an initial set for Boiler Room’s Ibiza Sessions in summer 2014, the quartet reunited as J.E.S.u.S. for the opening weekend of Coachella the following year.
“The first [weekend] was horrendous — really, really bad,” Pearce admits. “We were kind of trying to out-techno each other, and then one of us would play a pretty house-y tune, and... it didn't work very well.”

Despite the growing pains, J.E.S.u.S. was able to divine triumph from tragedy in a remarkably short period of time. They returned the following week for a far more memorable set, which Pearce describes as “amazing” and “brilliant.”

“Even since then, we’ve worked out how to play with each other. When it’s four people all trying to deejay together, it can be a little… daunting,” Pearce says. Whether it’s due to their own busy schedules or the intense prospect of sharing space in the booth with three other DJs at the top of their respective games, J.E.S.u.S. only materializes under miraculous conditions.

“We really enjoy it and we love each other dearly, but we’re not going to bust our asses to do it,” Pearce confesses. “[J.E.S.u.S. appears only] if people really want us to do it and if it’s convenient for us as much as anything.”

Fortunately for the United States’ southernmost city of sin, J.E.S.u.S. will rise this Sunday, although Pearce won't make any promises as to whether he and his mates will absolve Ultra attendees from their depravities and indulgent behavior. For the time being, he has much more practical concerns.

“I don't know how we're all going to fit in the belly of the spider, but we'll give it a go.”

Rukus Showcase. With Eats Everything, Matador, Felix da Housecat, Patrice Baumel, and others. 11 p.m. Friday, March 23, at Heart, 50 NE 11th St., Miami; 305-912-3099; heartnightclub.com. Tickets cost $25 to $35 via tickets.heartnightclub.com.

J.E.S.u.S. at Ultra Music Festival 2018. 6:55 p.m. Sunday, March 25, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-358-7550; bayfrontparkmiami.com. Tickets are sold out.