ÉSSO

"ÉSSO explores the possibilities of fusionist bilingual songwriting to fantastic ends." 

"With all the kinetic energy, welcoming vibe, booty shaking and joy onstage, ESSO is hardly just a band but a happening." 

"With Juntos, ESSO have created a milestone project for the Midwest alt-Latin and global bass scenes. ESSO’s founder Armando Pérez grew up on the streets of Chicago, soaking in the city’s rich culture of hip-hop, house, jazz and rock. On Juntos, Pérez has masterfully fused those sounds with a kaleidoscopic array of Afro-Latin rhythms, touching on everything from reggaeton to merengue."

"At a time when we've seen consecutive natural disasters pummel places such as Texas, Puerto Rico and Mexico, it's sometimes difficult to see beyond the incredible pain and images of destruction. But just when you think that mother nature's force has become too much to bear, you hear a story about strangers lifting each other or unlikely heroes emerging from the trauma. And it's in these times when songs like "Mi Gente" from Chicago's ESSO remind us that "Solo la gente cuando está unida puede moverse."Only when people are united can they move forward."

"It's appropriate that ESSO is based in the Heartland. The group sounds like love, with pulsing, vital rhythms and a knack for putting together warm sounds from funk, hip-hop, tropical Latin music, Afropop, and cumbia in such a way that they raise each other up high."​ 

"With elements of Latin funk, cumbiaton, salsa and other styles from across Latin America, as well as the impossible-to-ignore blues and house that is such a big part of Chicago’s musical DNA, ESSO Afrojam Funkbeat are here to show us all that the secret to collectivity lies in musical harmony." 

"...ESSO works because the group speaks to something burgeoning in contemporary society. They understand the ways in which we consume music: voraciously, eagerly and indiscriminately. More important, they understand why we do so... Esso is more than just the music. Rooted in the lyrical and instrumental content of the ensemble's music is a unifying goal of camaraderie and openness."

"ESSO reaches back beyond the Caribbean to Africa and skillfully blends those motherland elements into its rhythmic sancocho. Fela’s Afrobeat can be felt in some songs, but so does the jùjú music of that other giant of Nigerian music, King Sunny Ade, as well as the loping guitars of Ghanaian highlife." 

"Groove-tastic local band ESSO mix up a swirl of global sounds—their massive musical range covers funky Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat, Hendrix-­flavored psych rock, Latin boogaloo, and more. ...You'll want to put on your dancing shoes every time you hear 'em! The group released a thumping new self-titled LP recorded during the past year or so at Belmont Electric Studios, and it's a nonstop blast of dance-floor power."