ESG | |
|---|---|
 ESG performing in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1978–1985 1991–2007 2008–present |
| Labels | 99,Factory,Soul Jazz,Fire, Universal Sound, ESG Records |
| Past members | Renee Scroggins Marie Scroggins Valerie Scroggins Deborah Scroggins Nicole Nicholas Nicholas Nicholas Chistelle Polite Leroy Glover Tito Libran David Miles |
ESG (Emerald, Sapphire & Gold) is an Americandance punk/funk/rock band formed in theSouth Bronx in 1978. ESG has been influential across a wide range of musical genres, includinghip hop, anddance-punk. The band's track "UFO" is one of the mostsampled songs in history.[3]
The band originally consisted of the Scroggins sisters, Renee (vocals), Valerie (drums), Deborah (bass) and Marie (congas, vocals) and friend Tito Libran (congas, vocals). The band's name stands for emerald, sapphire, and gold. Emerald and sapphire are Valerie and Renee Scroggins'birthstones, and gold refers to therecord certification.[4]Ed Bahlman discovered ESG while serving as the judge for a talent show and became the band's unofficial manager.[5][6]
Tony Wilson fromFactory Records approached the band after a performance atHurrah in theUpper West Side ofManhattan, and three days later they began recording withMartin Hannett inManchester, England.[6] They recorded "Moody" and "You're No Good" in their first session. Hannett had three minutes left on themaster tape, so he had the band record "UFO".[7] The recordings helped bring Bahlman's focus to the band.[6] On December 3, 1980, he recorded ESG's performance at Hurrah, which became the B-side forESG. Bahlman formed a partnership with Factory so that his99 Records label could release the EP in 1981.[5] In July, they made a second pressing of the record.[8] It was received positively by music critics.Robert Palmer called it one of 1981's "freshest records".[9]The New York Times placedESG second on its list of the best EPs and cassettes of 1981,[10] andThe Village Voice placed the EP third on itsPazz & Jop critics' poll.[11]
1982'sESG Says Dance to the Beat of Moody EP continued in a similar vein, as did their first album, 1983'sCome Away with ESG. Renee Scroggins retains the rights to ESG's new music and publishing. The group's work had become popular, mainly among hip-hop artists searching forsamples, with such acts asTLC, theWu-Tang Clan,Kool Moe Dee, theBeastie Boys,Big Daddy Kane,Gang Starr,Junior Mafia,Tricky,Jay-Dee,MF Doom, as well asindie rockers likeUnrest andLiars all sampling the group. The group addressed this issue on the 1992 12" EPSample Credits Don't Pay Our Bills. The album,ESG Live!, was released in 1995 and featured both old and new material.
ESG announced shows in Sweden and France in September, 2011. To celebrate Analator,[12] an ESG show in March 2012 was announced as their final west coast show to promote their 2012 albumClosure. ESG still continue to tour, primarily performing in London. In September 2017, ESG released the albumWhat More Can You Take? which was billed upon release as their final studio album.[13][14][15]
ESG's sound incorporates elements from funk, hip-hop and punk music.[16][17] The group has been described as being "driven by economical drumming, tersely phrased bass, and minimal [...] guitar."[18] Lead vocalist Renee Scroggins has citedJames Brown as a major influence, in particular when his songs "take it to thebridge"—Scroggins described these instrumental sections as "that giant bass and the drums and letting it rip for that instant [...] so I said, man, if you could just take a song and make it just the bridge, wouldn't that be hot!"
Renee Scroggins has said that ESG's sound is influenced by theLatin music she and her sisters would hear in the neighbourhood when they were growing up. She doesn't define the band as onegenre, saying "if I really had to put a label on it, we consider it to be music that makes you dance.".[19]
LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, comparing ESG topost-punk bandThe Fall, said that "both of them do things that are almost impossible to copy. They’re irreducible."[20]
Jennifer Herrema, singer foralternative rock duoRoyal Trux, noted the band as an influence on her, calling their music "not just any one thing...it's its own thing."[21]
Neil Finn, who plays inCrowded House andFleetwood Mac, was inspired by the "simple and down-home" sound of ESG to form his bandPajama Club, saying that "[ESG] gave us encouragement to be funky, when we really had no right to be."[22]
David Best, lead singer ofFujiya & Miyagi, cited ESG's minimalism as one of his influences, saying "[i]f there was a blueprint for our group's sound, a large chunk of it would come from ESG."[23]
The seminal eighties art band celebrates forty years of its dance-punk music.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
