Hailing from the Bronx, no-wave/dance-punk band ESG formed in 1978. They became the most sampled of groups among their contemporaries in hip hop such as Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Marley Mari and Grandmaster Flash.

Originally recorded for Factory Records in the UK, their first album was produced by Martin Hannett known for his work with Joy Division. In the US, they released music under the 99 Records label alongside New York’s No Wave groups such as Liquid Liquid, the Bush Tetras and Konk.

“You’ve got to hear “UFO” to believe it, and you probably already have. The single has been sampled hundreds of times since its release, in 1981, but it still escapes categorization, remaining as elusive as its namesake. The most recognizable bit is the montage of whistling, airy sirens that opens the track; it’s a twelve-second texture that hip-hop, R. & B., and electronic producers have used to fill out beats for nearly thirty years.” – The New Yorker

Scroll below to listen to their well-known hit “U.F.O.” and catch ESG and French Vanilla at The Echoplex on Friday, March 23. Tickets here.