ESB

French composer and musician Yann Tiersen gained his widest recognition through film scores and his own singer/songwriter releases, yet he also devotes off-hours to ESB, the electro trio steeped in Krautrock and Berlin-school electronic traditions. The project took shape in 2010 once Lionel Laquerrière of Nestorisbianca entered Tiersen’s touring ensemble. During soundchecks the musicians began jamming on analog synthesizers; the results proved so rewarding that they resolved to form a separate outfit dedicated to that approach. With Thomas Poli completing the lineup they christened the group Elektronische Staubband and started appearing at festivals across Europe. In 2013 the name was trimmed to ESB and a 7" single appeared. The following year the members convened at Tiersen’s studio to capture a full album; ten days of pure improvisation yielded the self-titled debut, which Bureau B, the Krautrock imprint, issued in 2015. After touring behind the record, the trio saw Poli's Impersonal Freedom label put out a cassette of live performances in 2016.