ESG

South Bronx outfit ESG never set out to shape post-punk, no wave, rap, or house, yet their spare and buoyant funk left fingerprints across all four. Live support slots with Public Image Ltd. and A Certain Ratio, releases on the same label as Liquid Liquid, and steady rotation by the DJs at the Paradise Garage and the Music Box followed naturally once the music existed. The sisters simply wanted to perform concise, distinctive songs and move large quantities of records. Commercial dominance never arrived, but their 1981 debut nevertheless reached rap producers who have replayed “UFO” several hundred times. Even absent those lifts, ESG would have continued to inform acts from Luscious Jackson to the Dirtbombs while remaining active on stage and in the studio into the late 2010s.

Bassist Deborah, percussionist Marie, guitarist Renee, and drummer Valerie—the Scroggins sisters—started the group after their mother purchased instruments to steer them clear of neighborhood pitfalls; all four were teenagers. Drawing on shared affection for James Brown’s funk, Motown’s pop-soul, and Latin music, they cycled through several names before adopting ESG. “E” stood for emerald, Valerie’s birthstone; “S” stood for sapphire, Renee’s birthstone; Deborah and Marie lacked garnet as a birthstone yet still hoped their records would achieve gold status. Percussionist Tito Libran joined soon afterward, solidifying the lineup that became ESG.

The Scroggins sisters began by covering material from Rufus & Chaka Khan and the Rolling Stones while absorbing cues from television programs such as Soul! and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Early victories in talent contests supplied momentum. After one New York showcase they did not win, judge Ed Bahlman—owner of 99 Records—offered management and production support. By then ESG had composed enough originals that further cover attempts seemed unnecessary. Booked into New York punk venues, their lean, unrefined grooves aligned with the aesthetic 99 Records championed. A 1979 debut at the Mechanical Hall presented a four-song set; the audience demanded an encore, receiving the same four songs again.

Another early appearance found ESG opening for Factory’s A Certain Ratio. Unfamiliar with the headliners, the sisters nevertheless accepted an invitation from Tony Wilson to record for the label. The resulting three-song single, You’re No Good, produced by Martin Hannett, contained “You’re No Good,” “UFO,” and “Moody”—still the group’s signature pieces and among the most arresting tracks linked to no wave, a scene whose deconstructive aims diverged sharply from ESG’s approach. Stateside release on 99 added three live cuts from Hurrah’s. A year later 99 issued the three-song single ESG Says Dance to the Beat of Moody, demonstrating that the band had mastered its own sound independent of Hannett’s guidance. The 1983 debut album Come Away with ESG extended that same direct style.

Activity then ceased for several years after Bahlman closed 99 amid personal and financial strain. During the hiatus uncleared samples of ESG material proliferated; by the early ’90s tracks built on the siren-like motif of “UFO” appeared at least as often as those built on James Brown breaks. Sporadic small-label releases surfaced nonetheless, including the 1992 EP Sample Credits Don’t Pay Our Bills! By the close of the decade groups such as the Beastie Boys and Luscious Jackson had begun citing ESG as a major discovery, elevating the profile of the early catalog.

In 2000 the U.K. label Soul Jazz addressed rising demand with the anthology A South Bronx Story. Renewed attention prompted a full reactivation, yielding the 2002 album Step Off, also on Soul Jazz. A revised lineup that incorporated Renee Scroggins’s daughters Nicole and Christelle allowed the band to resume precisely where it had paused. Further Soul Jazz sessions produced Keep On Moving in 2006; Closure followed in 2013 as a self-released effort. ESG maintained a steady performance schedule while the Fire label continued to reissue earlier recordings.