Escort

ESCORT is big. Literally. Enjoying accolades ranging from the New York Times to Pitchfork, the “disco orchestra” features an incredible cast of musicians including founders/producers Eugene Cho and Dan Balis, and fronted by lead singer Adeline Michèle. Performing in a variety of powerful party line-ups, the band performs live from a core 5-piece (with Adeline on bass) to a 10+ member extravaganza.

Escort burst on to the scene in 2006 with a string of critically acclaimed 12"s that included future classics "Starlight" and "All Through The Night", both DJ staples that get still get plenty of play on dancefloors. As DJs nursed their electro-clash hangover with a seemingly never ending stream of disco edits, Escort stood out, in part, by creating dance music the old fashioned way: with impeccable production, musicianship, and songwriting.

The following several years saw them bring the same uncompromising approach to their live show. In an era where dance music is dominated by samples and computers, Escort took a sprawling ensemble to the stage and developed a reputation as one of New York’s most compelling live acts, capable of performing their elaborate recordings note for note.

Escort’s "Cocaine Blues", a brilliant reinterpretation of the 1976 Dillinger classic received rave reviews and quickly became an underground sensation, leading up to Escort’s long awaited self-titled debut LP. The entire album is steeped in the venerable tradition of clubland’s holy trinity — New York, Chicago, and Detroit — but it seems particularly reminiscent of mutant-pop luminaries such as Kid Creole and the Coconuts and Ian Dury, who somehow managed to translate their sardonic sensibilities to the dance-floor. And by embracing the legacy of these forward-thinking but classic acts, they have yet managed to create something strikingly new.

Early returns on Escort’s yet to be released sophomore album have been equally glowing. Escort’s anthemic “Barbarians” and soaring dance floor cut “Cabaret” have further established Escort at the very forefront of modern disco. Breaking bread to DJs and partygoers that need more than a steady diet of 909s.

Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears recently described Escort as the “best disco you’ve ever heard.” He just might be right.