ABOUT THIS ITEM

Escort burst on to the nu-disco scene in 2006 with a string of critically acclaimed 12”s that included future classics ‘Starlight’ and ‘Love In Indigo’, both DJ staples that still get plenty of play on dancefloors. In a seemingly never ending stream of disco edits, Escort stood out by creating dance music the old fashioned way: with impeccable production, musicianship, and songwriting. 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.

Now, Escort’s long-awaited debut album is finally out. The entire album is steeped in the venerable tradition of clubland’s holy trinity - New York, Chicago, Detroit - but it seems particularly reminiscent of mutant-pop luminaries such as Kid Creole & The Coconuts and Ian Dury, who somehow managed to translate their sardonic sensibilities to the dancefloor. And by embracing the legacy of these forward-thinking but classic acts, they have yet managed to create something strikingly new.

The album’s opener ‘Chameleon’ is a perfect example: a three-act play about the French serial impostor Frederic Bourdin, set to a beat that’s equal parts ‘Thriller’ and the Tom Tom Club. The tracks, ‘Make Me Over’ and ‘Why Oh Why’ seem to explore the lost possibilities of another era, rather than simply trying to re-create it. The 1937 standard ‘A Sailboat In The Moonlight’ is twisted into a lost August Darnell classic. The album also includes the definitive versions of their 12” DJ releases, which have been remixed, remastered, rearranged, and re-recorded specially for the album, to complete a release with absolutely no filler.

1. Caméleon Chameleon
2. Cocaine Blues
3. Makeover
4. A Sailboat In The Moonlight
5. Why Oh Why
6. Starlight
7. A Bright New Life
8. All Through The Night
9. Love In Indigo
10. All That She Is
11. Karawane