Though never achieving much in terms of mainstream cultural acceptance, the New York-based band ESG has come to be regarded as one of the more important groups to emerge out of the 1980s that would influence several musicians who'd go on to have prolific careers in the hip-hop, disco, post punk and dance punk scenes. Tentatively formed in 1978, the group wouldn't release an album until 1983's impressive LP Come Away With ESG. Many of the group's songs were typically set up around complex polyrhythms--complete with funk bass lines, pocket drum kit playing and experimental conga accompaniments--prompting individuals in the hip-hop scene to pull samples from many ESG songs--looping them or tweaking them in some way to create a foundation for a rapper to rhyme over. The band broke up in 1985, but has since reunited on occasion to play a show or enter the studio again to record original material.
