ESG Don't Appreciate Your Sample Credits

In the early 1980s, three sisters from the South Bronx were given instruments by their mum in an attempt to keep them off the streets. The sisters formed ESG, and have spent the past 34 years creating post-punk tinged dub and hip-hop. This month they’re touring Australia for the first time and playing the Sugar Mountain festival. We called up vocalist Renee Scroggins to talk about the history of ESG and what they have planned for the future.

VICE: Yo Renee, what’s happening right now with ESG?

Renee Scroggins: We are very excited to be coming to Australia, it’s our first time and we’ve been playing for 34 years. I haven’t been this excited about going out and performing in a long time.

We’re excited to have you. ESG started because your mom gave you instruments to keep you out of trouble. What was the Bronx was like in those days?

Well it was pretty rough, it was dilapidated, had gangs and drugs, just not a great place to be growing up. It was wild. My mom was just like “No. No way. I got four girls. It ain’t happening,” so she got us instruments.

So your mom buying instruments to stop you and your sisters becoming teenage crack addicts lead to you touring the world. ESG play stadiums in Europe, right?

We play a lot of different places in Europe that, size wise, we don’t get the opportunity to play in America. In Europe people come out. We sell out our shows and have a heavier following. The stadium show was weird, we took photos and it was a great feeling.

When you were teenagers you played the opening of the Hacienda and were on Factory Records, how did that come about?

The first label to actually release us was Factory Records. 99 records released us six months later. Tony Wilson from Factory Records put out our record and had us record an album with Martin Hannett. We didn’t know who Martin Hannett was so there was no pressure because he didn’t know who we were either, so it was all cool. It was the coolest session in the world and then later he flew us over to play the opening of The Hacienda. We were still teenagers, I just remember sawdust because they were finishing up the club.

Did Martin Hannett bring a loaded gun to the sessions to inspire you like he did other bands?

No, he was so mellow and so cool.  When I hear people tell stories about Martin it’s not the person we met. Maybe he was just trying to be cool with us because we were teenage girls. He was a gentleman.

You’ve been sampled by everyone from Wu Tang Clan to Beastie Boys, and most people assumed you were doing okay from those shout outs, but then you released Sample Credits Don’t Pay Our Bills. What’s the story?

It has actually got worse. Now people who are sampling us just have a new line of crap, they say they recreated it on a computer. I ain’t got no respect for them. I ain’t trying to rip off them but they steal our music like it is okay.

That sucks. Your daughters are playing in the band now, do you get protective on tour?

No, they’re like friends so it’s fun. We’ve been through it before so it’s like doing it over again, we get to see it through their eyes. We enjoy playing with them, keeping it in the family and seeing them following in our footsteps. We’re in the studio right now making an album with everybody who has ever played in ESG and making a documentary called “Closure To The ESG Story.” Even if we stop performing we will always be making music and recording. Music is our life.

ESG play Sugar Mountain Festival this January 19 in Melbourne as well as a handful of gigs around the country.