South Bronx Story, A

サンプリング・ネタとして有名な“UFO”をはじめ変則的ファンキー・チューンを多数残した黒人女性ニューウェイヴ・ファンク・バンド、ESG！その細腕から繰り出すヘナヘナなビートは、あまりにヘナヘナなため今後何十年経っても最高にヘナヘナなまま。

In the early '80s, the Scroggins sisters of New York City's ghettoized South Bronx emerged as the architects of a new kind of funk. Inspired by the almighty groove of James Brown, they fashioned a minimalist, homemade funk sound that relied almost exclusively on bass and percussion. Their initial recordings, originally released on pioneering NYC indie label 99 Records, helped set the tone for the mixture of punk, funk, and dub that was an underground club sensation in the post-punk era. ESG's sound was of a piece with artier UK punk-funkers such as Medium Medium and A Certain Ratio, and with New York no-wavers the Bush Tetras and labelmates Liquid Liquid. Over the years, countless rap artists sampled ESG, and the house music scene also owes them a debt. This compilation draws on ESG's 99 recordings as well as more obscure '90s cuts. It shows that ESG possessed an almost childlike innocence and freshness that set them apart from their more cerebral contemporaries. These tracks are all about rhythm, as Renee Scroggins delivers simple vocal melodies over forceful but uncomplicated grooves. It's easy to see why some referred to the group's sound as "playground funk."|