In the late 2000s, New York City was experiencing a disco revival, mostly due to genre nights at clubs like Passerby, Santos Party House, and Studio B, and DJ-producer groups such as Hercules and Love Affair, Metro Area, and Rub-N-Tug. Yet among this scene Escort were the one outfit that paid homage the hard way—as a 17-member band with full-fledged horn and string sections, cutting disco singles from scratch. The two sides from this time, “Starlight” and “All Through the Night,” are some of the finest relics of this brief scene, gleaming with the champagne-soaked, pill-popping decadence of dusty 12-inches from disco’s heyday. The group refined and expanded on these tracks for their 2011 self-titled debut, then made a soft turn into contemporary dance-pop on 2015’s Animal Nature (Escort Records). Their sophomore LP isn’t quite as vibrant or audacious as its predecessor, but as a live act Escort haven’t lost a step—the dancing begins from the first track and doesn’t let up until the lights go out. v
