INTERVIEW: ESCORT

Photo credit: Jody Kivort

Brooklyn disco crew Escort has that big room, Casablanca Records-era orchestral dance funk down pat.

But don’t mistake them for a nostalgia or novelty act. The trio–made up of Paris-born bassist/singer Adeline Michele and producers/DJs/multi-instrumentalists Dan Balis and Eugene Cho–take their cues from the great disco bands of the ’70s and ’80s, but mix in their own brand of modern dance music and DJ culture.

Pulling pages from the underground DJ playbook, the band, which also includes string and horn sections plus a trio of backup singers, puts its culture melding on display throughout their latest effort, Gov’t Shutdown Throwdown. The 44-minute set was mixed by Cho and Balis and includes some new jams, remixes of their latest singles, “Barbarian” and “Cabaret,” and other tracks from friends on their Escort Records label.

“The idea was to have something out, to give the public a little something before we go on tour–a little something exciting,” Michele explains from home in Brooklyn. “Eugene and Dan are also DJs, so it’s a very DJ-oriented type of band. They think like DJs. So for them to do this mixtape was important.”

Formed while the three were students at Vassar College in the mid-2000s, Escort first surfaced when a viral flash mob video from Toronto featured their remix of Feist’s “I Feel It All.” Their 2012 self-titled debut made Rolling Stone‘s list of last year’s top albums, and you’ve likely heard their single, “Starlight,” in DSW commercials. If you haven’t checked their version of “Cocaine Blues,” it’s simply nu-disco, after-hours party nirvana.

With the mixtape done and a new album in the works, the crew is hitting the road, and stops at Brighton Music Hall this Thursday. Their New York shows are legendary for featuring in excess of a dozen singers and musicians; and while they often tour as a five-piece, they will likely have additional friends along for the Allston gig. The Boston show is a bit of a homecoming as well, as Cho is from Newton.

“It’s mostly five of us, but then we’re trying to bring people whenever we can,” says Michele. “[In] DC, Boston, and Philly we’ll have more because it’s closer to home. But whatever we have, it’s the same sound, the same music, and the same amount of fun.”

Screen Shot 2013-11-20 at 2.37.21 PM Photo via Escort’s Facebook

The title of the new mixtape suggests a political bent, and Escort does take on some serious topics. At the same time, they don’t take themselves too seriously. At the end of the day, they embody the very spirit of disco: hedonistic good times.

“We’re very sarcastic in general,” says Michele. “So [the mixtape's title] is kind of a way to say ‘F that,’ and just take a situation and say, ‘Let’s not take things too seriously.’ But it’s also saying it sucks too.”

She continues: “We like to read our papers and we get a little nerdy about things … We stay in touch with what’s going on, and we try to send a positive message in general. We do our thing to make people happy. That’s our way of politics–making people happy through music. We feel we do have that responsibility.”