Outsiders: System Failure - The E.S.G. Story

E.S.G. (Emerald, Sapphire & Gold), the punk-funk-dance band of the Scroggins sisters from the South Bronx, emerged in the late ’70s, shaping Manhattan’s Lower East Side No Wave scene and early hip hop. Their track “U.F.O.” became one of the most sampled ever, reused from 1981 to the mid-2000s.

Pioneers of a minimalist groove later widely copied, they worked with Factory’s Tony Wilson and Martin Hannett, played the Haçienda’s 1982 opening, and closed Paradise Garage in 1987. Loved by Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles, their sound lives on in artists from Big Daddy Kane to MF DOOM. Yet their influence—from punk-funk to hip hop to house—remains overlooked. System Failure tells their story through music, archives, and interviews beyond the “most sampled” narrative.

You ‘re No Good - E.S.G. U.F.O. - E.S.G. I Wanna Dance - E.S.G. Tiny Sticks - E.S.G. Dance - E.S.G. Moody/Dance to the beat of Moody - E.S.G. My Love for You - E.S.G. Erase You - E.S.G. I can’t tell you what to do - E.S.G. Christelle - E.S.G. Bam Bam Jam - E.S.G. ESG Interview on WNYU 1987 Ain't No Half-Steppin'- Big Daddy Kane It's My Turn- Stezo Do the Right Thing - Redhead Kingpin & The FBI - Earn It - E.S.G. There was a time - E.S.G. Keep on moving - E.S.G. Like This (House Mix)-Chip E. Feat K. Joy Beastie Boys - Sure Shot (Large Professor Remix) Moody- Christian Falk (feat. Neneh Cherry) Geek Down – J Dilla Talk It - E.S.G. Insane (Tambourine Mix) - E.S.G. It’s Alright - E.S.G. Get Funky - E.S.G. Come Away - E.S.G.