ESB

ESB biography
Founded in 2010, ESB are a French progressive electronic trio consisting of acclaimed musician and film composer Yann Tiersen, along with Nestorisbianca's Lionel Laquerrière and Montgomery's Thomas Poli. The group began after Laquerrière, a member of Tiersen's live band, jammed with the latter during soundchecks, bonding over their love of analog synthesizers. The duo invited their friend Poli into the fold, completing the lineup in time to participate in Italy's Acusmatiq Festival.

Originally dubbed Elektronische Staubband, the "electronic dust band" condensed their moniker to ESB in 2013, subsequently releasing their debut 7" single the same year. The busy trio managed to set aside time in 2014, improvising and recording over a ten-day period at Tiersen's studio, resulting in their self-titled, seven-track full-length, released the following year on Bureau B. ESB's style both celebrates and modernises Düsseldorf and Berlin School influences in their all-instrumental, mostly-melodic ambient approach, explicitly nodding to Neu!, Klaus Schulze and especially Kraftwerk (with the trio citing further influence from Michael Bundt, Delia Derbyshire, Loscil and Tim Hecker). Hypnotic sequencers evoking sci-fi dystopias propel each track, providing a chilled-out, minimalist motorik undercurrent. The mood is dark but not oppressively so, at least until the borderline-harrowing penultimate track "Late."

ESB's last known activity was in 2016 with the release of a limited edition cassette, Live Recordings, via Poli's label Impersonal Freedom, documenting the group's brief European tour in support of the LP.


- Gordy, June 2024