Escape-ism

ESCAPE-ISM —known as the “found sound dream drama”— is a group specializing in “minimal rock ’n’ roll” led by Ian F Svenonius on voice, beat machine, and electric guitar & featuring Sandi Denton on electric bass guitar, voice, & keyboard.

As art & expression kneels in servility to corporate dictums, ESCAPE-ISM is an outlier. They're the “rock ’n’ roll animinimalist” that rides the rails with a bindle stick; a “what me worry?” tramp who haunts out-of-the-way watering holes frequented by roughshod holdouts against computer conformity.

Known for their offhand musical insouciance, ESCAPE-ISM has gathered a devout following of know nothing acolytes across the globe. ESCAPE-ISM also hosts a series of evenings at Los Angles’ Zebulon nightclub entitled “Rated Z”, named for their full length album Rated Z (2022, Radical Elite/Monotone records). These rock 'n' roll revues are legendary events of simulated excitement.

In 2021, ESCAPE-ISM released “A Protest Against Sound,” a 40 minute silent vinyl record on their own label Radical Elite Records, to register their discontent with the state of music. Tapping into popular discontent, it sold out in mere moments.

The next year, the group released a feature length film THE LOST RECORD (directed & produced by I.F. Svenonius & A Cabral), based on the ESCAPE-ISM album of the same name. It won several awards (Chicago Underground Film Festival, Belgrade Film Festival, et al) and toured the arthouses of the world. The soundtrack to this record will be released on In The Red Records.

ESCAPE-ISM represents our last hope to wreck civilization. All hail Minimal Rock ’n’ Roll!