Escape (recording studio)
| Coordinates | 34°09′12″N 116°29′17″W / 34.1532°N 116.4881°WCoordinates: 34°09′12″N 116°29′17″W / 34.1532°N 116.4881°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
|---|---|
| Owner | Escape Productions LLC (Rocco Gardner, founder) |
| Website | esca |
Escape (also known as Escape Studios) is a residential recording studio and creative retreat located in Pioneertown, California, in the High Mojave Desert. Established in 2013 by musician and producer Rocco Gardner (professionally known as ROC), the facility spans 140 acres (57 ha) and operates as a discreet, invitation-only studio known primarily through word-of-mouth among music industry insiders.[1][2] Situated 55 miles (89 km) from the Coachella Music Festival, 130 miles (210 km) from West Hollywood, 35 miles (56 km) from Palm Springs International Airport, and 230 miles (370 km) from The Sphere in Las Vegas, the studio provides access to three major international airports while maintaining complete privacy in a remote desert setting.[3]
The studio holds a federally registered trademark (Reg. No. 7,549,536) covering recording studio services, podcast and broadcast production, exhibitions, and creative accommodations.[4] Escape gained widespread recognition as the primary recording location for Rüfüs Du Sol's fourth studio album Surrender (2021), which was created during a 51-day residency at the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]
History
Origins and founding (2012–2013)
In 2012, Rocco Gardner recorded at Rancho De La Luna, a nearby residential studio in Joshua Tree, California, with vocalist Kelly Halloran. Recognizing a gap in the market for larger-scale residential recording facilities in the High Mojave Desert, Gardner began searching for property in the region.[7] "We had the most amazing time with Davey [Catching] at Rancho [De La Luna] and I was ready to leave New York," Gardner stated in a 2018 interview. "The original plan was to buy a meth shack and convert it—then I found the land that ESCAPE sits on and everything changed."[7]
In 2013, Gardner acquired a 140-acre (57 ha) property in Pioneertown, California, approximately 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from the historic music venue Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace.[1] The studio was intentionally designed to operate as a discreet, high-end facility accessible primarily through industry referrals and owner approval, maintaining a low public profile while becoming a "known secret" among music industry insiders.[3] Before Escape gained wider recognition through Rüfüs Du Sol's residency in 2020, the facility had quietly hosted sessions with high-profile artists including Arctic Monkeys, Usher, and legendary producer Nick Launay (known for his work with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and IDLES).[2][8]
Expansion and recognition (2015–present)
In 2015, Gardner launched Escape Records, an independent record label distributed through Audiosalad and LoFi Music, specializing in electronic music, indie rock, and cross-genre collaborations.[8] The label has released over 237 tracks across all major streaming platforms, featuring artists including Cimafunk, Jan Blomqvist, Joseph Ray (Nero), DJ Tennis, Jamie N Commons, LP Giobbi, Chloé Caillet, DJ Minx, Alana Hill, Printz Music, Nari (Jaded), Henri Bergmann, and Mia Moretti.[8]
The studio has hosted numerous songwriting camps organized by major music publishers and has been featured in publications including Billboard, The New York Times, Mixmag, Cool Hunting, Vogue Italia, and Tatler.[2][3][9]
Due to its proximity to the Coachella Music Festival (55 miles (89 km)), Escape has served as a location for brand activations and corporate events during festival season, hosting campaigns for Smirnoff, Diageo, Kiehl's, and Under Canvas.[3][9] The facility has been used for high-profile commercial productions, including Johnny Depp's 2018 Dior Sauvage fragrance campaign filmed in Pioneertown,[10] Usher's Verizon advertisements, and live performance recordings for DJ Mag (featuring Jan Blomqvist),[11] Anjunabeats (featuring Joseph Ray), and Fat Tire Beer (featuring Diplo).
In October 2024, Escape Productions LLC secured federal trademark registration (Reg. No. 7,549,536) under International Classes 41 and 43, protecting the Escape brand for recording studio services, podcast and broadcast facilities, exhibitions, live events, and creative accommodations.[4]
Facilities
Recording studios
Escape features two primary recording facilities designed for extended residential recording sessions:
- Studio One: A 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) flagship tracking and mixing facility equipped with a professional-grade console, isolation booths, and a grand piano. The studio features floor-to-ceiling windows providing views of the surrounding desert landscape.[1]
- Studio Two: A residential studio integrated within a three-bedroom accommodation, designed for extended recording projects, songwriting retreats, and producer residencies.[8]
- Podcast and Broadcast Studio: A specialized facility for 360-degree audio recording, podcast production, and live broadcasting. The studio supports remote recording capabilities and has produced content for platforms including Sirius XM in partnership with Robot Heart.[8]
Amenities and location
The 140-acre (57 ha) property includes luxury guest accommodations, a full-service spa, wellness facilities, outdoor gathering spaces, and direct access to hiking trails in the High Mojave Desert.[1] The facility is located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, a historic music venue, making it a popular lodging option for touring artists performing in the region.[3]
Escape's geographic positioning provides strategic access to major markets and venues: 55 miles (89 km) from the Coachella Music Festival grounds in Indio, California, 130 miles (210 km) from West Hollywood, 35 miles (56 km) from Palm Springs International Airport, and 230 miles (370 km) from The Sphere in Las Vegas. The location offers access to three major international airports (LAX, San Diego International Airport, and Las Vegas) while maintaining complete privacy in a remote desert environment.[3]
Notable recordings and sessions
Rüfüs Du Sol – Surrender (2020–2021)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian electronic trio Rüfüs Du Sol spent 51 days (approximately seven weeks) at Escape recording their fourth studio album Surrender (2021). The album, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, was created during an intensive creative retreat focused on group meditation, intention-setting, and interpersonal healing following years of touring.[5][6]
Jon George of Rüfüs Du Sol stated: "At ESCAPE we found a home amongst a landscape of inspiration, a professional, functional studio facility and a family that helped us get in our best musical headspace to create SURRENDER."[8] The band's 2020 concert film Live from Joshua Tree, filmed in the same Pioneertown desert region where Escape is located, has accumulated over 33 million views on YouTube and was presented by Mixmag and Reprise Records.[12]
Notable artists and sessions
Escape has hosted recording sessions, songwriting camps, creative retreats, and production work for numerous prominent artists, producers, and creatives. The facility became known among music industry insiders before gaining wider public recognition, with early adopters including Arctic Monkeys, Usher, and legendary producer Nick Launay.[2][8]
Major recording artists: Usher, Arctic Monkeys, Rüfüs Du Sol, Diplo, 5 Seconds of Summer, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Aloe Blacc, RY X, Paolo Nutini, Cage the Elephant, Peaches, Bob Moses, The Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr., Elton John's keyboardist Kim Bullard, Stick Figure, Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum and drummer Samantha Maloney, Paul Rodgers, Mod Sun, Jamie Campbell Bower, Raye, Knocked Loose, 2LOT, and Peter Cat Recording Co.[8]
Electronic and dance music artists: Nina Kraviz, DJ Tennis, Jan Blomqvist, LP Giobbi, Marc Kinchen (MK), Cimafunk, Joseph Ray (Nero), DJ Minx, Nari (Jaded), Henri Bergmann, Alana Hill, Chloé Caillet, Mia Moretti, Jamie N Commons, and Nephew's Kristian Riis.[8]
Producers and engineers: Nick Launay (producer for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, IDLES, Arctic Monkeys), Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin (TLC, Madonna, P!nk), producer Dan Heath (Lana Del Rey), mixer Mick Guzauski, and songwriter Naz Tokio (The Crystal Method, Black Adam soundtrack).[8]
Non-musical guests: The facility has also hosted creative retreats, podcasts, and thought leadership gatherings featuring Susan Wojcicki (YouTube CEO), Marian Goodell (Burning Man CEO), the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Thom Knoles (Maharishi Vyasananda), Dr. Matt O'Dowd (physicist and host of PBS Space Time), Steph Hannon (CTO of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign; Google Director), Dr. Patty DiBlasio (regenerative medicine specialist), Kasper Garnell (CEO and Founder of Joe & The Juice), The Fat Jewish, Sanni McCandless (life coach), and author Neil Strauss.[8]
Film, fashion, and media: Johnny Depp (Dior campaign), actors Alfie Allen, Paz de la Huerta, Serinda Swan, Matilda Lutz, Natalie Martinez, and Caity Lotz; fashion models Aurelie Claudel, Masha Rudenko, Sarah DeAnna, Gala Gonzalez, Chloe Nørgaard, and Kristina Brik; visual artists The Most Famous Artist, FAILE, and Adam Guy; and photographers Daniella Midenge, Josh Ryan, Jonathan Bookallil, and Kat Benzova.[8] Media brands including TREATS!, Mixmag, Vogue Italia, Tatler, Billboard, Porter, Sunset, Cool Hunting, The New York Times, The Times, and Glamour have produced content at the facility.[8]
Artist testimonials
Several prominent artists have publicly praised Escape:
- Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top): "There's a secret spot out in the desert near Joshua Tree gaining notoriety among music makers of all sorts with good reason. The destination 'ESCAPE' offers recording services on a mighty global scale. Ain't nothin' wrong with that!... It's 'anything + everything' as a destination for creating superb sonic sounds."[8]
- Jimmy Valance (Bob Moses): "ESCAPE is a great place to get away from it all and just focus on being creative. There's tons of awesome art around the property and the views make it feel like you're on Mars. It is a great place to write and get inspired."[8]
- Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes): "Escape is a truly creative place for any hour of the day!"[8]
- Neil Strauss (author): "ESCAPE is a true creative dream!"[8]
- Naz Tokio (songwriter/producer): "ESCAPE is one of my favorite places to record when I need to be surrounded by something magical and I need to shut out the noise of the world. It's just that...an escape!"[8]
- Dan Heath (producer, Lana Del Rey): "ESCAPE Studios is a one-of-a-kind place!"[8]
- Dallas Austin (producer): "UFOs at ESCAPE? Music has energy vibrations just like the ones that flow through the Universe. We make music at Escape and it sits under the Universe, so... well, why don't you find out?"[8]
- Maharishi Vyasananda (Thom Knoles): "Escape is a celestial delight!"[8]
- Jon George (Rüfüs Du Sol): "At ESCAPE we found a home amongst a landscape of inspiration, a professional, functional studio facility and a family that helped us get in our best musical headspace to create SURRENDER."[8]
See also
- Rancho De La Luna – Nearby residential studio in Joshua Tree, California
- Real World Studios – Peter Gabriel's residential studio in England
- Sonic Ranch – Residential studio complex in Tornillo, Texas
- Pioneertown, California
- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Gallery
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Studio 1 production space
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Founder Rocco Gardner with Jan Blomqvist during recording session
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Walston, Michael (June 26, 2023). "Touring Pioneertown, CA's Idyllic Rancho V". Cool Hunting. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Farra, Emily (May 19, 2016). "Pioneertown, a Movie Set in the California Desert, Becomes an Artists' Haven". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Coachella Sound Baths, Desert Art Studios & More". Billboard. April 13, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "ESCAPE Trademark Registration". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kocay, Lisa (October 21, 2021). "RÜFÜS DU SOL Stuns With 'Surrender'". Forbes. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[not in citation given]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Surrender by RÜFÜS DU SOL". Apple Music. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[non-primary source needed]
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Staff (November 26, 2018). "Meet Rocco Gardner of Escape/Rancho V". Voyage LA Magazine. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[non-primary source needed]
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 "About ESCAPE". ESCAPE. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[non-primary source needed]
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Mixmag and the Smirnoff Sound Collective Are Driving Diversity in Dance Music". Mixmag. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ↑ Tschorn, Adam (April 12, 2018). "Darren Criss, Paris Jackson and a stunt shaman decamp to the desert to celebrate Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[not in citation given]
- ↑ "Jan Blomqvist - DJ Mag Live from ESCAPE". YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[unreliable source?]
- ↑ "RÜFÜS DU SOL - Live from Joshua Tree". YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2026.[unreliable source?]
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