ESP-Disk’ is an independent record label founded in New York City in 1963 by Bernard Stollman. What began as a radical experiment quickly became the definitive home for the American avant-garde, releasing foundational recordings by era-defining figures including Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Patty Waters, and The Fugs.

In the 1960s, ESP-Disk’ helped put radical new music on record when few labels were willing to do so. Its catalog did more than document a scene: it permanently preserved a major turning point in American musical history and gave lasting form to work that fundamentally changed the language of jazz, improvisation, underground rock, and experimental sound.

Today, ESP-Disk’ is not merely an archival repository, but an active, living laboratory for creative music. Under the leadership of label manager and artistic director Steve Holtje—a composer, improviser, and veteran music journalist who took over stewardship following Stollman’s passing—the imprint bridges its historic legacy with contemporary documentation, recording, and release. By championing both visionary elder statesmen and a diverse new generation of artists, ESP-Disk’ ensures that the spirit of American sonic innovation remains entirely artist-centered.