ESCAPE is a creative retreat situated outside the big city lights. The ranch functions as an outlet for recording artists, photographers, writers and filmmakers — atop 140 acres of high desert with unobstructed views spanning some 40 miles to Palm Springs. The studios are 120 miles from Los Angeles and 200 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Property
Four creative studios, state-of-the-art recording equipment, vintage toys for artists to play with. Accommodation across The Cottage, The Residence, The Lodge (inspired by Amangiri), and three vintage Airstreams.
Near Pappy & Harriet’s, within driving distance of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The Integratron and Joshua Tree National Park are close.
The Philosophy
No commute, no audience, no interruption. The principle was there from day one.
The records made here aren’t made in a city studio booked by the hour, or on a laptop between shows. Artists come off tour, write the next record, and prepare for the following run — all on one trip, off the grid.
ESCAPE is also home to ROC's music, released under the artist name ROC; the sessions live in the Broadcasts channel. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud.
The ESCAPE channel has been broadcasting since 2013 and has been watched over six million times.
How visits are run
We run small. Every shoot, retreat, and ceremony is briefed in advance and monitored on the day. Vehicle routes are pre-walked. Foot traffic is directed. Sound is managed. Crews and guests are briefed on what to do if they encounter wildlife (the short version: stop, watch, give space). We don’t fence the property. We don’t cage anything. The animals come through. The plants are older than us.
Working locally
Where we can, we employ within the Morongo Basin. Our preferred florists, chefs, photographers, sound engineers, transport, security, builders, and wellness practitioners all live nearby. The cake comes from town. The flowers come from down the road. The crews live within twenty miles.
We work with a small set of trusted nearby ranches and properties for guests who need a bed beyond the 20 we sleep on-property — placed by introduction only. We cap the number of visitors on the land.
A few house rules
Doors and screens closed when not in use. Lights off when not needed. Stay on the track. Listen at night.
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?
Team
Roc Gardner is the British-born founder of ESCAPE. From the pulse of major cities to the stillness of the Mojave Desert, Roc's work is about cutting through the noise — crafting a haven where clarity ignites great ideas.
ESCAPE began with a run of experimental music festivals: Escape To New York in 2011 with Patti Smith, then Escape LA and Escape To Montauk. They shaped everything that followed: high desert, off-grid, residential, a gift economy in spirit.
Roc writes about music, land and the work in The Space Between the Notes.
Dubbed “the next Richard Branson” by The Times (UK), Roc lives with his wife, K, and their golden retrievers, Winston and Inca.
K (Kristina Brik) is a photographer based between New York, Miami and ESCAPE in the Mojave Desert. She offers a unique view into the world she sees through the lens — brikbybrik.life.
“There’s this creative juju that exists. I don’t know if it’s just getting away from the city and the static and the noise, but you actually go somewhere. There’s this idea of ideas flying past your head, and you catch them.”
Stewardship
ESCAPE sits on 140 acres in the high desert above Pioneertown. We are fortunate to live on it — we are not its owners in any meaningful sense. The Joshua trees were here first. The junipers, the wildlife, the underground root system that connects most of what you see — all of it. We are the hosts.
The underground root system
Most of the plants on the property share an interconnected root system below the surface — an underground network that’s older than the buildings, older than the road, older than the town. When we plan a shoot, a build, a path, or a gathering, we plan around it. Foot traffic is directed. Vehicles stay on existing track. Crews are briefed before they arrive.
The plants
Joshua trees that can live a thousand years. Junipers with their twisted branches, several hundred more. Cactus, wildflowers, and the wild grasses that come and go with the seasons. A small orchard with fruit trees and blossom in the spring. All of it watered by a 400-foot fresh-water well that supplies the property. We don’t take it for granted.
Who else lives here
All of these are seasonal, most are rarely seen, and we share the space with them. We work to keep wildlife and spiders out of the buildings — doors and screens stay closed when not in use. Lights are off when they don’t need to be on. The land is louder at night than it looks.
ESCAPE connects people from all walks of life — from business leaders to spiritual heads.
The sky has never been the limit.