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
Founded in 2013
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.
A mile from Pappy & Harriet's, within driving distance of Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The Integratron and Joshua Tree National Park are close.
The Philosophy
Where artists come to find hits
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.
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
The Vision Behind ESCAPE
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.
In 2011 he produced Escape To New York, a three-day Burning Man-style festival with Patti Smith and 100 DJs on Shinnecock tribal lands, co-produced with the team behind Secret Garden Party — followed by Escape LA with Milk Studios and Rassi Mazdack (Thom Yorke spun beats), and Escape To Montauk with Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes. The festivals informed the property: high desert, off-grid, residential, gift-economy in spirit.
Dubbed “the next Richard Branson” by The Times (UK), Roc lives between The Bahamas and the studios with his wife, K, and their golden retrievers, Winston and Inca.
Stewardship
The land
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
What you see is half of what’s here
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.
Who else lives here
The locals
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.
- BobcatsSeasonal, occasional
- Mountain LionsRare
- Black BearsRare
- CoyotesHeard more than seen
- DeerSeasonal
- FoxesMostly dawn & dusk
- OwlsYear-round at night
- Birds of PreyHawks, falcons, eagles
- QuailFamily groups, year-round
- RoadrunnersFast, ground-level, year-round
- HummingbirdsAt the feeders
- HedgehogsQuiet, nocturnal
- SquirrelsDaily company
- GophersUnderground neighbours
- SnakesMostly harmless, mostly hidden
- SpidersKept out of the buildings
The plants
Joshua trees, junipers, cactus, blossom
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.
How visits are run
Small, briefed, monitored
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
We hire local. We buy local.
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 12 we sleep on-property — placed by introduction only. We cap the number of visitors on the land. Always have.
A CERTIFIED HUMAN® PROPERTY
The ESCAPE Principle
Get out of the Venn diagram. Most of life is spent inside the overlap of other people's circles — categories, scenes, professions, identities, permissions. The move is out of the diagram entirely, into the open ground beyond every circle. Then the work begins.
Never ask anyone to come with you. Just go. Permission-seeking is part of the diagram. The act is the invitation. The ones meant to follow will appear on the path; the rest will stay where they were going to stay.
Get closer to nature and the universe. The magic of existing is direct and unmediated, but almost always obscured by the structures that promise to point at it. Remove the apparatus. Let the big picture come back into view.
A few house rules
Doors and screens closed when not in use. Lights off when not needed. Stay on the track. Listen at night.
ESCAPE connects people from all walks of life — from business leaders to spiritual heads.
The sky has never been the limit.
ESCAPE — for those in the know. We do not advertise, list, or take out social-media ads. If you found us, there is a reason. We look forward to greeting you.