Stephen Emmer is an independent Dutch composer/arranger/artist hailing from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He’s the son of former news anchorman Fred Emmer and ballet dancer/actress Roekie Aronds.
He has recorded for and written, performed and collaborated with a variety of great artists such as Lou Reed, Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, Leon Ware, Midge Ure, Julian Lennon, Glenn Gregory, Billy MacKenzie, Mary Griffin, Peter Coyle, Claudia Brucken and Martha Ladley to name but a few. On top of that he has worked with legendary producers like Tony Visconti, Flood, Trevor Horn, Steve Power, Martin Hannett, Nigel Gray and Bob Power.
In the 70’s he started writing avant-garde type music whilst playing in various bands, like Minny Pops, The Associates and The Lotus Eaters. He’s also known as a composer for media projects and became Holland’s first in-house composer for the Dutch public broadcasting organization NOS, next to creating musical work for art exhibitions, experimental film projects, show events, radio shows, documentaries and short feature films.
Next to being responsible for the ‘custom made award for best tv music’ for Promax BDA he was the judge-president for the official Dutch Music and Sounddesign Award and the main founder of the Buma Music In Motion conference.
Childhood
He spent the majority of his childhood living with his mom, with whom he traveled abroad due to the nature of her work. She initially took him to India where he learned how to play a local wind instrument in an ashram. They then moved to the Caribbean. In Aruba he was taught to play voodoo infused percussion whereas in Suriname he learned how to play the guitar.
In the early 70’s they returned to Amsterdam. After having finished his education at the Amsterdams Lyceum, where he played in several schoolbands, he got involved in a variety of bands such as an experimental free jazz group called the Chris Frankemoller Trio and a symphonic rock group with Dennis Duchart and legendary Dutch singer Mathilde Santing.
Minny Pops
In 1979 Stephen decided to join an avant garde new wave electro-noise band called Minny Pops, where he played the guitar. Soon the band got signed by Factory Records in the UK next to Joy Division and played alongside New Order, which gained them considerable international cult status ever since. Next to being the first international band signed to Factory Records, Minny Pops was also the first Dutch band to do a session for the legendary BBC Radio dj John Peel in the UK.
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Vinyl & Radio
In the 80’s he was co-founder and chief editor of new Dutch music magazine ‘Vinyl’, next to hosting and producing various national radioshows, like for instance RadioNome for Dutch broadcasting organization VPRO. In 2003 Emmer starts hosting his own radioshow Synsation (Concertzender). Next to that he acted as compiler for NPS Blackbox on public Dutch radio channel Radio 4 and presented ‘O.S.T.’ on KX Radio, a program with a clear and distinct focus on film music.
Vogue Estate
Back in 1982 Emmer’s musical idealism led him to create and produce a solo mini album called Vogue Estate. It got signed to and released by WEA/Idiot Records as part of their new mini album series. The idea behind the album was to create a soundtrack for an imaginary film. Whereas it mainly consists of instrumental work one track is with vocals from the late Billy McKenzie (The Associates), who appears on ‘Wish on’, whereas Martha Ladley, known from Canadian new wave band Martha and the Muffins, contributed to ‘Eleven and then left’. Stephen’s good friend Michael Dempsey, former bass guitar player of The Cure also appears on the album. It got produced at Trident Studios in London by legendary producer Flood, aka Mark Ellis, known for the production of albums for amongst others Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, U2 and Smashing Pumpkins. In 2015 ’Vogue Estate’ got re-mastered at Zownd Studios in Leiden (NL), resulting in a fresh and now sounding timeless masterpiece of new wave.
The Associates
That same year he joined Billy MacKenzie’s The Associates from Schotland, where he played alongside Alan Rankine, Michael Dempsey and Steve Goulding (former Elvis Costello drummer).
The Lotus Eaters
1984 sees Emmer and Dempsey join The Lotus Eaters from Liverpool, followed by Act with Claudia Brucken (ex-Propaganda) and Continental Cast from Amsterdam. As a guitar player Emmer can also be heard on the successful Richenel album ‘Deep As Blue'.
Royal College Of Music
That same year him and Dempsey decided to follow a Summer course called ‘Scoring for Television’ at the Royal College Of Music in London.
Prix de Rome
Throughout the years he won several awards for artistic excellence, such as an award at the prestigious Prix de Rome back in 1988.
Recitement
Around 2006 Emmer felt a sudden urge to be temporarily liberated from this ‘musical warzone’ and decided to return to his musical idealism of the early years to find what he was searching for; inspiration through catharsis. To that end, he created 17 compositions based on literary text fragments for a project called Recitement. The album features music and modern spoken word performed by famous writers, singers and actors. The album got mixed and produced in New York by Tony Visconti at the legendary Looking Glass Studios owned by Philip Glass.
The album features vocal contributions by Lou Reed, Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead), Richard Burton, Andrea Piovan, Sylvia Kristel, Ken Nordine, Michael Parkinson aka Shyrock, Jorge Luis Borges, Tony Visconti, Alan Ginsberg, Michael Lonsdale, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Sylvina Ocampo and Kurt Schwitters. On top of that it contains lyrical contributions from Yoko Ono, Jorge Luis Borges, Remco Campert, Hugo Claus and even Vincent van Gogh.
International Blue
In 2014 Stephen then released his International Blue album. What initially started as a plan to release a new EP eventually resulted in so many song sketches that he simply couldn’t resist creating yet another album. The idea behind ‘International Blue’ was to pay tribute tot the rare art and elegance of the pop-crooner. Emmer’s latest album infuses a modern twist to the genre with contemporary sounds & beats, studio techniques, insights and lyrical meaning in ten new and original compositions. The album was inspired by and meant as a tribute to the epic chamber music of Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker, Nick Cave and David Bowie.
Emmer’s ultimate search for the right voices for ‘International Blue’ resulted in inspiring collaborations with 4 of the great baritone voices the UK had on offer, like Glenn Gregory (Heaven17), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Liam McKahey (Cousteau) and Neil Crossley (Furlined). The album again got produced by Tony Visconti, the man behind Iggy Pop, Morrissey and David Bowie, amongst others. Production took place in legendary studios like Avatar Studios in New York and Abbey Road Studios in London.
International Blue was very well received by the press, resulting in amazing reviews in The Times (‘as classy as a gleaming vintage Rolls’), Mojo Magazine (‘International Blue is about its instantly timeless songs’), Q Magazine, Der Spiegel and Classic Pop Magazine. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf listed the album as the #2 album in 2014, next to describing it as ‘The most beautiful orchestrated, arranged and composed album of the year’. Click here to go to International Blue on Facebook.
Home Ground
Home Ground album featuring Chaka Khan, Patti Austin, the late Leon Ware, Ursula Rucker, Frank McComb and more. With legendary producer Bob Power.
Stephen Emmer’s latest musical offering Home Ground combines the eloquence of contemporary orchestral soul music with socially conscious lyrics. It addresses contemporary concerns within the timeless musical excellence of classic soul combined with the sonic impact of the 21st century. The Home Ground songs are vocally performed by a careful selection of musical icons from the last 5 decades.
The main lyrical thrust of Home Ground is the world that is in constant conflict or war, whether over land, religion or race; this is not just black against white, it’s also poor against rich, justice against injustice, and the myriad other ongoing conflicts that beset our world.
Click here to go to the Home Ground website.
Home Ground - The Wilroy Remixes
A selection od six Home Ground tracks got remixed by Canadian remix artist Wilroy, who has recently had critical acclaim by the likes of Gilles Peterson (Brownswood Recordings) and Maryanne Hobbs (BBC Radio). He pushed the traditional neo-soul tracks into a more abstract and experimental R&B area. Home Ground - The Wilroy Remixes got released as a digital EP on Emmer's own imprint Electric Fairytale Recordings in November 2019.
Maison Melody
Stephen's latest brainchild Maison Melody came about whilst in lockdown and comes in the shape and form of a neo classical concept album. No vocalists this time around and no production from Visconti. Recorded alone as an instrumental, via the medium of music in its classical form, Stephen explored isolation, family, solitude and the company of his piano and strings. Maison Melody saw the daylight in May 2020.
Maison Melody AM:PM
Emmer Invites Listeners to ‘Become The Composer’ with Dolby Atmos endorsed immersive album Maison Melody AM:PM. For centuries the halls of composers have remained an elusive and hallowed field – hidden playgrounds that have produced some of the most important works of art known to man. Wouldn’t you want to know what it is really like inside?
With the release of Maison Melody AM:PM Stephen Emmer welcomes audiences to a transformative audio experience. This album is one of the world’s first spatial neo-classical concept-albums in the cutting-edge Dolby Atmos format. Listeners are transported into the world of the composer as they explore the synergy between the pieces the composer creates and the space that he inhabits.
Combining a traditional music album, podcast and radioplay, it even hints at a possible new genre: Cinema for the Ears.
Order of Orange-Nassau
In 2022 Stephen got knighted in 'The Order of Orange Nassau' for his Save The Arts ('Red De Kunsten') initiative, with which he acted as a lifesaver for the ailing cultural sector during the Covid pandemic. Emmer's action bridged the gap between the art and media world.
Mt. Mundane
October 2024 unveils Stephen Emmer’s latest brainchild in the form of Mt Mundane. The album can be best described as an epic journey for orchestra, piano and treble. It is one of Emmer’s most opulent and personal works. The project was recorded earlier the same year at the prestigious Abbey Road Studios in London, with a lineup of over 30 musicians and in collaboration with international music stars, such as Anthony Weeden (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Andrew Dudman (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Grammy Award-winning choral conductor Nigel Short, pianist Ben Dawson, and treble Joshua Davidson.
With this album he set his life to music and in the process, came to terms with a drastic experience: the loss of hearing in his left ear, which posed an existential threat to him as a musician and composer. Mt Mundane symbolises the many crises that individuals can overcome, no matter how impossible they may initially seem; a message of hope and optimism that Emmer aims to convey to his audience and those who also face life-altering situations.
It incorporates melodies that have been with him since the early days of his career over 45 years ago. He weaves these enduring themes into stunning symphonic compositions, enriched by the insights and creativity of his current artistic phase. Inspiration came from French composers of the post-impressionist era, such as André Caplet, Lili Boulanger, Ravel, and Debussy, each renowned for their vividly colourful fauvist orchestrations and refined harmonisations.
Asymmetrical Dot
Stephen Emmer's music doesn't begin with himself. It begins with his parents and grandparents, who brought together worlds that at first glance seemed far apart: a Dutch and an Indonesian background, European harmony and Eastern cycles, order and asymmetry.
Stephen grew up in that in-between zone and learned early on that identity is ambiguous. Where others saw boxes, he heard sounds. His new project, Asymmetrical Dot, makes this audible: long, sustained notes rooted in Indonesian folk music, juxtaposed with sparkling contrapuntal lines of vibraphone, celesta and marimba from Western chamber music. Wordless vocals float above this like pure emotion, unencumbered by language.
The album is also an intimate family story: it’s made in the very same year that his mother passed away and his first grandson is born, setting that personal cycle in life into music here, Emmer passes on his ambiguity to a new generation next to saying goodbye to the old generation. What once felt like a misalignment or an anomaly turns out to be a legacy full of richness and strength. His music thus becomes a line between three generations: from its origins in two cultures, through his own quest as a composer, to the future that Benja embodies.
Asymmetrical Dot is therefore not just a musical journey between contemporary chamber music, jazz noir and alternative global music, with a line up of artists coming from Armenia, Peru, Venezuela, Indonesia, Netherlands, UK and USA, it is a human story about origins, about legacy, and about the beauty of asymmetry and the dot as a musical symbol that somehow stands for the extended duration of life.
Buma Oeuvre Award
Emmer got rewarded for his work with the Buma Oeuvre Award Multimedia. He received the prize on Monday 9 March 2020.
Idealistic Engagement
Next to the above Stephen is also idealistically engaged. In that capacity he was co-founder of music magazine 'Vinyl', a monthly for modern and innovative music. He also co-founded the annual mediamusic conference 'Buma Music in Motion'.
During covid-19 he initiated the 'Save the Arts on Radio and Television' campaign leading to increased national broadcasts of art programmes leading into gaining more recognition for all the anonymous workers in the industry.
Emmer recently launched the 'Artists against Tinnitus' foundation with accompanying website, aiming to create more awareness about all hearing related problems from an artist perspective.
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