JEZ WELLS PROFILES EM:T
June 21st, 2004 by susanna
Jez Wells was instantly hooked when a friend introduced him to the pioneering electronica label em:t back in the 1990s. And he was devastated when em:t disappeared. No wonder, then, that he’s pretty excited about their comeback, complete with a new compilation due this Summer…
Many fine record labels came and went in the 1990s, that amazing decade when electronic and computer tools made their way into the hands of all kinds of composers, creators and artists who then set about revolutionising the sound of popular, contemporary and art music. And if this was a revolution, then the medium through which it happened was the hundreds, if not thousands, of labels that set themselves up to define and promote these myriad new sounds and styles.
A refreshing change from the major label’s corporate take on the music scene, so many of these small independent outfits were beacons of genuine new talent and innovation. Some of these lights burned intensely for a short time and a handful are still glowing brightly today. Sadly many of these originators were extinguished or engulfed when the big businesses of music finally woke up, scratched their collective balls, sauntered downstairs to smell the coffee and then decided to flood the whole kitchen with cheap instant versions.
The good news is that the flame of one very special label from that time, em:t records, has burst back into life. For those who missed this imprint the first time around let me tell you that em:t produced some of the most beautiful (at times), intense (at others), well-produced and original sounding electronic music on the planet a few years ago. It was not a huge label, but it was much loved by those who knew of it and much missed when it vanished suddenly at the end of the 90s.
I was instantly hooked when a friend, who certainly knew his ambient onions, gave me woob’s first album for the label, 1194, nearly ten years ago. It is a fantastic album and so is every other em:t release that I’ve managed to track down since. But finding them has become harder and harder. With beautiful artwork, each of their releases was an object to be cooed over, a thing of beauty and mystery and many of these objet d’art are now rarities, occasionally to be had for exorbitant amounts from collectors or in auctions.
Thankfully, now that em:t are back in business, you can check out their past flavours on the retrospective compilation, em:t2003, released last year. From the quaint oddness of Gregor Samsa’s Paralysis to the dubbed out, ambient warmth of Richie Warburton’s 00 via the strung out blues of Beatsystem’s Alabama this is a worthy testament to the output of em:t’s original incarnation.
Click on the link below for an interview with the man behind em:t’s rebirth - Matt Hall
