Stephen Emmer: Composing at the Edge of Silence

Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Stephen Emmer, a Dutch composer and musician based in Amsterdam. Stephen came up in the late 70s post-punk underground, and his band Minny Pops was the first international act signed to Factory Records. He is a curious genre-explorer who has worked with Lou Reed, Chaka Khan, Tony Visconti, Trevor Horn, Flood, and many others.His latest album, Asymmetrical Dot, is a chamber work rooted in his Dutch-Indonesian heritage, built around sustained tones, wordless vocals, vibraphone, and strings. The record came out of a year when his mother died, and his first grandson was born, and the contracting themes of grief and arrival appear throughout the work.We cover the album, his hearing loss, and why he walked away from commercial work to make the most personal music of his career.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Stephen Emmer's Asymmetrical Dot)—Dig Deeper• Artist and Albums:Visit Stephen Emmer at stephenemmer.com and follow him on Bluesky, Instagram, and YouTubePurchase Stephen Emmer's album Asymmetrical Dot from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choiceThe two previous installments in the 'introspective trilogy': Maison Melody (2020) and Mt. Mundane (2024)• Key Collaborators:Tony Visconti — Producer of Recitement; longtime producer of David BowieBeth Hirsch — Vocalist and co-writer on Asymmetrical Dot, Track 5; best known for AIR's Moon SafariFernando Aponte — Grammy-winning mixing engineer, HoustonEverton Nelson — Concertmaster and violinist; has performed with the LSO, BBC Concert Orchestra, and on recordings for Radiohead, U2, and Paul McCartneyPatricia Sullivan — Mastering engineer at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles• *Recitement* and Its Voices:Recitement — Emmer's 2007 spoken-word album, produced by Tony Visconti.Ken Nordine — Voice-over artist and "Word Jazz" pioneer; voiced "Absolutely Grey" on RecitementColors — Ken Nordine's 1966 album, originally commissioned as radio spots for the Fuller Paint CompanyLou Reed — Rock musician and poet; voiced "Passengers" on RecitementAllen Ginsberg — Beat poet; voiced "Disconnected" on RecitementRichard Burton — Welsh actor; voiced "The Leaden Echo" and "Boy with a Cart" on Recitement• Musical Influences and References:Gamelan — Traditional Indonesian percussion ensemble; central to the sonic concept of Asymmetrical DotDave Brubeck — American jazz pianist; one of the first musicians Emmer heard as a child, via his mother's ballet teachingHeitor Villa-Lobos — Brazilian composer; among the diverse influences Emmer's mother brought to her ballet classesClaude Debussy and Gamelan — Referenced by Emmer as a historical predecessor in integrating gamelan into Western composition• Contextual References:Holiday on Ice — International touring ice show for which Emmer served as music directorMotörhead — British heavy metal band; Emmer's hearing damage traces to a backstage encounter with their sound systemCharles Ives — American modernist composer who ran a successful insurance business alongside his musical career; referenced in the episode's discussion of portfolio careersAmbon, Indonesia — Island in the Maluku province of Indonesia, historically known as Amboina; birthplace of Emmer's mother and inspiration for the album's track "Amboina (for Roekie Aronds)"—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.