This article is about the band. For the physics term, see Electromotive forceIn physics, electromotive force, or most commonly emf , or electromotance is "that which tends to cause current to flow."...
.
EMF are an indie dance band from the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The band, from the
Forest of DeanThe Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
in
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, came to prominence at the beginning of the 1990s. Since its inception, EMF have released three
studio albumA studio album is an original collection of new tracks by a recording artist.It usually does not contain live recordings and/or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make up majority of the album and are often "bonus tracks"...
s and have gone on hiatus twice. Their first
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
, "Unbelievable," got to number 3 in the UK charts and was a number one hit on the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. Their debut album,
Schubert DipSchubert Dip is an album by the rock band EMF, released in 1991. The name is a pun on the name of the popular sweet Sherbet Dip and the nineteenth-century composer Franz Schubert.-Track listing:# "Children"# "Long Summer Days"# "When You're Mine"...
, went to number 3 in the
UK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
.
Band name
The name "EMF" officially stands for "Epsom Mad Funkers"
In the aforementioned song, "EMF" could be interpreted as an
acrosticAn acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message...
for:
Ecstasy
Motherfucker
From us to you
The chorus lyrics are as follows:
E! Ecstasy! M! Motherfucker, motherfucker! F! From us to you...
In addition, the remix single release of the song "Lies" included a song "Head the Ball" with the repeating lines "Electro Motive Force" and "Esctasy Mother Fuckers" during the song.
The band was signed by
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
/
ParlophoneParlophone is a record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company. The ₤ trademark is a German L, for Lindström. It also resembles the British pound sign , which itself is derived from the letter L for Libra, meaning pound in Latin...
after a mere four gigs, without even being asked for a demo tape. Legend has it that
A&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man Nick Mander was made to jump into a river before the band would agree to sign with
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
.
Members
- James Atkin (vocals, guitars), born James Saul Atkin, in Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
.
- Ian Dench
Ian Dench is a British songwriter and musician. Dench was the guitarist and principal songwriter for EMF, who scored a major international hit reaching number 1 in the United States with "Unbelievable" in 1991...
(guitars, keyboards), born in CheltenhamCheltenham , or Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, England with a population of 110,013 at the 2001 census. The inhabitants are known as "Cheltonians". Its motto is: Salubritas et Eruditio ....
.
- Derry Brownson (keyboards and samples), born in Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
- Mark Decloedt (drums), born in Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
Former members
- Zac Foley (bass), born Zachary Sebastian Rex James Foley, 9 December 1970, in Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
; Died on 2 January, 2002 of a drug overdose. The remaining members of EMF played just four more gigs in late 2002, before deciding to split up, until reforming again in 2007.
Formation (1989)
They originally toured with DJ Milf who now has his own band called Stateside and released music under the name Jose Sanchez. All the members were relatively well known in the local music scene before forming EMF in Cinderford, UK in October 1989. Derry Brownson had formed a band called Flowerdrum with his brother Leigh but left to join Zac, Mark and James as EMF. Ian was last to join, having already tasted moderate success as a member of Apple Mosaic.
Their music mixed light techno elements with rockier sounds - EMF regularly used samplers and sequencers. It has often been argued that EMF's music was influenced by
Jesus JonesJesus Jones is a British rock group. The London-based group recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s.-Formation and Liquidizer :...
. In fact, the two bands formed a close relationship. Their music has also been counted as part of
MadchesterMadchester was an alternative rock genre that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed indie rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...
and
indie danceIndie dance is a term used to describe a music, that developed from dance music and post-punk/indie rock music in the 2000s. The term indie dance was applied to describe the styles of contemporary disco punk, 2000s electronic rock, nintendocore and new rave.-Style:Stylistically, indie dance music...
. EMF were at the time also known for their baseball caps worn sideways, and the baggy shorts they wore.
Schubert Dip and Stigma (1990–1992)
In 1990, their debut "Unbelievable" topped the charts in many countries around the world, reaching the number one in the USA in July 1991. The single features sampled utterances from comedian
Andrew Dice ClayAndrew "Dice" Clay is an American comedian. Dice performed his first HBO Special in Philadelphia called, The Diceman Cometh, in 1989, and had his first starring role in a feature film as the title character in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane in 1990...
. In 1991 EMF released their debut album
Schubert DipSchubert Dip is an album by the rock band EMF, released in 1991. The name is a pun on the name of the popular sweet Sherbet Dip and the nineteenth-century composer Franz Schubert.-Track listing:# "Children"# "Long Summer Days"# "When You're Mine"...
which went to number 3 in the UK. The name was explained by songwriter Ian Dench, as "If ever I'm short of a chord sequence I nick one from Schubert." Successful singles from their debut included "
I Believe"I Believe" is a single by British band EMF. It was the second single from their first album Schubert Dip. The song was released as a single in January 1991 in the UK following their big hit "Unbelievable". The song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. In the USA, the song was the band's...
," "Children," and "Lies." The last one turned controversial for including a voice sample of
Mark ChapmanMark David Chapman is an American prisoner who assassinated John Lennon on December 8, 1980, in New York City. Chapman shot at Lennon four times in the back, outside The Dakota apartment building, in the presence of Lennon's wife Yoko Ono and others...
,
John LennonJohn Winston Ono Lennon, MBE was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter, author, and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles...
's murderer.
Yoko Ono, , is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She is known for her marriage to John Lennon and for her work as an avant-garde artist and musician.-Early life:...
achieved an injunction and a modified version was included in future pressings.
In 1992, EMF returned with the
Unexplained EPUnexplained EP was an EP by the English band EMF. Although following on from their well-received Schubert Dip album , the Unexplained EP was not a commercial success, peaking at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.This EP features a remake of Iggy & The Stooges 1973 song "Search...
(including a cover version of "
Search and Destroy"Search and Destroy" is a song by American rock band The Stooges, recorded for the group's third album Raw Power . Lead singer Iggy Pop said that he pulled the title "from a column heading in a Time Magazine article about the Vietnam War." In 1997, "Search and Destroy" along with the rest of the...
") and later their second album
StigmaStigma was an album by EMF. "It's You" was actually called "It's You That Leaves Me Dry" but was re-titled to "It's You" and re-mixed for the single release.-Track listing:# "They're Here"# "Arizona"# "It's You That Leaves Me Dry"# "Never Know"...
, both of which did badly in the charts. The singles were "Getting Through," "
They're Here"They're Here" is a single from British band EMF from their second album Stigma. It reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.-CDR 6321 :#They're Here #They're Here #They're Here...
," and "It's You." This has been explained with EMF's, lack of innovation past their first single, but also by the rise of
BritpopBritpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
.
Cha Cha Cha and first hiatus (1995–2000)
Until their 1995 album
Cha Cha ChaCha Cha Cha was the last career album EMF put out. It was the first album the band released in 3 years, their previous album being their 1992 album Stigma...
EMF effectively disappeared from sight. This album featured the singles "
Perfect Day"Perfect Day" is a song written by Lou Reed in 1972. Its fame was given a boost in the 1990s when it was featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting, and after its release as a charity single in 1997....
" and "
Bleeding You Dry"Bleeding You Dry" is a single by British band EMF. It was the second single released from their third full-length album Cha Cha Cha.Although there was a commercially released version of the single, in most cases it is widely considered only a promo single due to much of its releases being promos...
." Both were highly acclaimed, but failed to sell well.
In summer 1995 EMF teamed up with
Vic ReevesVic Reeves is an English comedian, best known for his double act, with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
and
Bob MortimerRobert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is a British comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
and recorded "
I'm a Believer"I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by the The Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the...
" (a cover song from
The MonkeesThe Monkees were a pop rock quartet assembled by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider in Los Angeles in 1966 for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968...
). This single sold better, but critics were less enthusiastic, stating desperation. The band then released
Afro King"Afro King" is a single by British band EMF, released in the fall of 1995. The single didn't do well, only getting to #51 on the UK single charts...
which was by some regarded as a return to dance-pop origins, but the release failed to do well. After this, the band split for the first time, however, all members of the band continued to play music.
Reunion and second hiatus (2001–2006)
In 2001, EMF gave a reunion gig in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, UK. They also released a
best ofA greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band...
album
Epsom Mad Funkers: The Best Of EMF-Track listing:CD 1:# "Unbelievable"# "I Believe"# "Children"# "Lies" # "Girl Of An Age"# "Getting Through"# "They're Here"# "It's You"# "Perfect Day" # "Glass Smash Jack"# "Shining"# "I'm A Believer"...
.
The band's bass guitarist, Zac Foley, died on 2 January 2002, due to an overdose of non-prescribed drugs. He was aged 31. EMF played just four more gigs in late 2002, before splitting up again.
In 2005,
Kraft FoodsKraft Foods, Inc. is the largest food and beverage company headquartered in the United States and the second largest in the world ....
used EMF's "Unbelievable" in their Kraft Crumbles advertisement campaign. The original song's chorus, "It's unbelievable," was replaced with a more "crumble-centric" chorus, declaring "It's crumbelievable."
Second reunion (2007–2009)
In 2007, the band announced they would be reforming to play a one-off gig at
the ScalaScala is a nightclub in London, England, near King's Cross railway station.The Scala was originally built as a Cinema to the designs of H Courtney Constantine, but construction was interrupted by the First World War and it spent some time being used to manufacture aircraft parts, and as a labour...
in
King's CrossKings Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
, London, on 18 December. The place of Zac Foley will be taken by Richard March, who was formerly with
Pop Will Eat ItselfPop Will Eat Itself were an English band formed in Stourbridge, with band members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country.- Early years :...
and
Bentley Rhythm AceBentley Rhythm Ace are a duo formed in Birmingham, England in the late 1990s consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March.-Career:...
.
In 2007,
Hallmark CardsHallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. Approximately 50% of greeting cards sent in the United States every year are manufactured by Hallmark...
used EMF's "Unbelievable" in their musical Mother's Day Cards advertising campaign. The mother was shown opening the card, heard the daughter say "Mom you Rock" followed by the music of EMF.
In 2008, EMF played the Portsmouth Festival on Thursday 9 October and supported
Carter USMCarter the Unstoppable Sex Machine were a British indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
at Birmingham Academy and London's Brixton Academy on 21 and 22 November 2008.
On May 6, 2009, EMF announced that due to personal issues, the band would not be doing any more shows in the near future, thus ending their second reunion.
Albums
| Year |
Albums |
UK Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
US Charts The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
| 1991 |
Schubert Dip Schubert Dip is an album by the rock band EMF, released in 1991. The name is a pun on the name of the popular sweet Sherbet Dip and the nineteenth-century composer Franz Schubert.-Track listing:# "Children"# "Long Summer Days"# "When You're Mine"...
|
3 |
12 |
| 1992 |
Stigma Stigma was an album by EMF. "It's You" was actually called "It's You That Leaves Me Dry" but was re-titled to "It's You" and re-mixed for the single release.-Track listing:# "They're Here"# "Arizona"# "It's You That Leaves Me Dry"# "Never Know"...
|
19 |
- |
| 1995 |
Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha was the last career album EMF put out. It was the first album the band released in 3 years, their previous album being their 1992 album Stigma...
|
30 |
- |
Compilations
| Year |
Albums |
UK Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
US Charts The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
| 2001 |
Epsom Mad Funkers: The Best Of EMF -Track listing:CD 1:# "Unbelievable"# "I Believe"# "Children"# "Lies" # "Girl Of An Age"# "Getting Through"# "They're Here"# "It's You"# "Perfect Day" # "Glass Smash Jack"# "Shining"# "I'm A Believer"...
|
- |
- |
Singles and EPs
| Year |
Singles |
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
US Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
US Modern Rock |
US Dance |
Album |
| 1990 |
"Unbelievable" |
3 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
Schubert Dip |
| 1991 |
"I Believe "I Believe" is a single by British band EMF. It was the second single from their first album Schubert Dip. The song was released as a single in January 1991 in the UK following their big hit "Unbelievable". The song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. In the USA, the song was the band's...
" |
6 |
- |
10 |
- |
Schubert Dip |
| 1991 |
"Children" |
19 |
- |
26 |
- |
Schubert Dip |
| 1991 |
"Lies" |
28 |
18 |
27 |
6 |
Schubert Dip |
| 1992 |
Unexplained EP Unexplained EP was an EP by the English band EMF. Although following on from their well-received Schubert Dip album , the Unexplained EP was not a commercial success, peaking at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.This EP features a remake of Iggy & The Stooges 1973 song "Search...
|
18 |
- |
- |
- |
Unexplained EP |
| 1992 |
"They're Here "They're Here" is a single from British band EMF from their second album Stigma. It reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.-CDR 6321 :#They're Here #They're Here #They're Here...
" |
29 |
- |
27 |
5 |
Stigma |
| 1992 |
"It's You" |
23 |
- |
- |
- |
Stigma |
| 1995 |
"Perfect Day" |
27 |
- |
- |
- |
Cha Cha Cha |
| 1995 |
"Bleeding You Dry "Bleeding You Dry" is a single by British band EMF. It was the second single released from their third full-length album Cha Cha Cha.Although there was a commercially released version of the single, in most cases it is widely considered only a promo single due to much of its releases being promos...
" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Cha Cha Cha |
| 1995 |
"I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by the The Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the...
" |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
Non-LP track |
| 1995 |
"Afro King "Afro King" is a single by British band EMF, released in the fall of 1995. The single didn't do well, only getting to #51 on the UK single charts...
" |
51 |
- |
- |
- |
Non-LP track |
External links