Emika
Encyclopedia
Ema Jolly, best known as Emika, is a British
-born female electronic
musician of Czech origin currently residing in Berlin
. Her self-titled debut album
was released in October 2011 via Ninja Tune
and received generally good reviews.
, England
. She started to make music at school (literally, in a cupboard, where computers had been stored, as she explained in an interview) and waitressed to save up for her first Apple Mac and copy of Logic
. Emika received her Music Technology degree in Bath
, then procured an internship at the offices of the London label Ninja Tune
, where she worked for a month. As Bristol music scene was making a trasition from drum and bass
to dubstep
, she went to the first parties organised by Pinch.
Speaking of the reasons that made her leave Bristol, Emika explained: "I was very ill, physically, I've had to have some operations which weren't very successful and led to more, and had a long period quite surviving from morphine, really... I was in bed for many weeks. And afterwards in Bristol I became 'the ill girl'... It was very difficult for me to recover and stay in that city". In 2006, she took advantage of a free flight to anywhere in Europe granted by her bank, as she's got her account upgraded, flew to Berlin
on her own and decided to stay there.
In Berlin Emika started working as a sound designer for Native Instruments
, all the while honing her own ("uniquely haunting", according to AllMusic) musical style with her laptop
, picking up ideas from the dance scene at the Berghain
and Panoramabar clubs. Fünf, the compilation album of music crafted from field recordings made inside these clubs by Emika (who contributed her own track "Cooling Room", an opener), has been released by Ostgut Ton
, as part of the celebration of the label's five year anniversary. Her job at the Native Instruments had an important role in her artistic developement, too. "I am focused on the world of sound and the power of the human voice, the instant connections it makes with listeners, in music. In general I feel there is a lack of vocabulary in the field of electronic music", Emika later explained.
Ninja Tune appreciated Emika's new, dark, downtempo dubstep
direction and in January, 2010, released "Drop the Other" as her debut single, which has also found its way into the label's 20th anniversary box set. Since 2009, Emika has appeared on tracks with the likes of Pinch
, Kryptic Minds, Paul Frick and MyMy. Her second single "Double Edge" came out in May 2010 to be followed by "Count Backwards" (April, 2011) and "Pretend/Professional Loving", the latter came out in September, 2011, and was remixed by Brandt Brauer Frick, Kyle Hall and DJ Rashad.
On October 3 (October 11, in US), 2011, her debut album Emika
came out (all four singles included), described as the mix of "bewitching, atmospheric melodies and glitchy electronic beats" and getting good reviews. Emika's music has been described as being influenced by various genres like early dubstep
, electronica
and classical, critics compared her to PJ Harvey
, The xx
, Zola Jesus
and Beth Gibbons
.
On October 18 Emika embarked upon her first American tour; in November she is expected to play in France
, Poland
and Russia
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
-born female electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
musician of Czech origin currently residing in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Her self-titled debut album
Emika (album)
Emika is the debut studio album by the Bristol-born electronica artist Emika, released in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2011 by Ninja Tune. The album was produced by Emika and mastered by the Berlin engeneer Rashad Becker.-Background:Emika chose a software studio as her instrument throughout...
was released in October 2011 via Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
and received generally good reviews.
Biography
Emika, a classically trained musician who studied classical piano and composition, grew up in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She started to make music at school (literally, in a cupboard, where computers had been stored, as she explained in an interview) and waitressed to save up for her first Apple Mac and copy of Logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
. Emika received her Music Technology degree in Bath
Bath
Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in the south west of England. It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. The population of the city is 83,992. It was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, and was made a county borough in 1889 which...
, then procured an internship at the offices of the London label Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
, where she worked for a month. As Bristol music scene was making a trasition from drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
to dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, she went to the first parties organised by Pinch.
Speaking of the reasons that made her leave Bristol, Emika explained: "I was very ill, physically, I've had to have some operations which weren't very successful and led to more, and had a long period quite surviving from morphine, really... I was in bed for many weeks. And afterwards in Bristol I became 'the ill girl'... It was very difficult for me to recover and stay in that city". In 2006, she took advantage of a free flight to anywhere in Europe granted by her bank, as she's got her account upgraded, flew to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on her own and decided to stay there.
In Berlin Emika started working as a sound designer for Native Instruments
Native Instruments
Native Instruments is a technology company that develops software and hardware for music production and DJing. The company has originally been identified mostly with software instruments, but has also expanded to various other music equipment segments in recent years.Current products of Native...
, all the while honing her own ("uniquely haunting", according to AllMusic) musical style with her laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, picking up ideas from the dance scene at the Berghain
Berghain
Berghain is a Berlin nightclub, named after its location on the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Philip Sherburne described it in 2007 as "quite possibly the current world capital of techno, much as E-Werk or Tresor were in their respective heydays." -Overview:The club is located in a...
and Panoramabar clubs. Fünf, the compilation album of music crafted from field recordings made inside these clubs by Emika (who contributed her own track "Cooling Room", an opener), has been released by Ostgut Ton
Ostgut Ton
Ostgut Ton is the label owned by the club Berghain in Berlin. Nick Höppner is the label manager.The label's first releases were by Berghain/Panorama Bar residents such as André Galluzzi, Cassy, and Ben Klock....
, as part of the celebration of the label's five year anniversary. Her job at the Native Instruments had an important role in her artistic developement, too. "I am focused on the world of sound and the power of the human voice, the instant connections it makes with listeners, in music. In general I feel there is a lack of vocabulary in the field of electronic music", Emika later explained.
Ninja Tune appreciated Emika's new, dark, downtempo dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
direction and in January, 2010, released "Drop the Other" as her debut single, which has also found its way into the label's 20th anniversary box set. Since 2009, Emika has appeared on tracks with the likes of Pinch
Pinch (dubstep musician)
Rob Ellis, better known as Pinch, is a dubstep artist from Bristol, United Kingdom noted for his fusion of styles such as Reggae, World Music, and Dancehall with dubstep. He released his first album, Underwater Dancehall in 2007, on Tectonic records, which he founded...
, Kryptic Minds, Paul Frick and MyMy. Her second single "Double Edge" came out in May 2010 to be followed by "Count Backwards" (April, 2011) and "Pretend/Professional Loving", the latter came out in September, 2011, and was remixed by Brandt Brauer Frick, Kyle Hall and DJ Rashad.
On October 3 (October 11, in US), 2011, her debut album Emika
Emika (album)
Emika is the debut studio album by the Bristol-born electronica artist Emika, released in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2011 by Ninja Tune. The album was produced by Emika and mastered by the Berlin engeneer Rashad Becker.-Background:Emika chose a software studio as her instrument throughout...
came out (all four singles included), described as the mix of "bewitching, atmospheric melodies and glitchy electronic beats" and getting good reviews. Emika's music has been described as being influenced by various genres like early dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and classical, critics compared her to PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
, The xx
The xx
The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
, Zola Jesus
Zola jesus
Zola Jesus is the stage name of Russian American singer/songwriter Nika Roza Danilova . Having released three EPs and two full-length albums, combining industrial, classical, electronic, goth and experimental rock influences, she received generally good reviews and was regarded as one of the names...
and Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist for the iconic British band Portishead.-Early life:...
.
On October 18 Emika embarked upon her first American tour; in November she is expected to play in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Singles and EPs
- 2010: "Double Edge" (Ninja TuneNinja TuneNinja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
) - 2010: "Drop The Other" (Ninja Tune)
- 2011: "Count Backwards" (Ninja Tune)
- 2011: "Pretend/Professional Loving" (Ninja Tune)
Collaborations
- 2009: Price Tag EP (MyMy & Emika, AUS Music)
- 2011: "2012" (PinchPinch (dubstep musician)Rob Ellis, better known as Pinch, is a dubstep artist from Bristol, United Kingdom noted for his fusion of styles such as Reggae, World Music, and Dancehall with dubstep. He released his first album, Underwater Dancehall in 2007, on Tectonic records, which he founded...
& Emika, TectonicTectonic (record label)Tectonic is a British electronic music label, founded and run by Rob Ellis which focuses primarily on Dubstep and its related genres...
) - 2011: "I Mean" (Paul Frick feat. Emika, Doppelschall)
- 2011 "Make You Sleep" (Kryptic Minds vs. Emika, Black Box)