Press

Individuality, balance and the pure music

Listen to the piano opening the gorgeous In Situ, the penultimate track on Stephen Emmer’s new album, Asymmetrical Dot, for one of his approaches to the instrument. Its mechanics are certainly present, but the actual note being struck is deep and clear, nearly pure. Then, dig into Asymmetry, Emmer’s homage to David Lynch, for an altogether different take on what I’m taking to be the sound of a piano. It warps, bends, reconfigures itself and returns to something nearing its original state, counterpointed by a more recognizable piano. The two gestures speak to Emmer’s language as represented by this newest album, a fascinating voyage through this latest endeavor of a psyche more than willing to accept, create and synthesize.

Beauty out of misery

On Asymmetrical Dot, Stephen Emmer turns grief and new birth into a multigenerational meditation, drawing on the Indonesian folk traditions his mother carried from Ambon to Amsterdam and the hushed compositional vocabulary that hearing loss made necessary. Roekie Aronds was an Indonesian-born ballet dancer and actress who settled in the Netherlands, became the first person of color to appear in a Dutch television series in 1958, and, with equal conviction, used her dance classes to teach through gamelan, Coltrane, and Jimi Hendrix.

Asymmetrical Dot Quotes

Being bold and going your own musical way

In the Netherlands, we have musicians and composers who prioritise their own artistic values in everything they do and who, whenever possible, make no concessions to what they have in mind. This often yields truly beautiful results. Perhaps this requires you to be open to their artistic dreams and their realisation. One of the most authentic composers the Netherlands has to offer is Stephen Emmer.

Looking back on 40 years of TV-tunes

Wednesday May 27 is a festive day at the Beeld & Geluid museum: the Treasury will be opened. Our country's largest radio and television archive will become public to everyone, and NPO Radio 5 will be there live all day.

Moving and contemplative masterpiece

The NNM series has actually been my favorite category to write for for years. It seems like a narrow genre to focus solely on music from Dutch soil, but it has actually proven to be one of the most varied over the years. This is also evident with the Amsterdam musician and composer Stephen Emmer.

Poignant album

In one year, composer Stephen Emmer (68) lost his mother and his grandson was born. The two have only met once for one hour. It provided inspiration. He wrote music for both of them, which is featured on his latest album 'Asymmetrical dot'. “What happens when one generation passes away, and another arrives?”

Does Emmer Share George Harrison’s DNA?

Bristling with ideas and formations, Stephen Emmer’s latest work is so malleable to interpret precisely because the tones and timbre are so universal. When guitarist George Harrison released his 1979 eponymous album, he had lost a parent and become one. Understandably, this divide between life and birth soaked into the work, the songwriter’s most accomplished since 1973.

Obscure Sound review

Amsterdam-based composer Stephen Emmer delivers a heartfelt perspective on life’s cycles with his track “Benja’s Birth.” Mixed by Fernando Aponte, the composition draws atmospheric inspiration from the legacies of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Ennio Morricone. Conceptually, the piece acts as a deeply personal bridge between two major life events: the arrival of Emmer’s grandson, Benja, and the passing of the artist’s mother.