回到90年代初英国乐坛掀起的一片Indie-Dance热潮,曾造就了不少经典乐队如The Stone Roses、Primal Scream等,但同时亦洐生出为数不少只得刹那光辉成就的乐队,就像EMF。
EMF在1990年推出大热细碟〈Unbelievable〉时,其风头可谓一时无两,Funky的低音及节奏、充满House色彩的响亮Keyboard弹奏,还有甚具挑逗性的辛辣电结他Riff,以及主音IanDench那温柔唱腔,即使在16年后的今天听回,〈Unbelievable〉仍是毋容置疑的Indie-Dance经典。
by Jason Ankeny
Best remembered for the international smash Unbelievable, the British dance-rock quintet EMF formed in Cinderford, England, in October 1989. All five members — vocalist James Atkin, guitarist Ian Dench, keyboardist Derry Brownson, bassist Zachary Foley, and drummer Mark Decloedt — were veterans of the local music scene before founding EMF, whose name supposedly stood for Epsom Mad Funkers (although it was widely speculated that the initials instead represented Ecstasy Mind F*ckers). Within two months of formation, the group played its first gig; after unearthing a Casio sampler and sequencer in a local thrift shop, a light techno element was added to their rock-oriented sound.
By the end of 1990, EMFs infectious debut single Unbelievable had conquered the U.K. charts; it hit number one in the U.S. the following year. The 1991 album Schubert Dip was also successful, spawning another hit single in Lies. (The LP also garnered considerable press when Yoko Ono objected to the groups use of a voice sample of Mark David Chapman, the murderer of John Lennon; the offending sound bite was later removed from future pressings.) In 1992, EMF returned with the EP Unexplained and the full-length effort Stigma; both releases performed badly on the charts, however, and the band effectively vanished from sight until 1995s Cha Cha Cha.