EMF

British dance-rock quintet EMF formed in Cinderford, England in October1989.  

All five original members 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 Mother Fuckers"). 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.  

Their debut album, SCHUBERT DIP, was released in May 1991. It was  certified platinum (over a million copies sold) in the US in September  1991. It had reached a peak chart position of #3 in the UK and #12 in the  US, as well as finishing the year at #57 overall.  

By the end of 1991, their infectious debut single “Unbelievable” had  conquered the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, hitting #1 on the  Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in the UK. The single was certified gold (over  500,000 copies sold) in the US in May 1991. The song was in such heavy  rotation for most of the year in America, that it finished as the #6 single  overall for the year.  

Further hit singles that succeeded “Unbelievable” included “I Believe,”  “Children” and “Lies.”  

In 1992, EMF returned with the Unexplained EP and the much darker full length effort STIGMA; STIGMA peaked at #19 on the UK charts, and the  band toured extensively to promote it. It produced hit singles and EMF  live set favourites, “They’re Here” and “It’s You.”  

The band released their final full-length album of new material in 1995  with CHA CHA CHA. After a successful European tour, they teamed up  with comics Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on a cover of the Monkees'  "I'm a Believer,” which reached number 2 on the UK charts.  

The band reunited in the summer of 2001 and released a Greatest Hits CD  that coincided with a mini European festival and UK tour. 

The Greatest Hits CD, called THE BEST OF EMF: EPSOM MAD  FUNKERS, featured 2 discs: the first had a collection of singles and fan  favourite album tracks, along with 2 brand new tracks: "Incredible" and  "Let's Go." The second disc had popular remixes.  

The band were primed to write new material and tour more extensively butthe sudden passing of bassist Zac Foley on January 2, 2002 shocked the  band into silence. The remaining 4 original members spent several years  focusing their time on personal projects and their families.  

The band reunited in 2007 and have been steadily doing festivals and live  shows in the years since. In 2020, the band released a career-spanning  vinyl box set and have spent most of 2020 and 2021 celebrating 30 years  of EMF.  

The band surprised fans by telling them that profits from the merchandise  sold was being used to record a new album, which will be released in  2022. It will be the first album of all new material since 1995.