Emmally Parsons, aka e.m.arson, is a British producer and musician who blends sampling, electro‑acoustic instrumentation and sonic manipulation in extraordinary ways. Her latest full‑length record is The Pillbox.
At the moment I can’t stop listening to
So, I’m one of those people who listens to such an eclectic mix of music, at all times! It’s gonna have to be Cindy Lee. I always go back to her Diamond Jubilee album. I think it’s such a clever album. Like, words don’t do it justice, in any shape or form. The sonics, the storytelling of it all, is immaculate. I think it’s really cool how it’s kind of ‘punk‑but‑not‑punk’, it being a two‑hour release as well. It really sticks to her roots. I love all the jangly pop guitar of it, the lyricism and the whole arc of the story from the beginning of the album to the end.
Aside from that, I’ve been sitting in church a lot! Doing sound recordings and tour recordings and listening to choral concerts for research. So that would be like another thing that I can’t stop listening to at the minute. I’m constantly taking field recordings, all the time, for my own field recording ‘database’. I’ve been really interested in how one voice or tone — in terms of spectral music — can be then layered or pulled apart to make something bigger.
The artist I’d most like to collaborate with
Laurie Anderson. Or Suzanne Ciani. Those would be my top two people that I’d love to collaborate with. It would be really important to work with another femme in the musical field, especially in terms of experimental music, and I’m really interested in artists who are pushing boundaries and want to innovate and play music in a non‑conventional way. It could be a super girl group! Get Meredith Monk in there as well!
The first thing I look for in a studio
A piano. It doesn’t even have to be a piano that’s in tune. Just something that can be a ‘touch point’, where I can noodle in between writing or recording. I often find that I create more music with sparse objects and with limitations than I do if I’m overwhelmed with choice. When I enter music studios, I’m just grateful for that time and space, that quiet time to think and actually map things out. I mean, my studio is more of like a multi‑disciplinary art space where I paint, I write, I make music. Having things set up, having a wide variety of instruments and materials to play with, whether that means conventional instruments or bits of scrap metal or discarded wooden instruments in the corner that someone wants to take to the charity shop... I’ll be like, ‘Let me use those!’ I’ve always explored that in both my visual practice and my music practice. How I can repurpose things, to make something new.
The person I would consider my mentor
I’ll say two. Both of them have passed away now; but my grandad, who was like my dad to me, and my uncle who was his bandmate. Growing up, I didn’t really have conventional ‘music lessons’, so when we were in the car or doing long drives, I guess without realising it I started to develop my ear and learn how to listen to music. You can really learn, just through hearing and watching people play music. I’m really thankful: just from seeing them playing in a band, from a young age I was exposed to live music — and I learnt things, like how to advocate for yourself with a sound guy! Which is maybe not the most important lesson, but it’s a valuable lesson as a woman in the music industry. I learned to trust my gut and my instincts and my ability to contribute. Trusting my own creative direction as well, and how much value that contributes.
e.m.arson: Can I give you a reference painting? It would be The Tower Of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
My go‑to reference track or album
When I create my own work, I actually do my best to not listen to other music, so that everything is coming from a place of authenticity for me, and from a clear mind. Of course, we’re all influenced subconsciously or consciously, but I try not to reference other tracks. I think, when I create music, it’s more from about: what story am I trying to tell? What am I trying to portray? So I actually work from more visual elements. I have more of a visual ‘research board’ that I approach the work from, rather than “OK, this is a reference track that I would like to use.” So can I give you a reference painting? It would be The Tower Of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. I’ve used it in so many projects. I like all the miniature conversations within it; there are so many different storylines in one piece. I try and create that within my own work.
My secret weapon in the studio is
My little Stylophone Theremin! I’m a huge nerd for ergonomic tech that’s portable and that can travel with you. So that would be my go‑to miniature piece of kit. With the live sets I’m making at the minute, a lot of my instruments are karaoke microphones I’ve got taped together as a trio to create feedback and reverb. It’s a real DIY approach! But I think my mindset is really important. Without a good creative mindset, flow just doesn’t happen. Turning up to the studio with intentionality and openness; I think that is my secret weapon. I feel that with music, with things that might go ‘wrong’, I can be like: OK how can I make this into something that’s interesting and will contribute to to the set, or to a sound? I think my skill, my secret weapon, is that curiosity and openness to experimenting and making something out of nothing, even if it’s not going the way you expected.
The studio session I wish I’d witnessed
Immediately, I think of Laurie Anderson recording ‘O Superman’: layering her vocoder, exploring themes of technology and its failures, experimenting so fearlessly. It would be endlessly awe‑inspiring. But, I’m going to say the session where Paul Flaherty, Thurston Moore and Bill Nace made the tracks ‘Sex’, ‘Drugs’ and ‘Lavender’. It’s ferocious but meditative! So much texture and emotional depth. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that session: seeing them improvise together, how they listened to one another and responded and built something entirely in the moment. But also in between making the tracks themselves, I think it would have been really fascinating to hear their conversations. Maybe they were just, you know, discussing things like, “Do you want a cup of tea or something?”, or maybe it was something more deep.
The producer I’d most like to work with
Fatima Al Qadiri! She’s not technically a producer, but she is another experimental musician and multidisciplinary artist. I feel as though when I work in a wider team, especially with producers, what I look for is being able to approach things in an experimental and improvisational way, similar to how I would produce my own record. So someone who really aligns with that is something I value immensely when it comes to production. I think it would push me to think critically about sound and composition, and storytelling, so she would be incredible to work with. I’m a huge fan of her work as well, especially her album Medieval Femme, which is all about melancholic longing in the poetry of Arab women from the medieval period. She bridges the worlds of art and music so seamlessly. It’s so rigorous and emotionally resonant, and sonically adventurous.
The studio experience that taught me the most
I did a studio session recently where I was trialling different sound loops and samples that I’ve not been able to use in my wider solo project. Sounds which are a lot noisier, more industrial, a lot heavier, a lot grittier. I was using a DJ setup to sort of play around with sampling, but through decks. And that was really interesting. It really taught me a lot about how I can actually develop my own practice at the minute and bring in heavier sounds alongside more ethereal sounds in a more coherent way. Keeping that improvisational ability while bringing in my DJ’ing background as well.
I’ve also recently been working with some local musicians as well, developing a live show for The Pillbox and expanding to a wider band setup, and playing with other improvisational experiments musicians has taught me a lot about the language of music. I’m not classically trained, so having to translate work and meeting people where they’re at to make a wider sound — while still keeping the essence of the album — has been a huge learning curve and an absolutely wonderful opportunity. Honestly, it’s so cool to work with like‑minded people. A dream come true.
The advice I’d give myself of 10 years ago
I remember sitting in a rented room when I was in Brighton making like loops and splicing with a sort of cut‑and‑paste approach. I knew deep down that I wanted to make music, but I always danced around the subject of doing it, like, I had imposter syndrome. I still do. I still struggle with that: just not being able to feel like I was of value to the scene. So if I could sit myself down with myself 10 years ago I would probably say: there’s never a right time. Just explore your true north without any hesitation at all. Go and play, make noise, learn — actively learn. Participate. Be bolder and braver. Don’t be scared. Just explore it and be honest with yourself about what you want to do. I feel like I was so unhappy for so long, because I just didn’t take that leap of faith. And now I am. I’m learning along the way, and it’s been a wonderful adventure.