The Ensemble of the Estonian Electronic Music Society (EMA) has released its first record — a debut album featuring concert recordings from 2017–2022.
The debut album, titled “EMA”, opens the ensemble’s journey with the sounds heard at their first concert in the autumn of 2017 at the International Contemporary Music Festival AFEKT in Tallinn, and presents a selection of live recordings made between 2017 and 2022.
The album also features compositions written for the ensemble by several composers. Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes’s Aaria weaves classical melody together with soundscapes created using electronic instruments. Ekke Västrik’s Origami 2 grew out of patterns created by paper-folding and unfolding. Taivo Lints’s Rhythm Convergence is a playful piece built on the diverging and merging of rhythmic pulses. Doris Hallmägi’s Lighthouse is inspired by Robert Eggers’s film of the same title and carries a foreboding atmosphere. The album concludes with a rare archival find – a sound fragment recorded by Lääne County Radio Amateurs on a self-built vinyl cutter.
The Ensemble of the Estonian Electronic Music Society (EMA), founded in 2017, is dedicated to performing electronic chamber music. The ensemble seeks to transcend technological boundaries and cultivate sensitive musicianship, responsiveness, and attentive listening by exploring the rich sonic possibilities of diverse electronic instruments. The ensemble members are Doris Hallmägi, Ekke Västrik, Juhan Vihterpal, Taavi Kerikmäe, and Tarmo Johannes.
Release date: 22 November 2025
Recorded in Tallinn and Tartu between 2017– 2022
Sound engineers: Tammo Sumera, Siim Mäesalu, Ats Treimaa, Ekke Västrik
Mastering: Margo Kõlar
Design: Sven-Erik Stamberg, Raul Keller
The digital album is available on Bandcamp, and the vinyl edition will soon appear in record stores.
Upcoming events:
23 November – performance at hcmf// Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
25 November – concert at The Horse Hospital in London, at the event Plunder Blunder Asunder
30 November – concert “Chamber of Circuits” in Riga at the Hanzas Perons cultural centre, featuring music by Latvian composer Anna Fišere and Sven Grünberg
1 December – two free workshops at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (JVLMA), led by members of EMA. More information and registration.