Emergence Collective announce new album, coming 7th November on Redundant Span Records
The first studio album from the Sheffield-based improv collective,
spanning classical music, jazz and folk
Emergence Collective
Announce new album, Swimming in the early hours
Coming 7th November via Redundant Span Records
Listen to the title track here
“10-piece Emergence Collective stir things to life with a beautifully subtle yet hypnotic performance of stripped back instrumental minimalism.”
- The Guardian
“Dislodged from time, fragments of older and folkier traditions seep into contemporary ones in their compositions with seamless grace, ornate patterns ambling through the reverberant space they're enclosed in.”
- The Quietus
"The album unfurls in beautiful patterns, filled with a degree of subtlety, tenderness, restraint and a cohesion that belies its improvisational foundation… it’s remarkably measured and considered music given it is being birthed in real time.”
- Loud and Quiet
Emergence Collective, the Sheffield group of musicians creating beautiful, improvised soundscapes, announce new album Swimming in the early hours, which also marks the collective's first studio record. The record will be coming out on vinyl and digitally on 7th November via Redundant Span Records.
Operating in the liminal space between classical music, jazz and folk, Swimming in the early hours sees Emergence Collective continue to develop their unique sound, gently lit with moments of serene softness and quietly hypnotic grooves. The group had one day in the studio to record the album, going in with no plans, preparation or expectation - they simply picked a key to play in and waited for the music to unfurl, with all members helping to steer the sound. For a record that is so heavily planted in the idea of exploring music in real time, Swimming in the early hours possesses a remarkable degree of poise and coherence.
Listen to the title track "Swimming in the early hours" below...
Emergence Collective - "Swimming in the early hours" Single
Listen: https://emergencecollective.ffm.to/swimmingintheearlyhourssingle
Album Preorder:
https://emergencecollective.ffm.to/swimmingintheearlyhours
Live Dates
5th October - Sensoria Festival, Sheffield (Details)
More about Emergence Collective and Swimming in the early hours...
“We never want to play the same gig twice,” say Emergence Collective. “Everything we do is entirely improvised and in the moment. None of it is predetermined and it won't happen again.”
This principle has been the one foundational rule that drives the Sheffield collective, one that is led by four co-project directors Jemma Freese, Juliana Day, Rob Bentall and Zebedee C. Budworth. Beyond that, it’s an anything goes approach that sees them pull on their vast pool of members – of around 30, made up of people who can join open monthly sessions – to perform different line-ups in different spaces, with the sole intention of creating something completely unique every time. “It's almost like changing the variables,” explains Day. “We know we'll get a different output but we're just not sure what it is. We try different combinations, positions, venues, and whatever comes out, comes out. There are no pre-decided structures.”
Previous records have been live recordings of such gigs; ones that leaned into their environment as though they were an additional member or instrument. From playing in an intimate chapel (2025’s Chapel) to a vast 1920s theatre (2023’s Fly Tower), the group assembles a bespoke selection of musicians that best suits the space and vibe. However, for the first time, they have now stepped into a studio. “It kind of felt like a proof of concept for taking it forward,” says Budworth. “It's a totally different thing to performing in front of people. Everything has to be perfect but it still all has to be live. Our approach to music is always conversational, a collaboration between everyone who's present at that time, weaving it together.”
Whereas most groups who go in a studio will have rehearsed within an inch of their lives to make the most of the time, or do take after take to fine tune and hone a performance, Emergence Collective instead had one day to record an entire album with zero plan, preparation or expectation. “We pick a key and that's the only instruction that any of the musicians have,” they explain. “What happens from there on is the result of everyone deciding what should happen next.”
While this might be pressure enough for most groups, Emergence Collective are also an entirely acoustic group and so there’s no wall of noise to hide behind. Instead, via a unique concoction of instruments – one that includes a Swedish nyckelharpa and hammer dulcimer – the group create something where every detail and movement is emphasised and put under a microscope. On top of the four co-directors, there are contributions from Philippe Clegg (double bass), Tim Knowles (guitar), Ruth Nicholson (violin), Will Shaw (percussion), Jo Veal (clarinet) and Ruth Webber (tenor saxophone).
The result is a record that leans into moments that are quiet, slow and delicate, as well as intricate, expansive and propulsive. There are nods to pioneering minimalist composers, such as Steve Reich, but also more versatile and unpredictable reference points. “We operate in the liminal space between classical music, jazz and folk,” they explain. “We're not any of those things, but we're also all of them.” And on their latest, this genre-spanning – and eschewing – approach, even veers into chamber pop at points. The result is a unique combination, and sound, that has so far seen acclaim for numerous publications spanning The Guardian, The Quietus, Loud & Quiet and Cast the Dice.
The recent introduction of Freese as a member and co-director, as well as vocalist on this album, has been a key addition to the evolution of the group. From the opening ‘We’re not far from home’ – with a looping vocal melody that glides over gentle purrs of double bass and the elegant dance of strings – her voice plays a prominent role. Throughout, it adds melodies, motifs, and patterns via a delivery that offers up raw emotion as well as considered restraint – an approach that sits perfectly on top of a style of instrumental playing that is as thoughtful as it is concentrated. Freese’s approach to singing is a unique one rooted in an eclectic and storied musical background. “I studied jazz vocals, so a lot of the rhythmical stuff comes from scatting,” she explains. “I also did some studying on Konnakol which is Indian percussive singing and I grew up in a religion similar to Hinduism, so the way that they sing and use vowels I took influence from as well. So a lot of it is down to the fact that I grew up singing in another language.”
For a record that is so heavily planted in the idea of exploring music in real time, the result possesses a remarkable degree of poise and coherence. The 18 minute ‘Swimming in the early hours’ does not sound like something spontaneously created on the spot but instead unfurls with beautiful precision and refined sophistication. This unique balance that the group have landed on is fundamentally a sweet spot between experimentation and approachability. “What we're trying to do is make esoteric music that's accessible,” they say. “It's experimental but listenable."
However, despite its accessibility and inherent listenability – complete with moments of serene softness and quietly hypnotic grooves – this is very much music to be engaged by. “It's not background music,” says Budworth. “It’s not music to be ignored but to lose yourself in.”
