Prior to crossing paths, Goldsworthy had worked alongside James Lavelle in the pre-DJ Shadow U.N.K.L.E., and Murphy had played in Pony and Speedking and engineered on records by the likes of Six Finger Satellite and June of 44. The two met in New York in 1999 while working on David Holmes' Bow Down to the Exit Sign; at the time, Goldsworthy was doing programming for Holmes and Murphy was an engineer at the New York studio where the record was being made.
Goldsworthy and Murphy began working as a unit shortly thereafter, and they worked on several records in various capacities. By the end of 2001, the duo had racked up mixing, engineering, programming, and production credits for Turing Machine's A New Machine for Living, BS 2000's Simply Mortified, Zero Zero's AM Gold, and the Rapture's Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks. Perhaps the best indicator of where the duo would take their sound is "Blood Money," a track that the duo worked on with David Holmes and a host of others for Primal Scream's XTRMNTR. Full of rumbling bass and a mass of noise that chewed up and spat out post-punk, no wave, garage rock, dub, and proto-house, the track seemed to forecast some of the early releases on DFA, the label Goldsworthy and Murphy launched in 2002.
While they continued their work in 2002 for bands like Radio 4, often using Murphy's New York City-based Plantain Studios as their lab, DFA was initiated the same year with a quartet of 12" releases that also featured the duo's production work. The Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers" was the first release and turned a decent but sloppy indie band into one worthy of inclusion in a DJ set between A Certain Ratio and PiL. Two robo-disco releases from ex-Six Finger Satellite member John Maclean — as the Juan Maclean — also caught some notice. But the biggest ripple of all was created by LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge," the A-side of which played out like a "You might be a redneck if..." routine for music snobs, set to a bottom-heavy electro/rock fusion. Primarily the work of Murphy, the 12" generated both love and hate/denial among music snobs.
Biography by Andy Kellman
Emerge
The DFA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Huh-I
Hyper
Hyper-media-ocrity
[Chorus:]
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
Tear away
You don't need to
Tear away
Feels good
Looks good
Sounds good
Looks good
Feels good too
Feels good too
(Uh-huh that's right)
Feels good too
(Uh-huh that's right)
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You don't need to
Tear away
[Chorus]
(Uh huh that's right)
(Uh huh that's right)
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You don't need to
Tear away
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You don't need to
Tear away
[Chorus: x2]
Look alive!
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You don't need to
Tear away
[Chorus: Repeats]
The DFA's song Emerge is a commentary on the hyper-mediated society we live in, where we are bombarded with images, sounds, and information from various sources. The opening lines "Hi, Huh-I, Hyper, Hyper-media-ocrity" set the tone for the song and suggest that we are living in a state of hyper-media saturation. The chorus, "You don't need to emerge from nothing, you don't need to tear away" implies that we don't need to conform to any particular image or standard set by the media. The song encourages us to be true to ourselves and not to be swayed by the constant messages we receive through various forms of media.
The repetition of the phrases "Feels good, Looks good, Sounds good" highlights the superficiality of the media-driven culture we live in. The song suggests that we should not be swayed by surface appearances, but instead focus on what truly matters. The call to "look alive" at the end of the song is a call to action, encouraging listeners to be aware of the forces that are shaping society and to resist conformity.
Overall, Emerge is a powerful commentary on the media-driven culture we live in and encourages listeners to be true to themselves and resist conforming to external standards.
Line by Line Meaning
Hi
Greetings!
Huh-I
I'm an AI inquisitively processing your command
Hyper
Hyperactive and enthusiastic
Hyper-media-ocrity
Excessively consuming and being shaped by media culture
You don't need to
Emerge from nothing
You already exist and have value, there's no need to start from scratch
You don't need to
Tear away
Don't let anyone take pieces from you or tear you down to nothing
Feels good
You're doing well and feeling content
Looks good
Things are looking positive
Sounds good
Things are sounding good
Feels good too
The overall situation is positive
(Uh-huh that's right)
Agreeing with what's being said
Look alive!
Pay attention and be alert
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WARREN FISCHER, CASEY SPOONER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FischerspoonerMusic
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@DewightMuller
Love you! Wish you would produce more stuff!