Gareth Emery Takes a Stand Against AI with New Human-Only Label
Gareth Emery is widely regarded as one of the most influential British trance DJs and producers in electronic music. Emerging in the early 2000s, he has built a massive legacy centered around emotional melodies, iconic vocal collaborations, and cutting-edge live visuals. Recently, the scene veteran took to social media to share his unfiltered thoughts on the rise of artificial intelligence in music—and he didn’t hold back.
Emery admitted his initial frustration with AI music began when he discovered models were being trained directly on his own discography. He laid out a stark warning about where the industry is heading:
“It seems we’re heading toward a world of fake artists, fake voices, stolen training data, and a streaming economy where the key players seem to be happy to bury human music under infinite synthetic slop. If that happens, who wins?”
While acknowledging why AI exists, Emery firmly stands on the side of human emotion. For him, the magic of electronic music lies in its soul, not its perfection. “I believe there is a human energy that flows through human-made work. Even if we can’t always prove it or explain it, we feel it,” Emery wrote. “Imperfections aren’t the flaw—they’re proof a human was there. I want to fight to preserve that.”
To back up his words with action, Emery announced the launch of a new LSR/CITY record label project called Emotional Intelligence Records, which will serve as a dedicated sanctuary for human creators. “As our industry rushes to embrace this shift, we’re going the opposite way, by curating a small corner of the internet where everything will be AI-free, human-made music (& artwork too),” he explained.
To kick off the imprint, Emery has launched the pre-save for its debut single, “Burn It Down.” Acknowledging that going against the tech trend is an uphill battle, he closed with a rallying cry to his fans: “The first record, LSR/CITY ‘Burn It Down’ can be pre-saved now. And as I can guarantee this will receive negative zero industry support, every pre-save counts!”
