Unity Ambulette, the electronic solo project of producer and recording artist Emmett Kai, released its debut single “Saint’s Prayer Beams” April 24th via UNISEX records.
Purely instrumental, “Saint’s Prayer Beams” is an ambient track capturing light and refracting rays of hope. Within the track’s orchestral sea of synthesizers, there is no pinnacle. “Saint’s Prayers Beam’s” is fluid, its frequencies washing over the listener with austere intimacy. To Kai, writing the song was both “freeing” and “liberating.” In utilizing an eight track reel and other common 90’s electronic techniques, “Saint’s Prayer Beams” is not a direct reference to the past, but carries the weight of the future.
Before the track’s release, I spoke with Emmett Kai about “Saint’s Prayer Beams,” and his creative process. Read more below.
Can you introduce yourself to ALT Citizen readers?
Emmett: My name is Emmett Kai and I’m a recording artist and producer in Los Angeles. I grew up in California and spent a good time in New York before returning. The last couple years I’ve been enjoying working on other peoples records a bit behind the scenes, while developing Unity Ambulette.
Before releasing “Saint’s Prayer Beams” under Unity Ambulette, you’ve had a rich music career both producing and playing live. How have these experiences shaped this project?
Emmett: I think working on other peoples records helps scratch this itch of wanting to make everything and do everything, and by working with other artists on their projects I get to find a home for all my ideas as well. Each project I work on inspires my own work. Playing live music definitely comes last for me these days, but I still plan on touring again in some capacity.
Tell me a little more about “Saint’s Prayer Beams.” What drew you to creating ambient music?
Emmett: This song was truly the first track I had made that felt real to me. After making this song, I think it sort of opened up the flood of creativity for me after a spell of landing on what I really like. Ambient music has become just another freeing space for me to play in. Getting to make instrumental music in general has always been very liberating as well. There’s something really imaginative about experimental music without lyrics that lets you set your own scene.
Photos by Ziru Mo
Can you elaborate more on how you used analog dubs recorded live to tape in the track? How did this unique production technique add to “Saint’s Prayer Beams?”
Emmett: I got back into using tape from a dear collaborator here in Los Angeles, but more recently we have begun recording straight to tape without using computers, which may seem funny or unnatural to some, but to us we found the 8 track reel to reel to be a good format in simplicity. I found a TSR-8 for sale in San Francisco which I recorded the track on using an analog mixer, drum samples, and some synths and samplers. The dubbing technique comes from old dub reggae songs and how they’d sort of use the mixing board like an instrument and in a rhythmic way. This process was very common in electronic music from the 90’s as well.
What can listeners expect next from Unity Ambulette?
Emmett: More songs and videos to accompany. I want to work in video as much as possible for this project.
Listen to Saint’s Prayer Beams