E.m.m.a. Made “Light Years” To Evoke The Stars Whizzing Around The Universe

The UK producer draws on grime, garage and UK bass to make music that sounds ahead of the game.

November 11, 2014

There's a pretty amazing line in Dummy's 2013 interview with British producer E.m.m.a., who produces a rippling, polychromatic mix of grime, garage and all things UK bass: "When I ask her point blank what the main idea behind her new album is…she replies 'the universe.'" The universe as composed not with some $3000 dollar modular synthesizer but with the tried-and-true FL Studio—and she's not done with that concept, either, as she told us in a conversation about "Light Years," the track we're premiering today.

"I wanted to do some epic shit with the drums stripped back, and when I added in a kinda dystopian synth which shuttles around in the background it kinda made it sound like stars whizzing around the universe, so I called it 'Light Years,'" she explains. "It's also a reference to how I see music and how you gotta be light years ahead in this game, which is my motivation." The track is E.m.m.a.'s contribution to the forthcoming Certified Connections compilation due November 24th on influential UK selectors Dusk and Blackdown's label Keysound, marking the artist's first new material on the label since her acclaimed debut LP last year, Blue Gardens.

Photo credit: James Clothier

Posted: November 11, 2014
E.m.m.a. Made “Light Years” To Evoke The Stars Whizzing Around The Universe