Drawing us in with a dimensional synthscape with trippy water-like cosmic textures and cerebral sound design motifs, The Floodshark opens Kai with intrigue and intricacy. We immediately connect with the fusion of 80s cinematic synths and psychedelic detailing that feels like a trip into another dimension.
Overall, the composition holds an optimistic and uplifting energy, this is further amplified by a choral vocal synth and warm melodies, intertwined with the rippling and more celestial notions. The composition builds with hypnotic drama, and we could imagine this being featured in a futuristic Avatar-style film, or even a scene in a movie like a live action Disney film.
There is most certainly an immersive quality to the production that feels otherworldly and deeply connected to nature. The cute sound designs feel like underwater mushrooms and we learn that the track, which is written, produced and performed exclusively by William Blake Hyatt, aka The Floodshark, was initially conceived during his first trip to Hawaii in 2016.
The piece is aptly named after the Hawaiian word for sea, and translates the majesty of the islands, their pristine beaches and abundant wildlife into electronica. As The Floodshark puts it, “The sound of water is music to my ears”.
We hear shades of Animal Collective, Boards of Canada and Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks score, as intentionally designed, but the Hawaiian and Caribbean influences give Kai its own vibe. It feels like floating underwater one minute and drifting through space the next.
For sync, as well as Avatar, we could also see it landing a placement in The Little Mermaid, Life of Pi or Tomorrowland. On TV, Gen V, Blue Planet II, Our Planet, Stranger Things and The OA feel like natural fits.
Needless to say, we are obsessed, and the fade out just leaves us yearning for more. We have added Kai to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of The Floodshark, including Marmaid, On Some Nearby Beach, and Wall of Flood.