Amunet Speaks: a woman on the rise...

Amunet Speaks is an artist who thrives on contrast—raw yet intentional, nostalgic yet forward-thinking. With a deep love for analogue synths, drum machines, and the unpredictable nature of live recording, she rejects the overproduced polish of modern electronic music in favour of something grittier, more human.

Her latest release, Verity of Starting (Inside Cut), embraces a ‘Gothic Valentine’ aesthetic, weaving gothic breakbeat and new wave synths into a soundscape that feels both cathartic and immersive. A lifelong singer and producer, Amunet’s work is driven by emotion first, with sound, visuals, and concept unfolding naturally from her creative state. She straddles the line between underground electronic music and timeless songwriting, shaping music that lingers long after the beat fades.

With roots in both Florida’s rave culture and New York’s underground electronic scene, Amunet draws from a vast spectrum of influences. Her approach—eschewing samples and digital shortcuts in favour of tactile, live performances—creates an unpredictability that makes each track uniquely alive.

As the founder of Fine By Six, she’s not just crafting music but also defining her own space in the industry, where raw emotion and analogue textures take centre stage. Whether through her haunting vocals, hypnotic synth work, or evocative visuals, Amunet Speaks isn’t just making music—she’s building a world. With so much to chat about, we thought it a good time to pass some questions her way...

‘Verity of Starting (Inside Cut)’ was released on Valentine's Day. Was this intentional?

Yes, it was. I originally planned to release it on Halloween but missed the deadline. So, I decided to go for a ‘Gothic Valentine’ approach and release it on Valentine's Day instead.

Your sound is intentionally raw and avoids overproduction. What draws you to this approach in an era where electronic music is often highly polished?

The fact that everything is so polished is exactly what makes me want to do the opposite. Everyone uses Ableton, layering samples and loops together. I don’t. I use a Roland drum machine, Logic, and retro synths. It took me a long time to realise that the sound I was searching for could only be found in analogue drum machines.

‘Verity of Starting (Inside Cut)’ leans into gothic breakbeat and new wave synths. What led you to reshape the original track in this way?

My life experiences at the time I started working on it. I was dealing with personal challenges and matters of the heart—it was painful, and this release became a cathartic outlet, a way for other ‘Gothic Valentines’ to feel seen! Haha. I was also experimenting with reworking my original synth line, and it evolved into this dark, heavy 80s underground meets new wave sound… so I just went with it.

You rely heavily on live-recorded synths and drum machines—how does that influence the unpredictability of your music?

Oh, in every way. So many things can go wrong. My drum machine has been playing up recently, with bleed-through on the instrument tracks, and when I wrote the remix, my snare wasn’t even making a sound! Because I record my synths live, I often keep the first take and use minimal quantisation. You’ll hear all sorts of random bleeps and quirks—I tend to leave them in as they were originally recorded. The first take comes from the heart when I’m in a flow state. When I try to refine it later, it often sounds worse, so I leave it raw and organic. There’s more emotion in that, and I think people connect with it more.

Many electronic artists embrace samples and loops, but you avoid them. Is this a conscious rebellion against the norm or simply your artistic instinct?

It’s a mix of both. I spent years searching for the right tools and instruments to achieve the sound I had in my head. Once I realised that playing and recording live was the key, I stuck with it. That said, I do use loops occasionally, but only subtly, to fill in gaps when necessary.

The remix gives your vocals a more prominent role—was this a natural evolution, or did you feel compelled to push your voice forward?

I think it was time. People had been telling me to bring my vocals forward and showcase that side of my work more. I’ve done plenty of collaborations as a singer with well-known producers, but I always held back. Now, I feel more confident. I’m not lost in the DJ world anymore, and I don’t feel bound to the ‘underground’ scene in the same way. I’ve always been a singer—it’s time to embrace that and focus on writing timeless songs.

The ‘Gothic Valentine’ aesthetic in your video feels cinematic. What films or visual artists inspire your world-building?

That’s a great question—it made me pause and think. I love old films and vintage visuals, but I draw a lot of inspiration from the analogue visuals of 90s raves. I’m also fascinated by top-tier 3D animation designers and hope to explore that more once I upgrade my computer! But the truth is, I’ve had these visual concepts in my head since I was a teenager, just getting into dance music. I always knew I’d bring them to life one day.

You touch on ‘option paralysis’ and screen addiction—how do you navigate these challenges as an artist?

Like everyone else, I struggle with it. It’s tough. I’m lucky to live near nature trails, so I spend a lot of time outdoors in spring and summer, either in the woods or by the Hudson River—it helps me reset. Before releasing the original version of ‘Verity of Starting’, I deactivated my social media for two years. It was heaven. My brain chemistry improved. But when it came time to promote my music, I had to return to social media, and that was rough. It was nice to reconnect with people, but it also made me feel sad. Now, I limit my time online and avoid mindless scrolling. As for ‘option paralysis’, our attention spans are being shredded—we’re losing our ability to focus deeply, which affects every part of life. The only real solution is to step away from screens as much as possible, but that’s easier said than done…

The remix taps into a nostalgia for 80s underground sounds—what is it about that era that resonates with you?

Everything about it speaks to me. It was part of my early childhood and later evolved into the club and rave scene. I’m definitely an analogue soul in a digital world. I love the tactile experience of working with hardware—it feels like a partnership between human and machine. Tuning my drum machine is a natural high, whereas working on a computer with a mouse feels cold and rigid. And, of course, I just love the sound of 80s and 90s electronic music. It’s in my soul.

There’s a dark romanticism in both your music and visuals. Do you see Fine By Six becoming a home for more artists with a similar ethos?

I’m not sure yet. I created the label primarily as a way to release my solo work. I do think about bringing other artists on board in the future, but we’ll see how things unfold over the next year.

With a multidisciplinary approach to art and music, does your process start with sound, visuals, or concept?

It starts with my emotional state. Music production and singing come first, in a flow state. As the track develops, I start visualising the video and effects. I let it unfold naturally. The final stage—audio engineering—is when I get tired and cranky! Everything before that feels like playtime; then, it becomes business.

You’ve worked with names like Kate Simko and released on labels like Fabric/Houndstooth. What’s been the most valuable lesson from those collaborations?

Kate was a huge inspiration—she’s a class act, intelligent and talented, and a great role model. At the time, my life was chaotic, and she showed me what it looked like to be truly focused. The biggest lesson I learned was that I needed to get my life in order and start releasing music on my own terms. That meant stepping away from DJing (again) and living alone.

Having performed as both a DJ and vocalist, how do you balance the two in a live setting?

I haven’t played live since before the pandemic. Right now, I’m fully in studio mode. In the past, I’d either DJ or sing, but rarely both at the same time. Just before the pandemic, I was starting to blend the two—playing vinyl while singing live—but then everything changed.

You’ve lived in both Florida and New York—how have these places shaped your musical identity?

I grew up in Florida but have lived in NYC for 21 years. The beach is in my heart, but I’m a city girl who loves nature. New York shaped my musical identity the most—I spent two decades absorbing its DJ sets and local sounds. But my teenage rave days in Florida gave me my breakbeat and bass sensibility—thank you, Miami! Haha. The darker side of my music probably comes from my experiences trying to survive in the city.

Electronic music is often transient or club-focused, but your work carries a sense of permanence. Do you see yourself as more of a producer or composer?

Both. I handle the composition, recording, and production. I want to create timeless music. There’s too much mediocre music out there.

Fine By Six is still young. What’s been the biggest challenge of running your own label?

No unexpected challenges yet—it’s still new. The best part is having control over release dates. The worst? Promotion and marketing. It’s a lot of work. I’d love to sign releases to bigger labels in the future.

If someone was experiencing your music for the first time, what would you want them to take away from it?

I’d hope they feel mesmerised, inspired, and maybe even experience emotions they never have before. And ideally, they’d want to dance—or at least jiggle a bit! 

Keep up with Amunet Speaks on Spotify, Beatport, and Instagram  

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