Joseph Kamaru, better known as KMRU, is an ambient musician. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and later relocated to Berlin, Germany.
Musical career
[edit]As a child, Kamaru played the guitar and sang in a choir.[1] He first discovered electronic music in high school, after finding a copy of FL Studio on the school's computers.[1]
Kamaru is known for being prolific;[2][3] he published almost twenty releases on Bandcamp between 2017 and 2021.[3]
Kamaru was part of an Ableton Live ad in 2019, in which he recorded field recordings from a broken piano.[4] His 2019 extended play Erased used piano, field recordings, and synthesized drums.[3] In 2020, Kamaru released the albums Saal, Peel, Opaquer and Jar.[4][3] Released on Editions Mego, Peel was created in 48 hours and blended organic and synthetic textures.[3] In 2022, Kamaru toured with Big Thief.[5] The same year, he released a collaborative album, Limen, with Aho Ssan.[5] In 2023, Pitchfork described Kamaru as a "widely referenced figure in contemporary electronic music".[2]
In 2023, he released Dissolution Grip, which represented a sonic shift away from field recordings.[6] The album received critical acclaim from the publications Loud and Quiet and Pitchfork.[2][6]
Personal life
[edit]His grandfather, also named Joseph Kamaru, was a well-known benga musician.[7] After his death in 2018, the younger Kamaru reissued some of his albums, attempting to introduce a new audience to his music.[1][3]
Kamaru was born in Nairobi, Kenya.[3] He later moved to Berlin, Germany, in October 2020.[3][1] He moved to begin attending Universität der Künste for a Master's program of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts.[1]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Euphoria (2017)
- Variations [Installation] (2019)
- Saal (2020)
- Variations [Radiophonic] (2020)
- Peel (2020)
- Jar (2020)
- Logue (2021)
- Temporary Stored (2022)
- Don't Linger They Might See You (2022)
- Epoch (2022)
- Glim (2023)
- Dissolution Grip (2023)
- Stupor (2023)
- Natur (2024)
Collaboration albums
[edit]- Peripheral with Echium (2021)
- Limen with Aho Ssan (2022)
- Disconnect with Kevin Richard Martin (stylized as KRM:KMRU; 2024)
EPs
[edit]- Noize (2017)
- Erased (2019)
- OT (2019)
- Luft (2020)
- Continual (2020)
- Odra (2020)
- Drawing Water (2020)
- Ftpim (2020)
- Inter Alia (2021)
- As It Still Is (2021)
- There Was Nothing in Between (2022)
- Imperceptible Perceptible (2022)
- Windbags/Lune (2024)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Sherburne, Philip (April 27, 2021). "Meet KMRU, the Ambient Musician With His Ear to the World". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Weidenbaum, Marc (October 4, 2023). "KMRU: Dissolution Grip". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wray, Daniel Dylan (March 10, 2021). "Explore the Intimate Discography of Ambient Producer KMRU". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Nguyen, Kevin (December 20, 2020). "This was a good year to listen to ambient music, whatever that is". The Verge. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Merucci, Mike (December 16, 2022). "The Art of Listening | An Interview With KMRU". Impact 89FM. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Crossland, Jake (September 25, 2023). "KMRU - Dissolution Grip - Album Review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Schoop, Eli (September 29, 2023). "KMRU, Dissolution Grip". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved July 27, 2024.